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Benton's Early Years

3m 13s

Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, into family of politicians. His mother encouraged his art, but his father was determined that Thomas become a lawyer or politician. He eventually studied art in Paris, France.

General Motors Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; Equitable Financial Companies; the National Endowment for the Humanities; Jules and Doris Stein Foundation; Gerald and Virginia Oppenheimer
Extras
For more than seventy years Thomas Hart Benton painted America's towns and its people.
Benton was commissioned to paint a mural depicting the social history of Missouri.
Earl Bennent talks about the beauty in Benton's work.
Dan James discusses Benton's "He-man" persona.
The bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist.
The bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist.