Biography
b.1975 in Westmoreland, Kansas
lives and works in Vienna, Austria
Education
2000
MFA in Painting, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1997
BFA, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Solo Exhibitions
2020
Two-Tones, Monochromes, and Other Landscapes, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2019
Silver/Landscapes, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
2018
Recent Trees and Monochromes, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
Aura Gallery, Beijing, China
2016
Forest(s), Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
Trees Alone, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2015
Another Tree, Another Forest, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
2014
Green Forest, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
Selected Trees, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2013
In the Midst, Between, Betwixt, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, England
2012
Benjamin Butler: Pastels, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
Some Trees, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
2010
Gallery, Paintings and Drawings 2010, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2009
These Trees, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
2008
Dark and Leafless, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
2007
New Trees, Galerie Michael Zink, Berlin, Germany
New Trees, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Leafless Trees and Sakura, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2006
New Trees and Forests, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
2005
Paintings, Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, Switzerland
New Paintings, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Forest’s Edge, Team Gallery, New York
2004
Tree Alone, Galerie Lisa Ruyter, Vienna, Austria
Trees, Team Gallery, New York
2003
Little Mountain, Tomio Koyama Gallery, project room, Tokyo, Japan
Early Spring, Greener Pastures Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada
2002
Mountain Paintings, Team Gallery, New York
Two Person Exhibitions
2020
Leipzig/Ludlow: Benjamin Butler and Bastian Muhr, Galerie Jochen Hempel, Leipzig, Germany
Ludlow/Leipzig: Benjamin Butler and Bastian Muhr, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
2010
Leafless: Glen Baldridge & Benjamin Butler, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York
Group Exhibitions
2019
sotto voce, curated by Robert Bordo, Bortolami Gallery, New York
Globe as a Palette; Contemporary Art from The Taguchi Art Collection, Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art/Kushiro Art Museum/Hakodate Museum of Art/Sapporo Art Museum, Hokkaido, Japan
2017
The Secret Life of Plants, curated by Jennifer Coates and Nick Lawrence, Freight + Volume, New York
2016
Three Paths to the Lake, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
2014
Verzweigt, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg, Germany
Short, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
2013
Intersection – Contemporary Abstraction and Figuration, TAM, Torrance, CA
Imprisoned, Jailbreak, XYZ Collective, Tokyo, Japan
Land Ho!, curated by Holly Coulis and Ridley Howard, Fine Arts Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
2012
Disappearing Acts (Act II), Anna Kustera Gallery, New York
B-Out, curated by Scott Hug, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York
East West Shift to the Middle Part II, Bill Brady/KC, Kansas City, MO
2010
Collections-March, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Kyoto, Japan
2009
Mark Making: Dots, Lines, and Curves, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
Dark Side of the Moon, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
2008
Summer Show, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
The Big Gift, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Narcissus, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Anne Eastman & Benjamin Butler, ATM Gallery, New York
Daikanyama Group Show, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2007
Horizon, curated by David Humphrey, EFA Gallery, New York
Landscapes, Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Inside the Pale, curated by Frank Schroder, Thrust Projects, New York
Homecoming, Nerman Museum/Epsten Gallery, Overland Park, KA
Approaching Landscape, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany
2006
Palette, curated by Augusto Arbizo, Greenberg van Doren, New York
Group Show, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Group Show, Shane Campbell Gallery, Oak Park, IL
Summer Group Show, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
AIR, curated by Amy Sillman, Monya Rowe Gallery, New York
Benjamin Butler, Holly Coulis, Ridley Howard, Galleria Glance, Turin, Italy
2005
Hello Sunday, curated by Holly Coulis, Sixtyseven, New York
Devil’s Punchbowl, curated by Katharina Grosse, Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
On the Beach, curated by Justin Lowe, Printed Matter, New York
Honeymoon with Romeo, curated by Holly Coulis, Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, Switzerland
Greater New York, MoMA P.S.1, New York
Sad Songs, curated by Bill Congers, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
where do we come from, what are we? where are we going?, curated by Katherine Bernhardt, Champion Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
2004
A.C., Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York
Five Artist Shows, Rove/Kenny Schachter, London, UK
Full Disclosure, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Beat the Reaper, curated by Joe Bradley, Allston Skirt Gallery, Boston, MA
2003
Greetings from New York, New Abstraction, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Game Over, Grimm/Rosenfeld Galerie, Munich, Germany
The Larger Room, curated by Mari Eastman, 678 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
2002
Inaugural Exhibition, Greener Pastures Contemporary Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2000
Electraslip Knife, curated by Stephanie Campos, Alternative Space, Chicago, IL
1999
long cold winter in an endlessnameless, curated by Slater Bradley, Jay Batlle and Amy Sarkisian, Studio 870, Los Angeles, CA
Bibliography
2020
Goodman, Jonathan, “Ludlow/Leipzig” at Klaus von Nichtssagend, Whitehot Magazine, August 2020
2018
Yuki Higashino, “Benjamin Butler: Recent Trees and Monochromes”, Critics Picks, Artforum.com
2016
Heinrich, Will, “Benjamin Butler”, New York Times, November 4
Vogel, Sabine, “Was ist gute Malerei?,” DiePresse.com, July 9
Sato, Shiori, “幾何学模様の樹木を描き続ける、ベンジャミン・バトラーに聞く,” bitecho.me, July 3
2015
Smith, Roberta, “At NADA Art Fair, Collecting for Pleasure, Not Status,” The New York Times, May 14
2014
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler: Green Forest,” The New York Times, May 15
Gopnik, Blake, “The Daily Pic,” ArtInfo.com, April 29
2012
Scheyerer, Nicole, “Zurück zur Nicht-Kunst,” Aktuelle Nachrichen, July 12
Schwabsky, Barry, “Frieze Frame: On Art Fairs,” The Nation, May 29
Palmerton, Elwyn, “Benjamin Butler at Klaus von Nichtssagend,” Artillery, June/July 2012
Heinrich, Will, “Out of the Woods: Benjamin Butler at Klaus von Nichtssagend,” New York Observer, April 18
2011
Kley, Elizabeth, “New Art in Tokyo,” Artnet.com, June 2011
2010
The Open Daybook, edited by David P. Earle, catalogue with illustration
Levy, Michelle, “Returning to Branches”,Artslant (Online)
Bilsborough, Michael, “Taken by Trees,”
School of Visual Arts (Online)
Global New Art: Taguchi Art Collection #01, catalogue with illustration
Bilsborough, Michael, “Big in Japan!,” School of Visual Arts (Online)
Smith, Roberta, “Summer Pictures,” The New York Times, August 7
2008
Ocvirk, Otto, Robert E. Stinson, Philip R. Wigg, Robert O. Bone, and David L. Cayton, Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice, illustration
“Top Pick: Benjamin Butler:Dark and Leafless,” Austin American-Statesman, illustration, November 20
2007
Berliner Zeitung, Rubrik, “Termine der Woche,” Nr 295 Dienstag, December 18
Gray, Emma, “LA Confidential,” Artnet.com, October 12
Gray, Emma, “Top Ten Shows in LA,” Saatchi Online, September 2007
Brooks, Amra “Must See Art,” LA Weekly, September 5
Fujimori, Manami, “Figaro” Japon, September 5
2006
Thorson, Alice, “Homecoming,” Kansas City Star, November 26.
Westkott, Hanne, “Kunstvolle Natur,” Suddeutsche Zeitung, November 2.
Zeitung, Suddeutsche, “Kunstvolle Natur”, Hanne Westkott, November 2, S.73.
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, “Butler Blends Influences Deftly,” Austin American-Statesman, November 7.
Kerr, Merrily, “Palette,” Time Out New York, August 17-23.
Smith, Roberta, “Art in Review: Palette,” The New York Times, August 11.
Bors, Chris “Chroma Trouble,” Artnet.com, August 4.
Brooks, Amra, “Must See Art,” LA Weekly, August 2.
Killeen, Michael, “Color Focus,” Bloomberg News, August 1.
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, Austin American-Statesman, July 29.
“Benjamin Butler,” Art Moco, illustration, July 20.
Maerkle, Andrew, “Palette,” flavorpill.com, July 12.
Johnson, Ken, “Air,” The New York Times, July 7.
Goodbody, Bridget L., “Air,” Time Out New York, issue 562, July 6-12.
Olivas, Yvonne, “Benjamin Butler at Team,” Art in America, illustration, p. 134, February.
Brooks, Amra, “Benjamin Butler, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery,” Artforum, illustration, p. 231, January.
2005
Greater New York, published by MoMA P.S.1, illustration, with essay by Irene Shum
Aebi, Adrian, “Basler Zeitung,” Kulturmagazin, December 8.
Johnson, Ken, “Benjamin Butler, Forest’s Edge,” The New York Times, June 4.
Kley, Elisabeth, “Greater New York 2005,” Artnews, illustration, May.
Andrews, Betsy, “Getting Ourselves Back to the Garden,” Gay City News, illustration, April 28.
Saltz, Jerry, “Lesser New York,” Village Voice, p. 77, March 28.
2004
Douglas, Sarah, “London Letter,” Artnet.com, October 27.
Saltz, Jerry, “Five Points,” March 17-23.
Bellini, Andrea, “I Nuovissimi di New York,” ill., Flash Art, p. 83-84.
Hirschmann, Thomas, “Earthy Tones: Four Spring Shows Mark the Greening of the Gallery Circuit,” Now Toronto, April 3.
2002
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler–Mountain Paintings,” review, The New York Times, December 20.
Public Collections
Glenbow Collection, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas