Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

About the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened in 1933 after the combination of two estates, bequeathed by individuals who likely never knew each other, but were both interested in bringing art and culture to Kansas City. Since then, the museum has been focused on allowing people to learn about art in all of its forms, from 5,000 years ago to the present day.

Located in Kansas City, near where Thomas Hart Benton spent much of his life, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has the most extensive public collection of Thomas Hart Benton works of art, including a bequest from Benton of 45 paintings and drawings.

Thomas Hart Benton Artwork at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Aaron (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

After the Blow (1946) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Aggression (1923) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

An Artist in America (1937) by Thomas Hart Benton (Book)

Back from the Fields (1945) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Benton Farm (1973) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

The Corral (1948) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Boy (1948) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

County Politics (1973) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Construction (1923) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Bust of Rita (modeled 1918, cast 1961) by Thomas Hart Benton (Bronze)

Crapshooters (circa 1928) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Desert Still Life (1951) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Discovery (1920) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Down the River (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Edge of Town (1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Farmer's Daughter (1944) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Figure Study for "Jacques Cartier Discovers the Indians" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Figure Studies for "Jacques Cartier Discovers the Indians" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Figures and Heads for Jacques Cartier Mural (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

The Fence Mender (1940) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Farm Sale with Pop and the Boys (1962) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Figure Study for "The Seneca Discover the French" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Finished Working Study for "Jacques Cartier Discovers the Indians" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Finished Working Study for "The Seneca Discover the French" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Fire in the Barnyard (1944) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Flood (1937) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Gateside Conversation (1946) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Goin' Home (1937) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Frisky Day (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Frankie and Johnny (1936) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Haystack (1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Hollywood (1937-1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Huckleberry Finn (1936) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Hunter (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Investigation (1937) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Island Hay (1945) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Jessie and Jake (1942) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Letter and Three Musical Notations from Thomas Hart Benton to Dan Harrison (circa 1940) by Thomas Hart Benton (Letter)

Jesse James (1936) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Jesuit Missionaries, of American Historical Epic (1927-1928) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Letter from Oveseas (1943) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Letter (with envelope) from Thomas Hart Benton to Dan Harrison (1940) by Thomas Hart Benton (Letter)

Loading Corn (1945) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Lonesome Road (1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Lost Hunting Ground, of American Historical Epic (1927-1928) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Making Camp (1972) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Minstrel Show (1934) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Meeting (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Man (Tom Keefer) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Minstrel Show (1934) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Missouri Farmyard (1936) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Missouri Lawyer (circa 1966-1967) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Morning Glories (circa 1943-1945) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Morning Train (1943) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Music Lesson (1943) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Night Firing (1943) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Over the Mountains, of American Historical Epic (1927-1928) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

The Palisades, of American Historical Epic (1921-1922) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Nebraska Evening (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Open Country (1952) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

The Pathfinder, of American Historical Epic (1926) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Persephone (1938-1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Persephone (Study) (1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Photographing the Bull (1950) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Planting (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Prayer Meeting (1949) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Prayer (1923-1924) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Ploughing (1934) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Planting (Spring Plowing) (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Portrait of Artist's Sister (Mildred) (1913) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Prodigal Son (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Retribution, of American Historical Epic (1924-1925) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Rita in Earlier and Later Life by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Self-portrait (1972) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

The Seneca Discover the French (1956-1957) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Sketchbook (circa 1938) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Slow Train Through Arkansas (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Struggle Through the Wilderness, an American Historical Epic (1927-1928) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Spring Tryout (1943) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Still Life with Flowers (1946) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Still Life (1936) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Study for Foreground Indian in "The Seneca Discover the French" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Study for "Jacques Cartier Discovers the Indians" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Study for Jacques Cartier Mural (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Study for Jacques Cartier Mural (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

The Sun Treader (Portrait of Carl Ruggles) (circa 1934) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Sunset (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Sunday Morning (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Study for "The Seneca Discover the French" (1956) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Study of Leg for the Painting "Persephone" (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Threshing (1941) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Tom in Earlier and Later Life by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Trial by Jury (1964) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

Untitled (farmers in town) (no date) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

Untitled (Study for "Achelous and Hercules" Mural) (1946) by Thomas Hart Benton (Drawing)

White Calf (1945) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Vase with Flowers (1940) by Thomas Hart Benton (Painting)

The Woodpile (1939) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Wreck of the Ol' 97 (1944) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

Youth Music (1974) by Thomas Hart Benton (Lithograph)

There are currently eight works of art by Thomas Hart Benton on display at the Nelson Atkins Museum, including:

There are over 100 additional works of art by Thomas Hart Benton at the Nelson Atkins Museum, though they are currently not on display, but available for viewing on their website by clicking here.

View All Benton Artwork at the Museum

Exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of American Art

Works of art by Thomas Hart Benton have been included in the following exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art:

Thomas Hart Benton Exhibition at Nelson-Atkins Explores Cinematic Themes
October 10, 2015 - January 03, 2016: https://www.nelson-atkins.org/exhibitions/american-epics/
Benton in Black and White
May 21, 2014 - February 08, 2015: https://www.nelson-atkins.org/exhibitions/benton-in-black-and-white/
Bingham to Benton: The Midwest as Muse
February 05, 2005 - July 31, 2005: https://www.nelson-atkins.org/exhibitions/bingham-to-benton-the-midwest-as-muse/

Visiting Information

4525 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO 64111

816-751-1278

https://nelson-atkins.org/

Hours

Monday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM - 9:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Sunday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Resources & Information

Photo of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: Americasroof at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Create Your Own Postcard Activity: https://www.nelson-atkins.org/nelson-atkins-at-home/compassion/post-card-activity/
Benton125 Brochure: https://nelson-atkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/benton125brochure.pdf
Research Guide - Benton Works on Paper: https://nelson-atkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Library-Resource-List_2014_Thomas-Hart-Benton-Works-on-Paper-for-THB-125.pdf
Research Guide - American Epics: https://nelson-atkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Library-Resource-List_2015_Thomas-Hart-Benton-American-Epics.pdf
Research Guide - Collecting at the Nelson-Atkins: https://nelson-atkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Teacher-Resource-Guide-Origins.pdf
Missouri Remembers: https://www.nelson-atkins.org/missouriremembers/