Thomas Hart Benton

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His paintings were burly. Energetic. And as uncompromising as the Midwestern landscapes and laborers they celebrated. Thomas Hart Benton depicted a self-reliant America emerging from the Depression. Ken Burns tells the bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist who became emblematic of the price all artists must pay to remain true to their talents and themselves.

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Thomas Hart Benton

Painting America

For more than seventy years Thomas Hart Benton painted America's towns and its people.

Clip: S1 E1 | 2:07

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Thomas Hart Benton

Benton's Early Years

Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, into family of politicians.

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Thomas Hart Benton

The Missouri Mural

Benton was commissioned to paint a mural depicting the social history of Missouri.

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General Motors Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; Equitable Financial Companies; the National Endowment for the Humanities; Jules and Doris Stein Foundation; Gerald and Virginia Oppenheimer

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