Galerie Provenance is the unique brainchild of Sheila Bouttier, granddaughter of the late mid-century artist, Benjamin Abramowitz. She helps manage his entire estate with her mother, Susan Rosenbaum, all the while, highlighting the past and soul of relics that transfix her. From the Galerie Provenance website, Bouttier says, “new is wonderful too, but there’s something special about a piece with history that’s hard to replicate… I believe in achieving harmony between new and old, flawless and flawed.” Taking her passion for antiques to another level, this LA-based, by-appointment design gallery specializes in European artifacts and mid-century design, with pieces by Jean Prouvé, Axel Einar Hjorth, Charlotte Perriand, Kaare Klint, Pierre Jeanneret and more. Bouttier is also the proud owner of a collection of more than 60 works by her prolific grandfather.
Benjamin Abramowitz, courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
In her own words, Bouttier says, “when my husband and I embarked on building our house, we knew we wanted our home to be a showcase for my grandfather’s art. He was very prolific and his body of work is quite varied, so it really looks like we have the work of many artists in our home instead of just one man. From the moody charcoal nudes to vibrant and juicy abstract paintings, I really love it all. I’m the only grandchild of Benjamin Abramowitz, so the art is part of my legacy; it’s my responsibility to share it with the world. What has been so gratifying is that while people often come to me for furniture and artifacts, they end up falling in love with the artwork.” The love and pride she feels for her grandfather’s works lends to his continued legacy. With the help of her and her mother’s combined passion, Abramowitz’s art can be found in homes, as well as museums, and institutions around the nation.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Bouttier even partly built her house around her own personal collection, of course curating a stellar inventory of antique furniture to accompany it all. The gallery opened out of this overflow collection of things she accumulated from all over Europe. Featuring polished and warm materials anchored in midcentury lines, her furniture perfectly juxtaposes her grandfather’s art. From painting to sculpture to calligraphy, there was very little it seemed this man couldn’t do.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
He was always up to something; whether that be writing an informative book, teaching himself a new language, or diving into an inspired watercolor. Transitioning into the realm of the three-dimensional, he began making wall sculptures and freestanding statues in the 1970’s.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Later in his life, hindered by his declining eyesight, he worked primarily in ink on paper. Nothing could prevent him from working with all the passion and stamina of someone 50 years his senior, though, and upon his death, left an estate with “almost 6,000 paintings, sculptures and works on paper” to his daughter.
Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1917, Abramowitz became entranced by art and began to pursue it during his young life. He was schooled at the National Academy of Design after finishing high school at the Brooklyn Museum School in New. In 1936, he joined the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) under the name ‘Ben Hoffman’ where he became a master artist at 19.
Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
In 1941, he moved to D.C. in the midst of World War II and began a new life for himself. He was a devoted father and family man and was praised for his balance between work and life. There, he became one of the most renowned artists in the area during the 20th century and was consistently met with unbounded acclaim. His works were awarded numerous best in show prizes , and major museums – the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, and the Baltimore Museum of Art among them, honored his work with solo exhibitions. With over 70 years of output, it’s no surprise his work spans collections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
The depth of his notebooks helps paint a portrait of how dedicated this man was to his craft. His daughter, Bouttier’s mother, began began archiving her father’s works. She housed all the works in her own home and installed professional storage. By the time of his death, she had accounted for nearly 6,000 of them. He drew, painted, created sculptures; all of which can be found in his granddaughter’s home (pictured) curated by her own Galerie Provenance.
Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Even more, Abramowitz’s paintings, sculptures and works on paper are, among others, in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, The Phillips Collection, St. Louis Art Museum, Newark Art Museum, Georgetown University, the U.S. Department of State, the District of Columbia Art Bank, the Montgomery County Maryland Art Trust, and the Archives of American Art.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
In Abramowitz’s work, you feel his compassion. He lived through difficult and emotional times, which he was only able to fully process through art. “By the 1970s, he moved beyond the canvas, and turned to making elegant and iconic wall works and freestanding sculptures, some black, some white, filling book after book with ideas for more. He designed four books illustrating the basic principles of the creative experience.” An eclectic mixture of these works can be seen in the below image of the gallery wall in Bouttier’s living room.
Benjamin Abramowitz in situ. Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson for Architectural Digest August, 2019. Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Focusing on minimalism, with all of its simplistic integrity, Abramowitz tended toward an array of styles. From geometric shapes in any medium to vaguely drawn nudes or purely abstract canvases, he was a prodigious figure in the 20th century. Pegged as an art “coach” and teacher, Abramowitz became a legend in the DC area.
Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
Even after his death in 2011, his work still resonates with its audience, exhibiting well after his death years ago. Sales of his work are steady as well, and this year, a large, abstract painting, has been chosen by the new Ambassador to Turkey for presentation at the US embassy.
Courtesy of Galerie Provenance.
“Art Movements splintered into a thousand shards in the decades of the 1940’s onward. In its complexities I created an individual order, a body of work, of paintings, sculptures, and drawings, evolving into the next century, inspired by its own inferences.” – Benjamin Abramowitz, 1988
*Quoted content sourced from artist’s website; www.benjaminabramowitz.com.
