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Horacio Butler Paintings: The 2 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 6 works by Horacio Butler in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Horacio Butler's most famous painting is Untitled, whose original hangs in the National Museum of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires. Of the 6 works by Horacio Butler in our catalog, the gallery presents the 2 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1897 – 1983
Most works: National Museum of Fine Arts
The gallery's top 10 Horacio Butler paintings
The museums that keep Horacio Butler's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Horacio Butler | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Museum of Fine Arts |
Buenos Aires | 2 | Untitled, Untitled |
Horacio Butler's paintings: the gallery answers
Which Horacio Butler painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
Untitled.
How many works did Horacio Butler create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 6 works by Horacio Butler.
Where do Horacio Butler's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in National Museum of Fine Arts (Buenos Aires). The museum table above lists them all.
Which Horacio Butler originals does the National Museum of Fine Arts hold?Reveal the answer
Untitled and Untitled: the National Museum of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires holds 2 of the works on this page.
Horacio Butler: the artist
The Quiet Evolution of a Buenos Aires Painter
Horacio Butler was born in Buenos Aires in 1897. His early years were spent navigating the classrooms of the Faculty of Architecture and the Augusto Bolognini Academy. By 1915, he had entered the National Academy of Fine Arts. It was here that he formed lasting connections with figures like Héctor Basaldúa and Aquiles Badi. These friendships were not merely social; they were the foundation of a shared artistic language. He eventually moved away from the practice of plein-air painting, finding a different path in the way he handled form and space.
His work often drifted into the realms of the abstract and the surreal. He did not limit himself to the canvas, extending his vision to sculpture, tapestry design, and set design. He also spent time teaching, passing on what he had learned through his own experimentation. His output was diverse, reflecting a mind that sought to understand structure through many different mediums.
A Diverse Practice
The breadth of his technical interests allowed him to explore how shapes and textures interact outside of traditional painting. His career was marked by several distinct pursuits:
- Abstract and surrealist painting
- Sculpture and three-dimensional form
- Tapestry and textile design
- Set design for the stage
- Teaching and academic instruction
In the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, several of his works remain. These pieces, some dating back to the late 1920s, show a preoccupation with the underlying geometry of his subjects. He was a man of many disciplines, moving between the tactile nature of sculpture and the visual complexities of surrealism.
The Legacy of Form
By the time of his death in 1983, Butler had established himself as a significant figure in the Argentinian art scene. He was a painter and a writer, a man who used both words and pigment to interpret the world. His presence in the collections of major institutions like the National Museum of Fine Arts ensures that his specific approach to abstraction remains part of the historical record. He left behind a body of work that reflects a lifelong search for the essence of form, whether in a painting, a sculpture, or a piece of woven fabric.