Biography
Born 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, NY
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, NY
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, NY
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, NY
2004
Tree Alone, Galerie Lisa Ruyter, Vienna, Austria
Trees, Team Gallery, New York, NY
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, NY
Two Person Exhibitions
2010
Leafless: Glen Baldridge & Benjamin Butler, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2019
sotto voce, curated by Robert Bordo, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
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, NY
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, NY
B-Out, curated by Scott Hug, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
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, NY
Daikanyama Group Show, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2007
Horizon, curated by David Humphrey, EFA Gallery, New York, NY
Landscapes, Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Inside the Pale, curated by Frank Schroder, Thrust Projects, New York, NY
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, NY
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, NY
Benjamin Butler, Holly Coulis, Ridley Howard, Galleria Glance, Turin, Italy
2005
Hello Sunday, curated by Holly Coulis, Sixtyseven, New York, NY
Devil’s Punchbowl, curated by Katharina Grosse, Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
On the Beach, curated by Justin Lowe, Printed Matter, New York, NY
Honeymoon with Romeo, curated by Holly Coulis, Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, Switzerland
Greater New York, MoMA P.S.1, New York, NY
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, NY
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
2018
Yuki Higashino, “Benjamin Butler: Recent Trees and Monochromes”, Critics Picks, Artforum.com
2016, Heinrich, Will, “Benjamin Buter”, New York Times, November 4, 2016
Vogel, Sabine, “Was ist gute Malerei?,” DiePresse.com, July 9 2016
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 2016
2015
Smith, Roberta, “At NADA Art Fair, Collecting for Pleasure, Not Status,” The New York Times, May 14 2015
2014
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler: Green Forest,” The New York Times, May 15 2014
Gopnik, Blake, “The Daily Pic,” ArtInfo.com, April 29 2014
2012
Scheyerer, Nicole, “Zurück zur Nicht-Kunst,” Aktuelle Nachrichen, July 12 2012
Schwabsky, Barry, “Frieze Frame: On Art Fairs,” The Nation, May 29 2012
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 2012
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,” http://www.artslant.com/ny/articles/show/18938/
Bilsborough, Michael, “Taken by Trees,” http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/ce/blog/?p=1801
Global New Art: Taguchi Art Collection #01, catalogue with illustration
Bilsborough, Michael, “Big in Japan!,” http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/ce/blog/?p=1417
Smith, Roberta, “Summer Pictures,” The New York Times, August 7 2010
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 2008
2007
Berliner Zeitung, Rubrik, “Termine der Woche,” Nr 295 Dienstag, December 18 2007
Gray, Emma, “LA Confidential,” Artnet.com, October 12 2007
Gray, Emma, “Top Ten Shows in LA,” Saatchi Online, September 2007
Brooks, Amra “Must See Art,” LA Weekly, September 5 2007
Fujimori, Manami, Figaro Japon, September 5 2007
2006
Thorson, Alice, “Homecoming,” Kansas City Star, November 26 2006
Westkott, Hanne, “Kunstvolle Natur,” Suddeutsche Zeitung, November 2 2006
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, “Butler Blends Influences Deftly,” Austin American-Statesman, November 7 2006
Kerr, Merrily, “Palette,” Time Out New York, August 17-23 2006
Smith, Roberta, “Art in Review: Palette,” The New York Times, August 11 2006
Bors, Chris “Chroma Trouble,” Artnet.com, August 4 2006
Brooks, Amra, “Must See Art,” LA Weekly, August 2 2006
Killeen, Michael, “Color Focus,” Bloomberg News, August 1 2006
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, Austin American-Statesman, July 29 2006
“Benjamin Butler,” Art Moco, illustration, July 20 2006
Maerkle, Andrew, “Palette,” flavorpill.com, July 12 2006
Johnson, Ken, “Air,” The New York Times, July 7 2006
Goodbody, Bridget L., “Air,” Time Out New York, issue 562, July 6-12 2006
Olivas, Yvonne, “Benjamin Butler at Team,” Art in America, illustration, p. 134, February 2006
Brooks, Amra, “Benjamin Butler, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery,” Artforum, illustration, p. 231, January 2006
2005
Greater New York, published by MoMA P.S.1, illustration, with essay by Irene Shum
Sad Songs, catalog for exhibition at University Galleries of Illinois State University, curated by Bill Conger
Aebi, Adrian, “Basler Zeitung,” Kulturmagazin, December 8 2005
Johnson, Ken, “Benjamin Butler, Forest’s Edge,” The New York Times, June 4 2005
Kley, Elisabeth, “Greater New York 2005,” Artnews, illustration, May 2005
Andrews, Betsy, “Getting Ourselves Back to the Garden,” Gay City News, illustration, April 28 2005
Saltz, Jerry, “Lesser New York,” Village Voice, p. 77, March 28 2005
Muller, Brian, “Painting Today, a Cat among the Pigeons,” panel discussion, ARCO 05
2004
Douglas, Sarah, “London Letter,” Artnet.com, October 27 2004
Saltz, Jerry, “Five Points,” March 17-23 2004
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 2003
2002
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler–Mountain Paintings,” review, The New York Times, December 20 2002
Public Collections
Glenbow Collection, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas