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The Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery is pleased and honored to be able to represent the work of Victor N. Butko, scion of a great family of Russian artists. In the tradition of his ancestors, Butko paints with exquisite artistry and sensitivity, portraying the special beauty of his country's landscape and its people.

Victor Nikolaevich Butko is the youngest Russian artist the Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery has ever represented. We are proud to have his art in our gallery, as Victor is the heir to a legacy of greatness in Russian Impressionistic art. It was almost five years ago that legendary Russian artists Alexei and Sergei Tkachev introduced us to Victor Butko. The Tkachevs have known Victor since he was a child. Butko comes from an family of artists. Victor's grandfather and mother have received many honors as artists and they participated in exhibitions around the world. Young Butko spent summers at the family country house at the village of Academic Dacha. The Academic Dacha is half way between St. Petersburg and Moscow and has been a summer painting refuge for generations of Russian artists. That is where, at eight years of age, Butko was first noticed by the grand patriarch brothers of Russian Impressionism. The Tkachevs closely followed the development and career of Victor guiding and mentoring him along the way.

On one of our many visits to Academic Dacha, the brothers invited our group to meet Victor. As a delegation, we went to the small house and studio of the Butko family. Grigoriy Chainikov joined us. Unannounced, we knocked on the door. The young artist was surprised and a bit embarrassed by the attention. Taking charge, Sergei Tkachev began grabbing Butko's paintings and extolling the talent of the young, red-faced artist. Tkachev said that Butko's work was the next generation of greatness. Following the work of the brothers, then Grigoriy Chainikov, the mantle of Russian Impressionism would fall to Victor. Tkachev added, he was quite comfortable with leaving the burden of Russian Impressionism in the talented hands of Victor Nikolaevich Butko. That was the day that we, of the Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery, invited Victor Butko to be our partner. Ever since he has been growing as an artist and creating new jewels in the tradition of Russian Impressionism. He is fulfilling the prophecy of Sergei Tkachev.

If you have or are building a serious Russian collection, a painting by Victor Butko would make a great addition. For example, a Tkachev Brothers painting might easily sell for $150,000. The next generation, a Grigoriy Chainikov painting might sell for $50,000, but the work of the young artist, Victor Butko, now sells for about $6,000! This quality and pricing is a great chance to start or add to a Russian Impressionistic collection. May I suggest that you consider several Butko works before we offer them to the general public at the opening reception Saturday, March 20th. Before the opening we are offering you, one of our special friends, a 10% 'thank-you' discount on all Butko paintings. This is a great opportunity to get some beautiful art and perhaps a great investment as well!

Butko was born in 1978 in Moscow into a veritable artistic dynasty. Several generations of the family were well known artists, including his grandfather, Nikaolai Konstantinovich Chulovich, and great-uncle Viktor Konstatinovich Chulovich (both graduates of the Imperial Stroganov Art School), as well as Honored Art Worker of Russia Viktor Nikolaevich Chulovich (a wonderful landscape painter who was a student of P.I. Petrovichev) and of course his own parents, Nikolai Butko and Marina Chulovich.

From early childhood, Butko was involved in the creative work of his family. His first art lessons were given by his parents. His grandfather also greatly influenced his work, especially landscapes. Butko's still life painting style was developed from exposure to an incredible collection of objects to be found in the family's studio. There was a collection of antique items, which his grandfather had brought back from numerous trips around the country: Russian and Uzbek samovars, wicker baskets, pitchers, jugs, etc. Butko painted from them for his first still-life works.

In 1989, Butko entered the Moscow Academy Art Lyceum under the supervision of the Russian Academy of Arts, where he studied watercolor and oil painting. In 1994, he took part in his first art exhibition, in the Art Lyceum Students' Exhibition at the Central House of Art Workers. Two years later, he took part at the Lyceum exhibition, which was held at the Tretyakov Gallery. After graduation from art school, Butko went to Vishny Volochok, not far from the Academic country house for painters, where he continued to study painting, being especially influenced by the works of A.M. and A.A. Gritsai, and N. Fedeosov. In 1997, he was able to spend the summer with A.N. Gritsai, an experience that greatly influenced Butko professionally. In the same year, Butko took part in the exhibition of the Moscow Art Union at its gallery in Krymsky Val, and afterwards became a union member. Butko's works are exhibited at galleries throughout Russia.

Exhibitions:

1994 - The exhibition of the MacAL students in the Central House of Art Workers.
1996 - The exhibition of the MacAL students in the State Tretyakov Gallery.
1997 – Autumn exhibition of MAU in the Central Art Gallery in Krimsky Val.
1998 – The Family exhibition at the municipal gallery in Naro-Fominsk.
1998 – The regional exhibition “Moscow-Petersberg”, the Central Art Gallery.
1998 – The exhibition of self-portrait in the CAG.
1999 – The All-Russian exhibition “The Autumn in Boldino”, dedicated to the memory
of A.S. Pushkin.
2000 – The Family exhibition at the “Zamoskvorechy Gallery”
2000 – The All-Russian exhibition “In the Name of God in the CAG”
2001 – The Family exhibition in the Central House of Art Workers, the exhibition of the
young painters of MAU, dedicated to the anniversary of the Moscow House of
Artist.