NEW YORK, NY.- Schoelkopf Gallery announced exclusive worldwide representation of The Thomas Hart Benton Trust. Through this partnership, Schoelkopf Gallery will invite a broader international understanding of Benton’s important and lasting impact on the global development of twentieth-century modernism. We look forward to presenting works from The Trust at Art Basel Miami Beach (December 2023). A 2024 exhibition in our Tribeca gallery entitled Thomas Hart Benton and the American West will highlight the artist’s travels through Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
“On behalf of the Trustees of The Thomas Hart Benton Trust, we are thrilled about our new partnership with Schoelkopf Gallery,” said Trustee Nick Gray, “and are looking forward to working together in the coming years to shine a spotlight on the profound artistry of Thomas Hart Benton, who has so much to say both to our present and future generations.”
THOMAS HART BENTON
Born in Missouri into a politically influential family in 1889, Benton found inspiration among working class communities in rural America. A prolific painter, sculptor, printmaker and gifted storyteller, Benton is credited with leading the Regionalist movement in the United States early in his career. He has long been celebrated as the most innovative practitioner of mural painting depicting American life. This mastery is on display in America Today (1930– 31; Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Arts of Life in America (1932; New Britain Museum of American Art).
Benton studied at prestigious institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago in 1907 and the Académie Julian in Paris, where he met fellow American painter, Synchromist Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Settling in New York in 1911, Benton’s work remained largely abstract until the early 1920s. On a 1924 trip home to visit his father, he was inspired to revisit his midwestern roots and began painting American rural subjects such as life in coal mines, steel mills and cotton fields. The influence of Spanish Old Master El Greco is evident in Benton’s naturalistic style, sculpted figures and fluid lines. While the rhythmic distortions of Benton’s compositions were informed by his European study, his work reflects a vibrant diversity that is distinctly American.
Benton was the first artist to be featured on the cover of Time magazine and his murals hung at an early site of the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was during this time that Benton formed a close alliance with his student - and frequent guest at his Martha’s Vineyard studio - Jackson Pollock.
Schoelkopf Gallery has earned a distinguished reputation for its commitment to preserving and promoting American art, spanning from 1875 to the present day. The gallery employs scholarship, market research and narrative context to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of each piece. This approach has not only facilitated newfound appreciation but has also expanded the discourse around American art, forging collaborative relationships with esteemed collectors, museums, and artists' estates. Schoelkopf Gallery is a proud member of the Art Dealers Association of America and the Private Art Dealers Association.
The gallery's mission is to educate, engage and lead a dynamic international audience for American art. Through a diverse schedule of programming at its new Tribeca location, online and at art fairs, Schoelkopf Gallery brings the essence of the modernist movement in America to life.
