Paxton exhibit will highlight Butler centennial celebration

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

As the centerpiece exhibition of its centennial year celebration, the Butler Institute of American Art will present “William McGregor Paxton and Elizabeth Okie Paxton: An Artistic Partnership.”

The exhibition, which opens today and runs through Nov. 10, will also be the featured exhibition of the museum’s 100th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 19.

Louis A. Zona, executive director and chief curator of the Butler, has dubbed it “the most beautiful exhibition in America”.

Organized by Dixon Gallery and Gardens of Memphis, Tenn., the exhibition is the first examination of the complex and highly detailed work of William Paxton in nearly four decades and is the first comprehensive study of Elizabeth Paxton and her career.

It includes more than 40 paintings that are rich in detail and mostly large in scale. It focuses on Paxton’s consistent explorations of femininity.

A selection of works by Elizabeth Paxton reveals how she pursued her own work while often serving as her husband’s muse. The William Paxton oil painting titled “Sylvia,” from The Butler’s permanent collection, is included in the exhibition.

“William and Elizabeth Paxton were a remarkable couple whose artistry has long been admired,” said Zona. “The Butler is honored to host such a significant exhibition as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. It was the founder who purchased a key work by William Paxton, ‘Sylvia,’ and it is thus appropriate that this outstanding exhibition should be hosted here.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color catalog written by Jane Ward Faquin, guest curator and former Dixon Curator of Education. It can be purchased at the Butler’s museum store.

The Butler Institute of American Art was founded in 1919 by businessman and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler Jr.

It was the first museum dedicated to American art.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941) is best remembered for his involvement with the Boston School, which included American Impressionists Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, Joseph DeCamp, and others.

Inspired by Dutch art of the 17th century, their work focused on the domestic interior and featured young women reading, sewing, cleaning, cooking, and entertaining friends.

Elizabeth Okie Paxton (1882-1972), who was from a prominent New England family, met William while studying at the Cowles Art School in Boston, where he served as an instructor. They became engaged when she was only 18.

Elizabeth put her own painting on hold for the next decade as she became William’s favorite model and muse. Elizabeth returned to art by 1910, and specialized in still life paintings while maintaining a studio in their home. Her works included in the exhibition expose her talent and her keen comprehension of the spaces and objects that capture the substance of domestic life.