Art
Thomas Hart Benton’s “America
Today” Mural at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art
ural painting has come
a long way since its first
appearance around 30,000
BC, with the famous
paintings in the Chauvet
Cave in Ardèche department of
southern France. As it progressed into
modern times, the term “mural” was
often associated with the Mexican
“muralista” art movement and the
renowned artist Diego Rivera.
The mural, “America Today,” was
originally commissioned in 1930 by
the New School of Social Research’s
director, Alvin Johnson, who had
modeled the school as a center for
progressive thought and education
of New York City. The mural adorned
the boardroom of the school’s
International Style modernist
building on West 12th Street,
in Greenwich Village.
One of the most esteemed muralists
in the United States was Thomas Hart
Benton (1889–1975), a painter from
Missouri, who was at the forefront
of the Regionalist art movement. The
artist attracted enormous appeal for
his ability to depict everyday people
in vivid scenes that represented the
character of this country.
of the early 1930s, especially as
the Museum will display the mural
as the artist originally intended it
to be seen. Positioning the mural’s
new home in the context of the
Metropolitan’s diverse collections,
the exhibition also tells a uni ue
story rooted in New York’s own
cultural history.”
economic distress that would
characterize life in the
following decade.
he commission marked a significant
moment in international modernism,
because the great Mexican muralist,
José Clemente Orozco, was also
commissioned to paint a mural in the
New School at the same time. In fact,
the two artists worked on their
projects concurrently.
M
Benton’s epic mural titled “America
Today” was considered one of the
most remarkable accomplishments
in American art of the period in which
it was painted. The artwork consists
of ten extraordinary panels, and
emphasizes Benton’s colorful style and
the uid manner in which he painted
figures with a sculptural uality.
The mural portrays a sweeping
panorama of American life during the
1920s. As a slice of life and historical
reference, this mural not only exudes
the belief in American progress that
was characteristic of this period, it
also acknowledges the onset of
In the current exhibition at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
ten-panel mural is featured in a space
that recreates the boardroom in which
it originally hung at the New School.
Also included in the exhibition are
Benton’s studies for the mural,
including character studies in pencil
and compositional studies in painting.
The museum has provided an
additional gallery devoted to works
In
,
E uitable purchased
and restored the mural. It hung in the
lobby of the
E uitable ower at
1290 Sixth Avenue in New York City.
In December 2012, AXA donated the
work of art to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
The Metropolitan Museum is currently
presenting the exhibition, “Thomas
Hart Benton’s America Today Mural
Rediscovered,” through April 19, 2015.
Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO
of the Metropolitan Museum, stated
“The Metropolitan’s presentation of
Benton’s great mural will shed new
light on this visually and intellectually
stimulating landmark in American art
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from its collection that relate to
Benton’s mural. This gallery includes
Jackson Pollock’s Pasiphaé (1943).
Pollock was Benton’s student at this
time and served as a model for his
teacher’s mural.
The exhibition demonstrates how this
monumental work marked a turning
point in Benton’s career as a painter,
elevating his stature among his peers
and critics. It is a bold work of art
that stands midway between the
artist’s early experiments in
abstraction, signs of which are
still evident in the mural, and the
expressive figurative style for
which he is best known today.
For more information, visit the
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website
www.metmuseum.org.