Cynthia von Buhler, also known as Countess von Buhler, is an award-winning, internationally exhibiting visual artist, illustrator, children's book author, and performer. Von Buhler studied at The Art Institute of Boston and Richmond University in London.
Von Buhler's work has been likened to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole...her three-dimensional paintings have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world, and have been reproduced and featured in books, magazines, and newspapers from TIME to The New Yorker. Von Buhler uses traditional as well as unconventional media:painting, sculpture, performance, video projection, installation, living fauna, collage, photography, human detritus, and electronic audio. By combining these media, often enhanced with text and electronics, von Buhler's canvasses frequently become elaborate kinetic installations. In March 2006, Art & Antiques named von Buhler as "one of the top contemporary surrealists", however, she has also been linked to the Lowbrow and Fluxus movements.
Houghton Mifflin has released two critically acclaimed books by von Buhler, The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside (2006) and But Who Will Bell the Cats? (2009). Von Buhler has illustrated several children's books and dozens of young adult book covers.
An avid animal lover and rescuer of cats, von Buhler currently lives with her husband, noted jazz violinist Russell Farhang, and a veritable zoo of animal species at Fort Hill Castle on Staten Island and at a lodge, Hobs Haven Fur Gnarl, in Connecticut.
Von Buhler’s canvasses are three-dimensional collages enhanced with objects, live animals, and electronics, such that in addition to being paintings, they are also often large and elaborate mixed-media installations. For example, Miss Ann Thrope is a life-sized painting of a woman with two doves perched inside. When the birds move in the piece, they change its equilibrium and alter its intended meaning. In Sir Repetitious, an egotistical man’s transparent insides reveal two voracious rats, hungry for the food and attention of onlookers — feed the rodents with the supplied seed, and you are satisfying Sir on physical and metaphorical levels. A velvet-curtained puppet theater sets the stage for Show and Tell, a multimedia painting that explores the use of word versus action with hidden visual and auditory messages. The aptly-named Please Don’t Look Up My Skirt is a commentary on date-rape in which a Botticelli-esque beauty without arms or legs tries modestly to cover herself, imploring the viewer not to violate her; those who disregard the plea see what they have become. As when the mind is absent but the body lives on, the pensive but vacant face of Grandfather explores the mechanics of Alzheimer’s disease; the pendulum oscillates to a steady rhythm, but time stands still for a broken clock.
Regardless of medium, all of von Buhler's pieces require the viewer to get involved: sometimes physically, by pulling a cord or inserting a coin to operate a machine, and at other times mentally, when the message sent strikes a chord with the viewer. The Artist is a disembodied mannequin head and wooden hand in a booth. The work takes your quarter, deliberates a moment, and then gives you a tongue-in-cheek assessment of your artistic temperament, dispensing a postage-stamp-sized example of your style. Cynth-O-Matic offers the brave a chance to buy one of various plastic capsules containing actual samples of the artist’s body hair and fluids from a gaily-decorated vending machine. The piece is von Buhler’s critique of those who attend art openings to chat with the artist and scarf hors d’oeuvres while ignoring the art. An androgynous pair of gold-painted legs offers up a Viewmaster slideshow from its pubic region — the piece warns of sexually transmitted diseases by delivering a surprising visual twist. Lil’ Blast O’ Past conjures memories of trying to be grown up by dispensing three more ubiquitous men’s colognes from the 1980s with accompanying audio dialogue; many will remember the smells associated with their various suggested locales — locker room, prom date, and an infamous New York dance club. Though the artist works in numerous media, her pieces are uniform in that each piece provides incisive commentary, whether on morality, aging, vanity, politics, or the art world itself.
Her work has appeared on the covers of New York’s Gallery Guide, Communication Arts, Step by Step Graphics, New York Arts, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and many other publications. Von Buhler's cover photograph and headline for The Boston Globe Calendar section was later enlarged and used on billboards advertising the publication. Before von Buhler moved to New York City she lived in Boston where she was chosen by Boston Magazine as one of the "40 Bostonians We Love" in their June 2002 cover feature article. " Von Buhler's work has also appeared on TV in Law & Order SVU and Kidnapped. Von Buhler's work is also in the collections of "The Nassau County Museum of Art", The Staten Island Museum, The University of Toronto, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and hundreds of personal collections all over the world.
Since her early days as a college student in Boston von Buhler has been writing and illustrating children's books.
In 1998, von Buhler's illustrations for Nicholas Nicholson's Little Girl in Red Dress With Cat and Dog (Viking) garnered her a starred review in Publishers Weekly, which praised the "imaginative debut" and her "distinct sense of time and place." In 2001, she was asked by Steven Spielberg to illustrate Martha Stewart's story for Once Upon A Fairytale (Viking), a book produced to benefit The Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children. In 2002, The New York Public Library selected the "handsomely illustrated" (The New York Times) They Called Her Molly Pitcher (Knopf), written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, as one of One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing In 2004, she went on to illustrate Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet. Reviews called her "dramatic oil-on-gesso artwork" (School Library Journal) "handsome and effective" (Booklist). Publishers Weekly offered high praise for her work on the book: "Von Buhler's paintings exert a gravitational pull of their own."
In 2006 von Buhler wrote and illustrated The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside ( Houghton Mifflin) with dual credits as author and illustrator. The book's writing and its three-dimensional artwork featuring painted clay characters in detailed architectural sets were widely praised by the press. Book Sense named the book as a Children's Pick for Winter/Spring 2006/2007 for its "beautiful story" and "extremely detailed sets." Kirkus Reviews called the illustrations "unique" and "eye-popping," providing "a glimpse of a world beyond the frame" and pronounced the book "a sheer delight." Publishers Weekly thought "readers ... may well be entranced" by the "considerable magic" of von Buhler's illustrations, while Time Out New York called the book "beautifully ornate," and "the cat's meow." The book was also chosen as Teacher's Picks: Best of 2006 by Parent & Child magazine. A short video was created using the book's images and it remains popular on You Tube.
In 2009, von Buhler took a second turn as author and illustrator with But Who Will Bell The Cats? (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). The book's illustrations feature handmade architectural sets, cinematic lighting, and paper doll oil paintings of the characters in action. Kirkus Reviews stated that “young readers will pore over this one again and again," and School Library Journal agreed that "children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings." Von Buhler's artwork achieved such significant accolades that, even prior to the book's release, The Nassau County Museum of Art in New York exhibted the book's elaborate miniature sets in a feature solo exhibition between September 20, 2009 and January 3, 2010.
Bibliography
But Who Will Bell The Cats? written and illustrated by von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-618-99718-0
The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside written and illustrated by von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-618-56314-8
They Called Her Molly Pitcher, written by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by von Buhler, Knopf, ISBN 0-679-89187-0
Once Upon A Fairytale, partially written by Martha Stewart, partially illustrated by von Buhler, 21 celebrity authors, 21 award-winning illustrators, a Steven Spielberg benefit project, Viking, ISBN 0-670-03500-9
[1] Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is A Planet, written by Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by von Buhler, Mondo Books, ISBN 1-59336-006-1]
Little Girl in Red Dress With Cat and Dog, written by Nicholas Nicholson, illustrated by von Buhler, Viking, ISBN 0-670-87183-4
The Shakespeare Oracle: Let the Bard Predict Your Future (Paperback), written by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn with a full tarot deck illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler.
Book Awards and Honors
Cybil Award nomination 2009-10, Fiction Picture Book, But Who Will Bell the Cats?
Teacher's Picks: Best of 2006, Parent & Child," The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside
Children's Pick for Winter/Spring 2006/2007, Book Sense, The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside, 2006/07
One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing,They Called Her Molly Pitcher, The New York Public Library, 2002
Exceptional Book of the Year, Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, Bookman Review Syndicate, 1998
Von Buhler's 3-dimensional paintings have appeared in more than a thousand magazines, books, publications, billboards, and CDs.
Von Buhler has won the Gold (1996), Silver (1997) and Bronze (2002) medals at the Society of Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, and the Gold Medal from the Visual Club (1995). Her work has been published frequently in The Society of Illustrators Annual, Communication Arts Illustration Annual, and American Illustration, each of which feature the best and most cutting-edge illustration in the country.
Howard Stern owns a portrait of himself painted by von Buhler, while Jann Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone, bought von Buhler’s portraits of Madonna and Jimi Hendrix, both of which were featured in the "50th Anniversary of Rock and Roll" issue of Rolling Stone. Von Buhler was interviewed and profiled in Mary Magdalen: An Intimate Portrait on The Lifetime Network. In addition, a painting of hers commissioned by The New Yorker was featured in the show's introductory graphics.
Selected Juried Art Books
American Illustration, 25, 23, 21, 20, 18, 17, 14
Society of Illustrators, New York City, 49, 46, 45, 42, 40, 38, 37
Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, 41, 36, 35
Communication Arts Illustration Annuals, 45, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37; Design Annual, 38
From 1995 - 2002 von Buhler was also involved in the music industry and performance art, and has performed at museums, galleries, and nightclubs in major cities around the country. Von Buhler's seminal, underground performance troupe, “Women of Sodom” won a Best Music Poll Award from The Boston Phoenix." Her band "Countess," a rock opera about the music industry, was nominated for a Boston Music Award and they opened for Karen Finley at Royally F***ed, a three-day event featuring visual and performance art in Boston at The Dietrich von Buhler Gallery, The Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Paradise Rock Club. Von Buhler also formed and managed the band Splashdown, who were for a time signed to Capitol Records. She also co-owned Castle von Buhler Records with her ex-husband and Splashdown member, Adam Buhler and Clifford Stoltze. Castle von Buhler released a series of three art and music CD compilations which won many art and design awards. Proceeds from these compilations were donated to various AIDS charities. Von Buhler also appeared as Bettie Page in a music video for the band The Amazing Crowns on MTV.
Discography
2001 Shooting Star, Countess, Castle von Buhler Records (funded by MCA Records)
1999 Nigh, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor
1997 Anon, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor
1997 Boots, Women of Sodom, PussyKitty Records
1996 Soon, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor
Selected Live Performances
January, 2006 The Studio Visit, window studio, Exit Art, New York, NY
October 6, 2004 The Artist Statement, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA
June 9, 2003 Karen Finley’s Scream Out, Saint Mark’s Church, New York, NY
December 5—7, 2002 Ulcer Gulch, performed with The Bentmen, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
June 28, 2001 The Genital Confessions, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
June 29, 2001 Countess, Royally ******, opened for Karen Finley, Boston, MA
April, 2001 The Penis Confessions, opened for The Strokes, Gallery Bershad, Cambridge, MA
1999-2001 X.C.R.M.N.T. 2000, The Millennium Time Captsule Project, Nationwide
December, 1995 Women of Sodom, Sextacy Ball, Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
CVB Space also known as The Carrozzini von Buhler Gallery, an art gallery, film location, and event space in New York City's Meatpacking district was owned and directed by von Buhler from 2003 - 2008. Stefania Carrozzini was the director of International Exhibition Projects at The Carrozzini von Buhler Gallery. In February, 2007, von Buhler curated an exhibit titled Andy Warhol: In His Wake featuring Warhol's superstars, Ultra Violet, Taylor Mead, Billy Name, and Ivy Nicholson along with artists who were influenced by Warhol. For this exhibit von Buhler created The Great Warhola, an interactive, fortune-telling machine. With reality television and YouTube everyone has the 15 minutes of fame that Warhol predicted for them. This popular exhibit was featured on television in Japan, Switzerland and Germany. CVB Space and the historic, industrial building it is housed in has been featured in Sex and the City, Law & Order SVU, and Someone Like You (starring Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, and Greg Kinnear) and will be appearing in No Reservations (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones). CvB Space has become CvB Spaces, a location leasing agency for film and photography shoots. Von Buhler is the president of CvB Spaces.
