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Gallery: Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site |
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Reflections of Thomas hart Benton's life are present in both his home and his paintings. A renowned painter, sculptor, lecturer and writer, Benton had a gift for interpreting everyday life. One of his most noted murals, "A Social History of the State of Missouri," can be viewed in the House Lounge of the state Capitol. Born in Neosho, Mo., in 1889, Benton moved to Kansas City in 1939 after pursuing art instruction in Chicago and Paris, serving a brief stretch in the Navy an teaching in New York city. Virtually untouched since his death in 1975, the two-and-a-half story, late Victorian-style house that Benton called home was constructed of native, quarried limestone and contains simple furnishings in neutral tones that contrast Benton's vibrant paintings. Several of Benton's paintings and sculptures can be viewed in the house. Benton converted half of the carriage house into his art studio, which remains as he left it, with coffee cans full of paintbrushes, numerous paints and a stretched canvas waiting to be transformed into another of his masterpieces. Thomas hart Benton died in his studio on January 19, 1975, doing what he liked best - painting the American scene.
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