+ Expand

Artist or Maker: Theodore Earl Butler (1860-1936)

+ Expand

Provenance: The artist.
Jimmy Butler, the artist's son, gift from the above.
Collection of Madame Claire Giselle Mousson.
The Little Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1965.
Sotheby's, New York, 21 September 1994, lot 135.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

+ Expand

Exhibited: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Little Gallery, Trees at Giverny , March 1-22, 1965. Lexington, Kentucky, University of Kentucky Art Museum, and elsewhere, A Romance with the Landscape , September 10-December 10, 2006.

+ Expand

Notes: Property from a Southern Collection

On occasion, Christie's has a direct financial interest in lots consigned for sale which may include guaranteeing a minimum price or making an advance to the consignor that is secured solely by consigned property. This is such a lot. This indicates both in cases where Christie's holds the financial interest on its own, and in cases where Christie's has financed all or a part of such interest through a third party. Such third parties generally benefit financially if a guaranteed lot is sold successfully and may incur a loss if the sale is not successful.
After studying at the Art Student's League in New York, Theodore Butler traveled to Paris in the 1880s where his artistic career would soon flourish. Conscious of the prevailing social, scientific and artistic milieu that consumed the avant-garde of the time, Butler was able to synthesize these influences into unique canvases that would later distinguish him as an important expatriate artist of his day. In The Seine at Port-Villez Butler's quick strokes of pigment fuse together in many layers to create a fury of color, heightening the movement in the scene. Butler's dynamic Impressionist style continues the artistic tradition set forth by the French Impressionists while demonstrating the artist's own sense of modernity. Painted in the northwest of France, The Seine at Port-Villez exhibits Butler's keen interest in pursuing these impressionist ideals. Although he did not receive critical acclaim until later in his career, Butler's works resonated within the Parisian artistic community and helped to distinguish him as a highly skilled and provocative painter.

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné being compiled by Patrick Bertrand.