Born in Ohio, Theodore Earl Butler spent much of his career abroad in France, where he became an intimate friend of Claude Monet at Giverny, and eventually married the famed French Impressionist’s stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé. While in Giverny and Paris, Butler’s wife and their two children served as his primary inspiration, alongside the picturesque gardens and bucolic French landscape. When Suzanne fell ill and passed away in 1899, the artist returned to America in an effort to rekindle the artistic flame that once burned with passion before her death. The urban scenery of New York inspired Butler almost immediately upon arrival, resulting in exceptional and spirited works, including Statue of Liberty, N.Y. in Mist, painted shortly after arriving in the thriving city.

“Perhaps Butler was so taken by the Statue of Liberty while passing Ellis Island that he determined to do a rather large canvas depicting the scene in a kind of moody iridescence. Dated 1899 and executed toward the end of the year, the canvas is known as the Statue of Liberty in Mist. Transforming an all-too-often overly romanticized subject into one of seriousness, Butler made only general reference to the central motif by diffusing its form in a dull but colorful haze… the artist depended upon simplicity in a picture notable for its atmosphere and subtle color tone… Employing a cool but colorful palette, Butler made use of a variety of brushwork to achieve his striking effects of atmosphere and texture.” (R.H. Love, Theodore Earl Butler: Emergence from Monet’s Shadow, Chicago, Illinois, 1985 p. 205)

Indeed, while Statue of Liberty, N.Y. in Mist recalls the sophistication of Monet’s emphasis on atmosphere over exacting form, the painting’s verticality emphasizes the triumphant sense of place instantly associated with the iconic New York landmark. The painting was considered to be among the best of Butler’s new paintings by a New York Times critic who wrote, “Of [Butler’s] remaining canvases the best are those painted in this city…The two of the Statue of Liberty, as seen from the Bay nearby…have good atmosphere and much movement.” (“The Week in Art,” The New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art, March 10, 1900, p. 155)

The present work anticipates Butler’s later paintings of 5th Avenue flags —a subject also painted by his contemporary Childe Hassam —and works such as Armistice Day of circa 1918 (Christie’s, New York, 20 November 2018, lot 56) that exude a rousing national pride in the wake of World War I. Instantly recognizable New York iconography, Statue of Liberty, N.Y. in Mist is a superb example of Butler’s dynamic balance between artistic approaches learned from the French masters and a distinctly and heroically American subject.