James Butterwick

Last updated

James Butterwick
Born (1962-09-09) September 9, 1962 (age 62)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Art dealer, expert

James Butterwick (born 9 September 1962) is a British art dealer, collector, and expert in the field of Ukrainian and Russian art from 1880 to 1930.

Contents

Biography

From an influential English family associated with the arts, Butterwick's grandfather, Cyril, [1] [2] [3] a former classics master at Eton College, was a renowned English silver specialist and Director of Sotheby's with a collection of paintings, books and works of art. Butterwick's godfather, [4] Peregrine Pollen, with whom he enjoyed a close relationship, was the President of Sotheby's in New York [5] and also had a large collection. James' parents kept him interested in art and financed his first acquisition in 1985, a work on paper by Léon Bakst.

Between 1976 and 1980, Butterwick studied at Eton College, then at the Faculty of Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich. Between 1982 and 1986 he studied Russian and History of Art at the University of Bristol, graduating with a 2.1 honours degree. It was whilst a student at the University of Bristol that he became interested in Russian literature and culture.

In 1985 Butterwick spent a six-month study internship in Minsk and Pyatigorsk, in the former USSR, after which he decided to concentrate exclusively on Russian Art. According to his recollections: "In 1985, I first went to the Soviet Union - to Minsk, went to the local museum and saw a lot of magnificent paintings by artists utterly unknown in the West. Then it occurred to me that, as no-one in the West knew of this art, it would make sense to, upon returning to Britain, get involved in Russian Art of the XIX - early XX century." [6]

In 1994 he moved to Moscow. As he recalled: "Outside of Russia, there were few works of this period, so I moved to Moscow, I drove my car from London and worked in this market as a dealer. It was an incredibly interesting time and utterly crazy. Presidents of corporations and banks bought from me, I started to make a name for myself, lectured, made friends with old and new collectors and immersed myself in this new world. In the 1990s, Russia was a free country, possibly the freest in the world and, at least at that time, rather less hypocritical than Britain but the law in England is better respected, I had a great job offer and I chose to return there." [6]

For three years Butterwick worked at Asprey in New Bond Street as Regional Director of the nascent Russian Department before returning to Russia in 1999 and setting up his art dealership anew. During the time 1994-2006 Butterwick formed the Sun Group collection, which was subsequently sold in 2008, post crisis, for an average return of 450% profit.

In 2010 Butterwick exhibited in Moscow for the first time, at the bi-annual art fair in TsDKh (ru:ЦДХ), an event he continued to attend until 2015. His exhibitions included award-winning shows of Ilya Chashnik, Oleksandr Bohomazov and others. In 2012, Butterwick put on the exhibition, ‘Russian Line’ in conjunction with Sotheby's, Moscow and consisting of works from his personal collection, Vrubel, Petrov-Vodkin, Grigoriev, Goncharova, Larionov, Chashnik, Konchalovsky and others. Other business ventures included an exhibition of Impressionists, Gaugain, Sisley, Renoir and others in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2013.

In 2015 Butterwick was invited to exhibit at the TEFAF Maastricht Art Fair, the first gallery dealing in Russian Art to do so. He sold four works by Oleksandr Bohomazov to the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo in the Netherlands and made further subsequent sales to this institution and the Art Center, Arkansas between 2016 and 2020. He also exhibited at TEFAF New York in 2016 and put on two ground-breaking exhibitions of the Ukrainian Cubo-Futurist Oleksandr Bohomazov.

Works from Butterwick's personal collection have taken part in several major museum exhibitions. [7] [8] In recent years, Butterwick has become a collector of Soviet nonconformist work of the second half of the 20th century and British watercolours of the 18th and 20th century and Old Master drawings.

A member of the Russian Society of Private Collectors since 1994, [7] the International Confederation of Antiquaries and Art Dealers of the CIS and Russia since 2008 [7] and the Society of London Art Dealers since 2013. [7]

Expertise

According to the editorial board of OpenSpace.ru (now Colta.ru), Butterwick is "one of the most authoritative experts on Russian art of the 1880s-1920s in the West". [9]

In 2013, he accused the organisers of the exhibition "Avanguardie russe dal Cubofuturismo al Suprematismo", held in Mantua, of showing forgeries. [10] The organisers subsequently sued him for libel and, in February 2020, an Italian court exonerated him and ruled that Butterwick's opinion was based on his “proven and recognized competence and experience,” which, “although harshly stated,” “was never offensive. [11]

In 2018, he was among the leading experts on the Russian avant-garde who signed a letter about the dubious authenticity of works from the collection of Igor Toporovsky, exhibited in Ghent. [12] [13] As a result, the exhibition was closed down and became subject to a police investigation.

In July 2020, after his appeal, an auction in South Carolina of 49 works by Natalia Goncharova" was cancelled. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazimir Malevich</span> Russian artist and painter (1879–1935)

Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was a Russian avant-garde artist and art theorist, whose pioneering work and writing influenced the development of abstract art in the 20th century. He was born in Kiev, modern-day Ukraine, to an ethnic Polish family. His concept of Suprematism sought to develop a form of expression that moved as far as possible from the world of natural forms (objectivity) and subject matter in order to access "the supremacy of pure feeling" and spirituality. Active primarily in Russia, Malevich was a founder of the artists collective UNOVIS and his work has been variously associated with the Russian avant-garde and the Ukrainian avant-garde, and he was a central figure in the history of modern art in Central and Eastern Europe more broadly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian avant-garde</span> ~1890–1930 Russian and Soviet art movement

The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its end as late as 1960. The term covers many separate, but inextricably related, art movements that flourished at the time; including Suprematism, Constructivism, Russian Futurism, Cubo-Futurism, Zaum, Imaginism, and Neo-primitivism. In Ukraine, many of the artists who were born, grew up or were active in what is now Belarus and Ukraine, are also classified in the Ukrainian avant-garde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalia Goncharova</span> Russian-French artist (1881–1962)

Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was a Russian avant-garde artist, painter, costume designer, writer, illustrator, and set designer. Goncharova's lifelong partner was fellow Russian avant-garde artist Mikhail Larionov. She was a founding member of both the Jack of Diamonds (1909–1911), Moscow's first radical independent exhibiting group, the more radical Donkey's Tail (1912–1913), and with Larionov invented Rayonism (1912–1914). She was also a member of the German-based art movement Der Blaue Reiter. Born in Russia, she moved to Paris in 1921 and lived there until her death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knave of Diamonds (arts association)</span> Russian artistic group

Knave of Diamonds, also called Jack Of Diamonds, was a circle of avant-garde artists in Russia, heavily influenced by French styles, who sought "to unite the stylistic system of Cezanne with the primitive traditions of folk art, the Russian lubok and tradesman's signs." Named for the eponymous exhibition held in Moscow in 1910, the group's intention was to provoke the art establishment in Russia, challenge "good taste," and shock. The group remained active until December 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow Museum of Modern Art</span> Museum in Moscow

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art is a museum of modern and contemporary art located in Moscow, Russia. It was opened to public in December 1999. The project of the museum was initiated and executed by Zurab Tsereteli, president of the Russian Academy of Arts. In 2018, The Vadim Sidur Museum and Museum-Studio of Dmitry Nalbandyan are branches of the Moscow Museum of Modern Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubo-Futurism</span> Russian art movement

Cubo-Futurism or Kubo-Futurizm was an art movement, developed within Russian Futurism, that arose in early 20th century Russian Empire, defined by its amalgamation of the artistic elements found in Italian Futurism and French Analytical Cubism. Cubo-Futurism was the main school of painting and sculpture practiced by the Russian Futurists. In 1913, the term "Cubo-Futurism" first came to describe works from members of the poetry group "Hylaeans", as they moved away from poetic Symbolism towards Futurism and zaum, the experimental "visual and sound poetry of Kruchenykh and Khlebninkov". Later in the same year the concept and style of "Cubo-Futurism" became synonymous with the works of artists within Ukrainian and Russian post-revolutionary avant-garde circles as they interrogated non-representational art through the fragmentation and displacement of traditional forms, lines, viewpoints, colours, and textures within their pieces. The impact of Cubo-Futurism was then felt within performance art societies, with Cubo-Futurist painters and poets collaborating on theatre, cinema, and ballet pieces that aimed to break theatre conventions through the use of nonsensical zaum poetry, emphasis on improvisation, and the encouragement of audience participation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Larionov</span> Russian painter and costume and set designer

Mikhail Fyodorovich Larionov was a Russian avant-garde painter who worked with radical exhibitors and pioneered the first approach to abstract Russian art. His lifelong partner was fellow avant-garde artist, Natalia Goncharova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadezhda Udaltsova</span> Russian artist (1886–1961)

Nadezhda Andreevna Udaltsova was a Russian avant-garde artist, painter and teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Bogomazov</span> Ukrainian avant-garde artist (1880–1930)

Alexander Konstantinovich Bogomazov or Oleksandr Kostiantynovych Bohomazov was a Ukrainian painter, cubo-futurist, modern art theoretician and is recognised as one of the key figures of the Ukrainian avant-garde scene. In 1914, Oleksandr wrote his treatise The Art of Painting and the Elements. In it he analyzed the interaction between Object, Artist, Picture, and Spectator and sets the theoretical foundation of modern art. During his artistic life Oleksandr Bohomazov mastered several art styles. The most known are Cubo-Futurism (1913–1917) and Spectralism (1920–1930).

George Costakis was a Greek-Russian art collector who amassed one of the largest private collections of Russian avant-garde art in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Léopold Survage</span> Russian-French painter

Léopold Frédéric Léopoldowitsch Survage was a Russian-French painter of Finnish origin. Trained in Moscow, he identified with the Russian avant-garde before moving to Paris, where he shared a studio with Amedeo Modigliani and experimented with abstract films. He also gained commissions for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Kliun</span> Russian painter (1873–1943)

Ivan Vasilievich Kliun, or Klyun, born Klyunkov was a Russian Avant-Garde painter, sculptor and art theorist, associated with the Suprematist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Art Museum of Ukraine</span> Art museum in Kyiv, Ukraine

The National Art Museum of Ukraine is a museum dedicated to Ukrainian art in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA) is a continually renewed collection of hundreds of artworks, including paintings by famous Russian artists of Jewish origin, photographs, masterpieces of sculpture and graphic design. MAGMA’s collection includes works by Valentin Serov, Léon Bakst, Marc Chagall, El Lissitzky, Chaïm Soutine, Amedeo Modigliani, Erik Bulatov, Ilya Kabakov, etc. The Museum was established in 2001. MAGMA President is Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The European Fine Art Fair</span> Annual art fair held in Maastricht

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) is an annual art, antiques, and design fair organized by The European Fine Art Foundation in the MECC in Maastricht, Netherlands. It was first held open in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilya Chashnik</span> Soviet artist

Ilya Grigorevich Chashnik was a suprematist artist, a pupil of Kazimir Malevich and a founding member of the UNOVIS school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian avant-garde</span> Avant-garde movements in 20th-century Ukraine

Ukrainian avant-garde is the avant-garde movement in Ukrainian art from the end of 1890s to the middle of the 1930s along with associated artists in sculpture, painting, literature, cinema, theater, stage design, graphics, music, and architecture. Some well-known Ukrainian avant-garde artists include: Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Archipenko, Vladimir Tatlin, Sonia Delaunay, Vasyl Yermylov, Alexander Bogomazov, Aleksandra Ekster, David Burliuk, Vadym Meller, and Anatol Petrytsky. All were closely connected to the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa by either birth, education, language, national traditions or identity. Since it originated when Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire, Ukrainian avant-garde has been commonly lumped by critics into the Russian avant-garde movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Vulokh</span> Russian artist (1938-2012)

Igor Vulokh was a Russian nonconformist artist of the 1960s, a leading exponent of abstraction in Russian art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakhrushin Museum</span>

A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum is a museum in Moscow dedicated to the theatre. It was founded in 1894 by the Russian merchant, and philanthropist Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia characterises it as the largest theatre museum in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts</span> Art museum in Yekaterinburg, Russia

The Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, established in 1986, is the largest art museum of the Urals region of Russia. It is based in Voevodina Street on the banks of the Iset River in the city of Yekaterinburg.

References

  1. ↑ (James) Cyril Butterwick (1890–1966), Nephew of Sir Richard Tetley Glazebrook, cousin of Ethel Glazebrook // National Portrait gallery
  2. ↑ Lyttelton, Humphrey (18 February 2013). Last Chorus: An Autobiographical Medley. Aurum Press. ISBN   978-1-907532-59-7.
  3. ↑ Cooper, Jeremy (1977). Under the Hammer: The Auctions and Auctioneers of London. Constable. ISBN   9780094613706.
  4. ↑ "Peregrine Pollen, Man of Action". James Butterwick. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Strauss, Michel (12 December 2013). Pictures, Passions and Eye: A Life at Sotheby's. Halban. ISBN   978-1-905559-68-8.
  6. 1 2 Гид по антикварному рынку. Джеймс Баттервик // Собака.ru.
  7. 1 2 3 4 James Butterwick in the Tretyakov gallery (rus)
  8. ↑ Искусство кризиса: что покупают на арт-рынке коллекционеры из России // Forbes Russia
  9. ↑ А. Фриз. «Время собирать...» в Царицыно // Openspace
  10. ↑ More questions than answers after ‘miraculous’ Russian avant-garde show // The ArtNewspaper
  11. ↑ British dealer James Butterwick cleared of defamation for describing Russian Avant-garde works in Mantua exhibition as fake // The ArtNewspaper
  12. ↑ Fake Kandinskys, Malevichs, Jawlenskys? Top curators and dealers accuse Ghent museum of showing dud Russian avant-garde works // The ArtNewspaper
  13. ↑ The Art Newspaper's exposé helps close dubious Russian avant-garde art display in Ghent museum // The ArtNewspaper
  14. ↑ Наталья Шкуренок. Джеймс Баттервик: «Продаж поддельных работ русского авангарда становится меньше». The Art Newspaper Russia (21 июля 2020)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.