THOMAS HART BENTONWritten by Andy Ostmeyer
Take a road trip with THOMAS HART BENTON
“ Joplin at the Turn of the Century ” by Thomas Hart Benton . The mural was dedicated to Joplin ’ s 100th birthday in 1973 . Globe file photo .
The art of prolific Missouri painter Thomas Hart Benton is displayed in some of the finest museums in the country , but you don ' t have to travel to New York City to see it .
A road trip through Missouri and Northwest Arkansas will introduce you to many of his best works .
Begin with a stop in Neosho — where Benton was born in 1889 . During his 1962 visit to his hometown , Benton gave 12 original lithographs to the city that are on display at Neosho City Hall . The Neosho Arts Council has produced a guide to provide the background on each piece . And be sure to see the city ’ s newest mural , too , honoring Benton , on the north side of Neosho City Hall . Titled “ A Social History of Thomas Hart Benton ,” it was painted on panels by Neosho artist Jared Jennings . He said he was inspired by a trip his fifth-grade class took years ago to the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City , where he first saw Benton ’ s “ A Social History of the State of Missouri .”
We ' ll circle back to Southwest Missouri at the end of the trip , but the next stop is Kansas City ' s , where three sites await : The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art , the Truman Presidential Library and Museum , and the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site .
The Nelson-Atkins has numerous works , including " Persephone " " Crap Shooters " " Open Country " and " The Benton Farm ."
The Harry S . Truman Library and Museum , in Independence , features Benton ' s mural " Independence and the Opening of the West ."
The presidential museum also has this story with insight into the two famous Missourians : " Benton , high on the scaffolding , was listening to the comments of his chief critic and patron below , President Truman . Finally Benton called down , ' If you want to help paint , come up here .' ' By golly , I will ,' Truman replied . He climbed up to the platform , seized a brush and began dabbing blue on the sky . Occasions like this made the President and the artist lifelong friends ."
Next up : The Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site , acquired by the state of Missouri soon after Benton died in the studio in 1975 . It is intact and completely furnished .
" We have 20 originals here ," said Steve Sitton , administrator of the historic site . " We don ' t have any of the masterpieces . We have some of the early things he did as well as his later works ."
It ' s also where he painted the mural " Joplin at the Turn of the Century ," which is the last stop on the road trip .
Sitton recommended other stops in Missouri : the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia , Lincoln University in Jefferson City , and the St . Louis Museum of Art .
The State Historical Society has a collection of 91 Thomas Hart Benton lithographs that was among the inaugural exhibits at the Harry M . Cornell Arts and Entertainment Complex when it opened to the public in Joplin in 2022 . It is one of the few complete collections of limited-edition lithographs that were published during Benton ' s lifetime . The prints date from 1929 to 1974 .
Lincoln University ' s Inman E . Page Li-
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