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The Arts of Life in America: Unemployment, Radical Protest, Speed

Thomas Hart Benton1932/1932

Chrysler Museum of Art

Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, United States

Modern America is a fast-paced world in Thomas Hart Benton’s mural, one of eight panels originally decorating the library of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Cars, trains, and planes crisscross the left end of this long ceiling panel, while in the center, a rally by striking workers turns violent, capturing both the excitement and tensions of the turbulent 1930s. When the Whitney Museum moved to a new building in 1954, Benton’s murals were taken down and sold.

71.2011

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  • Title: The Arts of Life in America: Unemployment, Radical Protest, Speed
  • Creator: Thomas Hart Benton
  • Creator Lifespan: 1889/1975
  • Creator Nationality: American
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Kansas City, MO
  • Creator Birth Place: Neosho, MO
  • Date: 1932/1932
  • Location Created: New York City, NY
  • Provenance: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1932; New York Studio School; James Graham and Sons, New York; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, 1971., Thomas Hart Benton and Rita P. Benton Testamentary Trusts / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
  • Physical Dimensions: 32 x 176 1/2 in. (81.3 x 448.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: © Thomas Hart Benton and Rita P. Benton Testamentary Trusts / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
  • Medium: Tempera on board
Chrysler Museum of Art

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