Previous LotNext lot

Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889–1975)
LOT ID: 46774
Ten Pound Hammers, 1965

Tempera, on linen on board
14 х 10.5 in. cm.
Signed, and dated lower left. Signed, titled and annotated on the reverse.
Lot description
This work will be included in the forthcoming Thomas Hart Benton catalogue raisonné being prepared by the Thomas Hart Benton Catalogue Raisonné Foundation committee members Dr. Henry Adams, Jesse Benton, Anthony Benton Gude and Michael Owen.

The image of laboring, black workers toiling on the railroad lines evokes the power of simple men who could do mighty things. Benton chose to strengthen this with the title, referring to the folklore hero John Henry, who swore to beat a steam powered drill with his ten pound hammer.

This painting was later released by Benton as a signed lithograph in 1967.

Arguably the most influential and well known artist of the Regionalist movement, Thomas Hart Benton created naturalistic, undulating paintings that captured the mood of Depression-era America. Born in Neosho, Missouri in 1889, Benton was the great-nephew of the American senator after whom he was named. After spending a year at the Art Institute of Chicago, he moved to Paris to study at the Académie Julian where he worked closely with Stanton Macdonald-Wright, a founder of Sychromism. During WWI, Benton documented the daily happenings of the Naval shipyards of Norfolk, Virginia, an assignment that influenced the rest of his career. Upon returning to civilian life, he developed the naturalistic and representational approach that combined social realism of the hard-hit Midwest and the narratives of American folklore and bible stories that was later called Regionalism. He continued to make prints and painitngs in this style until his death in 1975.
  • Condition Report
  • History and Provenance
  • Shipping Information
  • Payment and Return Policies
Alternate Views: 1 of 1
Share |
Add Thomas Hart Benton to My Artist Alert
Receive email alerts as soon as artists you follow are up for sale. Update your artist watch list any time.

Sales Results for Comparable Works

To help you value the lot, artnet Auctions specialists have selected similar auction results from the artnet Price Database. To better understand the lot estimates with more comparable results, subscribe or log in to the Price Database now.
  • Thomas Hart Benton

    Martha's Vineyard
    oil on tin
    (H 7.8, W 6.0) in.
    (19.7 x 15.2) cm.
    Sold for: US$170,500
    Thursday, May 20, 2010
    Christie's New York
    Lot 00016
  • Thomas Hart Benton

    Cotton picking and loading
    oil on tin
    (H 12.2, W 18.7) in.
    (31.1 x 47.6) cm.
    Sold for: US$242,500
    Thursday, December 03, 2009
    Sotheby's New York
    Lot 00026
  • Thomas Hart Benton

    Journey's end
    oil on canvasboard
    (H 8.0, W 10.0) in.
    (20.4 x 25.5) cm.
    Sold for: US$192,000
    Thursday, March 08, 2007
    Sotheby's New York
    Lot 00019
artnet Auctions—Buy and sell art 24/7 worldwide. ©2013 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved. artnet® is a registered
trademark of Artnet Worldwide Corporation. Call for Assistance: US +1-877-388-3256, EU +49 (0)30 20 91 78 50