15A Wish Ward, Rye TN31 7DH
T: 07540 222603

info@therichmondhillgallery.com
www.therichmondhillgallery.com

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. Its loveliness increases . It will never pass into nothingness. - John Keats

First Ballet Dress Artist copy
Bronze sculpture
78 x 43 x 29 cm
£24,500

Dancers and children are a much loved theme for Butler’s sculptures, combining delicacy of perception with the poetical.

During Saskia’s dance lessons, (Jim's daughter), the dancers were taught the elements of ballet, Jim would often make sketches of movement and resting, often serving as a ‘pont de depart’ for many of his sculptures, capturing the innocence of youth, and the fervor for learning. These studies were further enhanced with the final patination .

"Free Spirit" (life size) bronze edition 2/8
157 x 106 x 122 cm
stamped with Black Isle Foundry (on bronze base)
POA
"Free Spirit" was exhibited at RA summer exhibition in 2004 and received with much acclaim
The Essence of ballet, its beauty, and the elegance of movement, is encapsulated in this life sized bronze "Free Spirit"

I like the notion of spirit — spirit in the sense of active life, you are injecting some sort of living spirit into inert material, you inject into the objects you make a life of their own — the impression of a life outside your own.
James Butler MBE RA

"Homework" '99 bronze edition 6/12
14 x 24 x 19cm
£7,500

“Homework”was a result of seeing his daughter, Candida, asleep on a chair with a book on her lap,while one of the dogs was next to her on the floor , immediately the whole was perfect for translating into a bronze.

James manages to capture the happy and carefree moments of a child’s life in many of his sculptures of children. Inspired by his five daughters, children at play, during thoughtful moments and even while asleep, provided him with material and ideas.
A sculpture should not always be the result of a well thought out pre conception, or of changes made whilst handling the clay, is can be borne out of surprise observation.

"Girl holding a Teddy" bronze edition 2/10
103 x 44 x 40 cm
£27,500
Girl holding a Teddy captures an engaging moment of tenderness between a father and daughter and embodies the infinite of a child’s imagination

"The Flowered Hat" 2003 Bronze edition 8/10
18 x 28 x 26cm
£5,000
“Girl with Flowered Hat”, face concealed under the brim , captures a certain mystery and anonymity of the sitter , allowing the freedom to experiment with contrasting patinas.

"Girl on Bed" Bronze Artists copy
9 x 39 x 20cm
£6,500

This enchanting girl on Bed , with its accent on the grace of curvature, of serenity and play of light gives us a feeling of tranquility as his subject, Angie, rests. James Butler “I tried to capture the simple beauty of sleeping.” A Life sized version was exhibited at the RA and enthusiastically received as a sensation in 1974

Over the years the female figure has inspired many artists. Having a non-academic preference of pose, these are deeply personalized concepts of the female form and James love for Angie, his wife. Acquiring the knowledge of the structure of the human figure, whilst as an art student, together with his strongly retentive memory, they allow James to capture the spirit of the figure, rather than professional impersonal traditional poses, from an artist’s model . These are small and medium scale bronzes with subjects seated in armchairs or reclining on bed .

"Girl with Hat" Bronze edition 6/10
58 x 24 x 12 cm
£6,500

capturing the moment of solitude and privacy on the part of the subject, The Sun Hat umbrellas the model, in this case Angie, from the harsh sunlight,causing a menagerie of chiaroscuro, enhanced by the classical curvature of pose.

Angie Butler

"The Circus Performer" Bronze edition 3/10
65 x 50 x 20 cm
signed A. Berry
£6,700

Angie Berry, as she was known before her marriage to James, was born in Johannesburg . At an early age, she developed a keen interest in sculpting and in her late teens attended sculpture classes. Working in film and theatre, in her early 20’s, she wished to further her talents and moved to London, attending a well-established art college.
An acquaintance advised her to enroll at The London City and Guilds, where she met James Butler. After 4 ½ years of intense training, both theoretically and practically, she received her diploma in sculpture. During further years her pieces were accepted into the RA and thereafter Angie and James married.
Her intimidate knowledge and understanding of the technique involved and her love for this medium, made Angie, James’ perfect allies.

"Fish Head" Bronze edition 2/8
38 x 25 x 20cm
£5,900

Capturing her own spirit and her love of the circus, “Fish Head” combines realism with the abstract. Of pierrots, of the mime, these whimsical figures, catch ones imagination and surprise. In Johannesburg, her love of horses can often be seen in these sculptures. The sense of strength and agility is prevalent on the Circus Performer. “I have always introduced animals that I love, particularly chameleons, monkeys, chickens, fish and frogs. Colour and shape and the quirky combination of these creatures and humans simply inspire me and I don’t envisage changing anything anytime soon.”

"Pink Buttons" bronze Artists Copy
22 x 18 x 20cm
£3,950

Growing up and going to the circus regularly, due to her father’s job with African Consolidated Theatres (eventually bought by Boswell Circus), Angie was captivated by its magic .Starting in 1913 in Vrededorp, Johannesburg and survived two wars, the circus expanding from tumbling clowns, dogs, ponies and donkeys to trapeze, lions and elephants. But it was the clown tradition started by two of the four Boswell brothers, Walter and Alf Boswell that Angie loved more than anything.
Theses joyful playful and dreamlike masked figures,balanced on horseback, fish on head, or waiting between performances, encapsulate tenderly Angie’s childhood. Memories filled with imagination wonder and agility… Maybe they form a catalyst for her later writings on travel and adventure, whether it be Antarctica or Africa . A freedom to explore one’s own limitations , a freedom to fly through dexterity against all odds.
“As a generation of reason, it is not wonderful to witness an artist’s freedom of making possible the impossible. Of balance and self control mixed with the awe inspiring possibilities and magic of a circus” M Penturo

James Butler MBE RA CV
James Butler was born in London in 1931 and lived most of his early life in Kent. Educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Maidstone School of Art, he then moved to London and studied for a further two years at St. Martin's School of Art and finally the Royal College of Art.
He spent some ten years working as a professional stone carver with the Master Mason Gerald Giudici, and is responsible for many carvings that can be seen on buildings throughout London today, including the Queen Beasts in Kew Gardens.
He taught sculpture and drawing at the City and Guilds of London Art School and was a visiting tutor to the Royal Academy Schools. James was first elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1964 and is a member of the Royal West of England Academy (R.W.A.), Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. (F.R.B.S.), and a Member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, creating statues for Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, and other productions. Incidental contacts with Madame Tussauds in London included The Beatles, the model Twiggy and the bull-fighter El Cordobes.
For their Amsterdam museum he made statues in plaster of two figures from Rembrandt’s Nightwatch, of Rembrandt himself, his son Titus and his two wives, Saskia van Uylenburg and Hendrickje Stoffels.
It was as a result of these projects that James and Angie decided that their daughter – who was born shortly afterwards – should be called Saskia.
In 1972, James Butler was commissioned to make a portrait statue of President Jomo Kenyatta. The majestic 12 foot seated figure in the centre of Nairobi was a turning point in his career. He gave up teaching and became a full time sculptor. The demand for public commissions has continued both in the U.K. and abroad.
His large monumental figurative sculptures including the Rainbow Division Memorial, a pieta placed at the site of the Battle of the Croix Rouge Farm in Fère-en-Tardenois, France; the winged figure of Daedalus, a Memorial to the Fleet Air Arm which stands in the Embankment Gardens in London;the Memorial to the Green Howards, a seated figure of a contemplative soldier,described as 'one of the most moving war memorials of our time'; and the figure of Field Marshall Earl Alexander of Tunis in Wellington Barracks, are just a few examples of his love for the military hero.
In contrast to the towering figures he is so well known for, he has designed for the Royal Mint, the Royal Seal of the Realm, the Jubilee coin and the 50 pence piece, commemorating Roger Bannister's 4 minute mile.
James Butler died on the 26th March 2022 aged 90 years.
Less than five months earlier he attended the unveiling of his Return from the Argonne in Montgomery, Alabama.
It was here he was awarded the Chevalier des Arts etdes Lettres - 'Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters'
Butler is considered to be one of the outstanding figurative sculptors in modern time.