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Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri on April 15, 1889. He spent most of his childhood in boarding schools and in Washington, D.C. His first job, he worked as a cartoonist for the Joplin American in Missouri. After studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, he lived a short time in Paris and New York City. He then went back to the midwest and settled in Kansas City where he worked as an instructor of drawing and painting at the Kansas City Art Institute. Benton was part of the Regionalist movement and is well known for his mural paintings that depict commmon everyday scenes of Midwestern life. The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City and the Truman Library in Independence are home to his most famous murals. Benton died January 19, 1975 in his studio.
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