Han(n)s Otto Butterlin (or Otto Butterlin as he was usually known, at least in Mexico) was born in Cologne, Germany, 26 Dec 1900 and became an abstract and impressionist painter of some renown.
He was the oldest of the three Butterlin brothers. Otto moved with his middle brother Frederick and their parents (Johannes and Amelie) from Germany to Mexico in 1907. (Otto’s youngest brother Ernesto would be born a decade later in Guadalajara.)
Woodcut by Hanns Otto Butterlin, Ixtaccihuatl (1921)
U.S. immigration records show that Otto Butterlin (5’9″ tall with blond hair and blue eyes) was resident there between August 1924 and October 1929, though he probably made trips to visit family in Mexico during that time.
Otto made his living as a chemist and supervisor of operations in various industrial plants for at least 15 years. At the time of the 1930 Mexican census (held on 15 May), he and his wife were living in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, where he was working at the sugar refinery.
The following year, in 1931 Margaret gave birth to their daughter Rita Elaine in Los Mochis. Rita went on to marry four times. Her first marriage (1951-58) was to one of Otto’s friends – textile artist and silkscreen innovator Jim Tillett (1913-1996) – and her second (1959-1963) to Chilean film star Octavio Señoret Guevara (1924-1990). She was subsequently briefly married (1967-69) to Haskel Bratter, before falling in love with and marrying (1971-his passing) Howard Perkins Taylor (1916-1993).
Woodcut by Hanns Otto Butterlin, Ixtaccihuatl (1921)
While Rita was still an infant, Otto decided to formalize his permanent right to residence in Mexico and became a naturalized Mexican citizen in October 1935. Immigration records show that he continued to visit the U.S. several times a year.
It appears to be at about this time that Otto decided to spend more time on his art.
By the early 1940s, Otto Butterlin was based in Mexico City and working as an executive in the Bayer chemical company, a position which enabled him to supply several well-known artists of the time, such as A. Amador Lugo (who was epileptic) with needed medications, at a time when they were very hard to obtain.
During this period, Butterlin taught art with, or to, numerous well-known Mexican artists, including Diego Rivera, Ricardo Martinez, José Chávez Morado, Ricardo Martínez and Gunther Gerzso.
Hanns Otto Butterlin. The Funeral (ca 1942)
In September 1945, Otto and his wife Peggy, together with daughter Rita, relocated to live in Ajijic. In a 1945 article, Neill James, who had arrived in Ajijic a couple of years earlier, described Otto Butterlin as a “well known expressionist and abstract painter who owns a huerta in Ajijic where he lives with his wife, Peggy, and daughter, Rita.”
Otto Butterlin: Modern Figure Study. 1949
The group of artists exhibiting watercolors in May 1954 in “Galería Arturo Pani D.” in Calle Niza in Mexico City includes a Butterlin (probably Otto) alongside such famous contemporary artists as Raúl Anguiano, Fererico Cantú, Leonora Carrington, Carlos Mérida, Roberto Montenegro, Juan Soriano, Rufino Tamayo and Alfredo Zalce.
Otto Butterlin died in Ajijic on 2 April 1956.
Note (April 2016): We thank the Registro Civil in Chapala which kindly emailed us a copy of the official death certificate of Otto Butterlin.
This is an outline profile. Contact us if you would like to learn more about this particular artist or have information to share.
Partial list of sources:
- Monica Señoret (Otto Butterlin’s granddaughter), personal communications via email. April 2015.
- María Cristina Hernández Escobar. “Gunther Gerzso, The Appearance of the Invisible”. Voices of Mexico. UNAM. n.d. [formerly at http://www.revistascisan.unam.mx/Voices/pdfs/5323.pdf]
- Robert L. Pincus, “WPA captures the soul of a nation”, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 February 2006, page F-1.
- Robert Hilton (ed). Who’s Who In Latin America A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women Of Latin America. Part I – Mexico. (1946)
As always, we would love to receive any comments, corrections or additional information.
Related posts:
- Unraveling the story of Lake Chapala’s artistic Butterlin brothers
- Frederick W. Butterlin (ca 1905-?), photographer
- Mexican artist Ernesto Butterlin (ca 1918-1972), aka Ernesto Linares
Tony Burton’s books include “Lake Chapala: A Postcard History” (2022), “Foreign Footprints in Ajijic” (2022), “If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants” (2020), (available in translation as “Si Las Paredes Hablaran”), “Mexican Kaleidoscope” (2016), and “Lake Chapala Through the Ages” (2008).
24 Responses to “German-Mexican artist Hanns Otto Butterlin (1900-1956)”
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Hi, im Otto’s granddaughter and I’m interested in all the info I can archive about my grandfather. I live in San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City. My mother Rita is with me in San Miguel and she is now 83 years old. I have a big collection on my grandfathers work, that would love to virtually share.
Thank you for all the investigation you have!
Regards
Monica Señoret
Thanks for getting in touch. How thrilling to be in touch with a close relative of such a great artist! I will respond properly via email later today or early tomorrow. TB
Hi my name is Andrea Velazquez and my great-grandmother Elena solano used to work for your grandfather and grandmother in Ajijic mexico. My grandmother Josefina used to hear rumors that your grandfather was her dad and also said that your mother Rita used to take her dolls when my grandmother was little and well we are very interested in contacting you and hopefully find out more. This is not a joke please my grandmother always wanted to know if he was truly her father. Please contact me asap my email is chapiz3022@gmail.com
Hi mi father was the best friend of Federick William ,he asisted him in his final days in Tlajomulco Jalisco México mi father is 87 y. Old we have a lot of things he left in his will we would like to share info.
Please contact me:
ivangonzalezbaron@gmail.com
Hi, I’m in Arkansas pass, Texas, near corpus Christi. Did
Otto die in corpus? I have an original butterlin painting that I’d like to know more about and am considering selling. It looks like a Carnivale scene, dancers in the street, 16×20 I believe…
Thanks for getting in touch. Otto died in about 1960 in the Chapala region of Jalisco, Mexico. I’d be interested to see a photo of the painting, if that’s possible? Please use the email of info@sombrerobooks.com
While I have no idea what your painting is likely to be worth (and no personal interest in purchasing it), if you think it would help, I can forward your message and email to a direct descendant of Otto Butterlin, TB
Hi, Would Love to know how you own the painting and if you got it in Usa or Mexico. Can you post a picture of it? And how much you are thinking on selling it for? Have never bought a paintings of my grandfather since I have many, but maybe, it depends on what you would like for it and if I like it.
Thank you !
Regards
Monica
During the depression, my Grandfather and his family moved to ‘old Mexico’ in order to work. They lived close to Mr. Butterlin and would often travel to spend time with him and his wife. I have a photo of Mr. Butterlin and his wife. I also have a signed, original painting of his. My mother told me Otto Butterlin was a German defector, which, of course, made me even more interested in him. Today, while looking at the painting, I decided to Google him. I love the painting, mostly because my mother always had it hanging in our homes, and have no interest in selling it, but would love to know what the value is.
Scooter deWinter
Sue, Thanks for your interesting comment. I am responding via email, TB.
Luis R
Hi I am in Alberta Canada, my Grandfather Luis (Ludwig) Friedrich born 1898 was a Gastroenterologist who also had a general Practice in Mexico City. He was the official Doctor for the German Embassy in Mexico City prior to 1966 and he was also the Doctor for Colegio Aleman Alexander von Humboldt. My grand father was also a german veteran of WW1.
My grandparents had a painting by Mr. Otto Butterlin. We do not know the circumstances of how they obtained it, we surmise that Mr. Butterlin was either an acquaintance of my grand Father through the war, Bayer or a patient of his. The painting was given to my Mother and now I am fortunate to process it.
Its a beautiful painting of a quaint pueblo setting ,date unknown and location unknown. I love the way it looks and though I am not interested in selling it. I would be interested in seeing if anybody knows more about the painting and maybe its worth. The worth is secondary to me getting insight on the painting would be golden . Is there some organized following of his or is there anybody that would have that insight I am looking for? Muchas gracias Luis R
Thanks for your interesting comment. I’m replying via email, TB.
Dear TB,
My name is Hans-Reinhard Koch. I should like to add information from our resources:
My knowledge about Otto Butterlin’s life is from the records of our student fraternity in Bonn, of which Otto was a member.
According to our sources Otto did not emigrate to Mexico with his parents as a child but was brought up
by his grandparents in Lohmar/Germany near Bonn (he may have visited his parents from there). He
attended to Gymnasium at Siegburg until 1919, when he started to study chemistry in Bonn. In 1920, he went to the University of Marburg and subsequently to Munich and Berlin. Only after that he moved to Crockett CA, where he worked as a chemist, and subsequently to Guadelajara to work in the Sugar plant
of his father.
We have photo of his as a student in Bonn.
I would like to know more about the names and life dates of his parents. We also do not know birth and
death dates, place of origin and family background of his wife.
So any further information about Otto would be very interesting.
I plan to write an article about him for the bi-annual (internal) newspaper of our fraternity and would be
very happy to receive scans of some characteristic paintings and woodcuts of his to reproduce with this
article.
Thanking for your kind help in advance,
Yours sincerely,
Hans-Reinhard Koch
Thanks for your very interesting comment. I’ll respond via email shortly with some of the information you request, Tony.
Dear All,
I would like to say a “Hello” from Germany, the country where Otto (this is his Christian name as far as I know) has emigrated from in the year 1908, together with his father Johannes. My Grandfather Max had been a brother of Johannes and an thus uncle of Otto. Otto had two brothers, Fritz (born 1904 in Cologne, Germany, and Ernst, born 1917 Guadalajara). My father Botho had much communication especially with Fritz.
It is nice to hear that my relative Otto has a good reputation as an artist.
Regards,
Axel Butterlin
Dear all,
I just left a comment about Otto, the nephew of my Grandfather. However, in my previous post I made the wrong assumption that he probably emigrated to Mexico together with his parents Johannes and Amelie. I did check this further and that is obviously not true ( I have a family tree where it has been noted that he did a volountary service in Berlin in 1918). And Hans-Reinhard Koch also did point out that he grew up in Germany and did his study of Chemistry in Germany. I should have read this before. Thank you, Hans-Reinhard, for these further detail about my family.
Regards,
Axel
Thanks for your valuable and interesting comments, Axel; I’m replying via email.
Good Afternoon
My Mum recently passed away, and we have just begun to go through all our Family belongings. I just came across 4 original paintings signed Butterlin .
Followed by a date’s of 43 and 44
Would love to connect.
Bobbi
Dear Bobbi, Sorry to hear you lost your mum; my condolences. I’ve relayed your comments to Monique and I’m sure she will be in touch with you via email shortly. If it is not too much trouble, I would love to see images of the paintings, and of any other works you may have come across related to Lake Chapala. When did you and your family live in the area? I’m also sending you this message via email so that you have my direct email. Best wishes, Tony.
Good evening, my name is Carmen Mosqueda, my grandparents were from Ajijic. My father Roberto Mosqueda knew Rita Butterlin as a young girl / woman.
I believe they actually dated for a while. He would mention her from time to time and remark on how beautiful she was. I remember as a young girl seeing the Butterlin Estate.
Thanks for your interesting comment. I’ll make sure that Rita’s daughter knows about it.
I’d like to ask you a couple of follow-up questions.
Did your parents also live in Ajijic? Are you the daughter of the “Roberto Mosquedo” who was one of the participants in the first Chili Cook-Off in Ajijic in 1979?
Regards, Tony.
Good day Monica,
By any chance did Rita dance ballet when she was young?
I have a pairing of a bailarina that says it was “painted for Rita Butterlin as a remembrance of our ballet dance by Bernard pfriem 1942”
Thank you
Hello Shahin, Thanks for such an interesting comment. YES, this Rita is most certainly Otto’s daughter. Bernard Pfriem would have met the Butterlin family when he was studying in Mexico City, and when he was (probably) taught by Otto. If you are willing to email me a photo of the painting, I will make sure it reaches Monica. Regards, Tony.
amazing! It has been in my family for three generations! Sending an email now.
Thanks.