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Description

Virtually untouched since his death in 1975, the two-and-a-half story, late Victorian-style house that Thomas Hart Benton called home was constructed of native, quarried limestone and contains simple furnishings in neutral tones that contrast Benton's vibrant paintings. Several of Benton's paintings and sculptures can be viewed in the house.

Hart Benton and his wife/manager, Rita Hart Benton, lived here from 1939 until 1975. They chose the house because of the direction it faced and the light it allowed. They converted half of the carriage house into Benton's art studio, which remains as he left it, with coffee cans full of paintbrushes, numerous paints and a stretched canvas waiting to be transformed into another of his masterpieces.

Thomas Hart Benton died in his studio on Jan. 19, 1975, doing what he liked best - painting the American scene.

Highly recommended.

Ongoing