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BULLER, Cecil Tremayne

Born
Montreal, Quebec, 1888
Died
Montreal, Quebec, 1973
Biography synopsis
Cecil Buller Murphy (nee Tremayne Buller) studied with William Brymner at the Art Association of Montreal and at the Art Students League in New York (1910). In 1912 she traveled to Paris with Edwin Holgate, and there she studied with Maurice Denis. In 1916 she was in London, England, studying with Noel Rooke at the Central School of Art and Design, and by 1918 she had settled in New York with her artist husband, J.A. Murphy (1888-1967). In 1929 she executed several illustrations for the book "Song of Solomon." Best known as a printmaker, Buller’s wood engravings were used to illustrate "Cantiques des Cantiques" in Paris, 1931. She had two solo shows at Oxford (1951) and at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art (1959) and she exhibited actively with the Carnegie Institute, the Brooklyn Museum, in Oxford, England, the Library of Congress (award 1945), and Audubon Artists (gold medal). She is represented in the collections of the British Museum, The Library of Congress, New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts, La Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and the National Gallery of Canada.
Media used
Printmaking
Education
Art Association of Montreal (under William Brymner)
Art Students' League, New York, 1910
Private study, 1912 (under Maurice Denis)
File & Archive locations
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, QC
Winnipeg Art Gallery, MA - Clara Lander Library
Vancouver Public Library, BC - Fine Arts and History Department
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
Vancouver Art Gallery, BC - Library
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ON
Smithsonian Institution, DC - Archives of American Art
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
A Century of American Woodcuts, 1850-1950. New York: Associated American Artists, 1980
"Art Association Recipient of Gift: 'The Song of Solomon' Has Woodcuts Executed by Cecil Buller." Gazette (Montreal) 22 May 1936
"Art Works On View Set High Standard: Thirty-Eighth Annual Exhibition of Royal Canadian Academy Is Opened." Gazette (Montreal) 17 Nov. 1916
"Au Musee du Quebec : Cecil Buller redecouverte." Soleil (Quebec) 17 Jun. 1990
"Exhibition of Art: High Water Mark Reached in This Year's Spring Showing in Art Galleries." Gazette (Montreal) 3 Apr. 1909: 9
"For The Art Lover." Ottawa Citizen 26 Nov. 1989
"Forgotten art..." Windsor Star 16 Feb. 1990
"Les Petites Expositions." La Patrie (Montreal) 19 Nov. 1925: 18
"Modern Painting Finds Champion In Cecil Buller." Gazette (Montreal) 26 Apr. 1948
"Much Good Work at R.C.A. Exhibition: Thirty-Fifth Annual Show Comprises Interesting Pictures by Local Artists." Gazette (Montreal) 21 Nov. 1913: 5
Ainslie, Patricia. Cecil Buller: Modernist Printmaker/Graveur moderniste. Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1989
Ainslie, Patricia. Images of the Land: Canadian Block Prints 1919-1945 Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1984
American Federation of Arts. Who's Who in American Art, 1959. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1959
Anderson, Jack. "Biblical wood engravings fascinate." Leader Post (Regina) Regina: 6 May 1999
Art Association of Montreal. Catalogue of the Twenty-Ninth Spring Exhibition of Oils, Watercolours, etc., to be held in the Art Gallery From March Fourteenth until April Sixth, Nineteen Hundred and Twelve. Montreal: Art Association of Montreal, 1912
Baele, Nancy. "Cecil Buller: a dense world in black-and-white prints." Ottawa Citizen 6 Nov. 1989
Bertrand, Magdeleine. Les Femmes artistes du Québec de 1875 à 1925 Montreal: Université de Montréal, 1990
Boutilier, Alicia & Tobi Bruce. The Artist Herself : Self-portraits by Canadian Historical Women Artists / L'artiste elle-meme : autoportraits de femmes artistes au Canada Kingston, ON: Agnes Etherinton Art Centre. Hamilton: Art Gallery Hamilton, 2015
Dempsey, Hugh A. Treasures of the Glenbow Museum. Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1991
Fletcher, John Gould. "The Woodcuts of Cecil Buller." Print Collector's Quarterly 17.1 (Jan. 1930): 92-105
Grande, John. "Cecil Tremayne Buller (1883-1973): Her search for the avant-garde left her unknown at home." Art and Auction Review (Oct-Nov. 1988): 28, 29
Grande, John. "Husband and Wife: the Wood Engravings of John J.A. Murphy and Cecil Buller." On Paper 2 (Mar-Apr 1998): 48-49
Grande, John. "La Modernité personifiée, mari et femme: l'oeuvre gravée de John J.A. Murphy et de Cecil Buller, Musée des Beaux Arts de Montreal." Vie des Arts 42.70 (Spring 1998): 78-79
Grande, John. "The Song of Songs." Vie des Arts 45.182 (Spring 2001): 80
Hill, C.C. and P.B. Landry, eds. National Gallery Catalogue, Canadian Art. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1988
Hill, Sharon. "Buller's modernist style good enough to print." Windsor Star 1 Feb. 1990
Holme, Geoffrey, ed., with Malcolm C. Salaman. Modern Woodcuts and Lithographs By British and French Artists. London, Paris, New York: The Studio Ltd, 1919
Holme, Geoffrey, ed., with Malcolm C. Salaman. The Woodcut of To-Day At Home and Abroad. London: The Studio Ltd, 1927
Kozinska, Dorota. "Prints exude a rare sensuality: Husband, wife worked together." Gazette (Montreal) 29 Nov. 1997
Kozinska, Dorota. "Quebec City bound? Museum is worth a peek." Gazette (Montreal) 28 Jun. 1997
M., M. "Cecil Buller, graveur moderniste." Collage (Sept-Oct. 1990): 5
MacDonald, Colin S. The Dictionary of Canadian Artists. (Volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker) Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2009
Martin, Denis. Mari et femme: l'oeuvre gravé de John JA Murphy et de Cecil Buller/Husband and wife: the wood engravings of John J.A. Murphy and Cecil Buller. Quebec: Musée du Quebec Dialangue, 1997
Martin, Denis. "Cecil Tremayne Buller (Montréal, 1888-1973)" Estampe au Québec, 1900-1950 Quebec: Musée du Québec, 1988
Mason, Lauris, and Joan Ludman, eds.. "Cecil Buller" Print Collector's Quarterly: An Anthology of Essays on Eminent Printmakers of The World, Vol. 2 New York: KTO Press, (1977): 1014-25
McMann, Evelyn de Rostaing. Royal Canadian Academy of Arts/Académie royale des arts du Canada: Exhibitions and Members 1880-1979 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981
Murray, Joan. The Birth of the Modern: Post-Impressionism in Canadian Art, c.1900-1920 Oshawa: The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2001
Musée du Québec. Au féminin: choix d'oeuvres de la collection du Musée du Québec, 1920-1930 Québec: Musée du Québec, 1997
Parke-Taylor, Michael. "The Collection Up Close: Cecil Buller." Art Gallery of Ontario Journal 2.6 (Nov-Dec. 1994): 1
Parke-Taylor, Michael. "Twentieth-Century Canadian Prints." Print Quarterly 7.2 (1990): 200-04
Strojek, Sylvia. "Dusting off a printmaker's forgotten legacy." Globe and Mail (Toronto) 6 Apr. 1989
Tremblay, Roger. "Au Musée du Quebec: Cecil Buller redécouverte." Le Soleil (Quebec) 17 Jun. 1990
Trepanier, Esther and Landry, Pierre. Femmes artistes du XXe siecle au Quebec: Oeuvres du Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec Quebec, Quebec: Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec, 2010.

Writings by
Buller, Cecil. An Exhibition of Wood-engravings. Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1957
Buller, Cecil, illus. Cantique Des Cantiques. Paris: ?, 1931

Full text pdfs of exhibition reviews
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 05, 1910) "Montreal."  American Art News  April 30, 1910.  8.29: p.2.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 14, 1912) "Art Opening, a Social Event. A Princess Exhibits."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 15, 1912.  p.4.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 18, 1915) "Martial Note in Pictures Shown. Royal Canadian Academy Exhibition Has Work by Artists Now at Front."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 19, 1915.  p.9.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 18, 1915) "Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Open Galleries. 288 Fine Pictures on Exhibition at 37th Annual Exhibition."  Montreal Herald  November 19, 1915.  p.5.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 18, 1915) "Montreal."  American Art News  December 11, 1915.  14.10: p.8.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 24, 1916) "Younger Artists Well Represented. Some Leading Exhibitors Are Absent from Thirty-Third Spring Exhibition."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 24, 1916.  p.6.   Full-text pdf
Royal Canadian Academy Annual Exhibition: (Montreal, November 16, 1916) "Art Works on View Set High Standard."  Gazette (Montreal)  November 17, 1916.  p.7.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 22, 1917) "No Freak Pictures at Spring Show. Big Exhibition at Art Gallery but Works Small in Size. An Added Attraction: French War Posters, Medals and Souvenirs on View to Aid Red Cross Work."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 23, 1917.  p.13.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, April 04, 1918) "Spring Exhibition at Art Gallery. Returned Soldier Exhibits Two Works Sketched at the Front."  Gazette (Montreal)  April 05, 1918.  p.5.   Full-text pdf
Art Association of Montreal Annual Spring Exhibition: (Montreal, March 25, 1920) "Artist's Efforts Reach High Level."  Gazette (Montreal)  March 26, 1920.  p.6.   Full-text pdf

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