Freeman Butts exhibition

Location:
Missoula Art Museum

Note:
Ten years following his death in 2008, the Freeman Butts estate generously offered to gift a selection of his work to six institutions in the state of Montana. Those institutions, including MAM, met several times with the trustee of the estate and made selections from the estate to better reflect Butts’ work already in their collections. This rich gifting of works is intended to more fully frame the artist’s legacy within the state. The institutions involved acknowledged no single institution in the state had the space or resources to accommodate the voluminous amount of Butts’ work. Therefore, all six institutions selected works to fill out their collections, made a commitment to feature the work, and generated scholarship about Butts’ influence. All six institutions agreed to lend and borrow the work with each other to further educate the public of the legacy of this important Montana painter. We are deeply grateful to Ray Campeau, Butts’ longtime friend, in helping facilitate this important gift. MAM is deeply indebted to the Freeman Butts family and wishes to thank Daisy Butts for her faithful support. Campeau will give a gallery talk on September 4th at 7 pm.