The Old Print Shop

THOMAS HART BENTON

ABOUT THOMAS HART BENTON


Thomas Hart Benton – printmaker, painter, and muralist – is considered one of America’s most famous artists. He was born in Neosho, Missouri, to “Colonel” Maecenas Eason Benton and Elizabeth Wise Benton. His father was a lawyer and politician serving four terms as a U.S. Congressman. He was named after his great uncle, Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. His father wanted his son to be a politician; however, Benton was more interested in drawing than politics.

His mother supported his artistic endeavors, but his father did not. He attended Neosho High School in 1905-06 and left for a job drawing cartoons for a newspaper. His father convinced him to attend the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois in 1906. After less than a year he left the Academy and began studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. From 1908 to 1911 he lived in Paris and studied at the Academie Julien. In 1912 he settled in New York City and struggled to make a living as an artist. He taught at the Art Students League, the Chelsea Neighborhood Association, and New York public schools. During WWI he served in the Navy and his work with the Navy changed his artistic vision. He was asked to make realistic drawings of the camouflage on the ships entering the harbor in Norfolk, Virginia, and to document the shipyard work and life. After leaving the Navy he returned to New York City. In 1922 he married Rita Piacenza, and they had two children - Thomas Piacenza Benton and Jessie Benton.