| America Today | |
|---|---|
 Instruments of Power | |
| Artist | Thomas Hart Benton |
| Year | 1930-1931 |
| Medium | tempera on wood |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York |
| Website | The Met |
America Today is a mural comprising ten canvas panels, painted with eggtempera in 1930–1931 by the American painterThomas Hart Benton. It provides a panorama of American life throughout the 1920s, based on Benton's extensive travels in the country. Originally commissioned forThe New School for Social Research, it has belonged to theMetropolitan Museum of Art, inNew York, since 2012.
| Title | Dimensions[1] |
|---|---|
| Instruments of Power | 92 x 160 in. (233.7 x 406.4 cm) |
| City Activities with Dance Hall | 92 x 134 1/2 in. (233.7 x 341.6 cm) |
| City Activities with Subway | 92 x 134 1/2 in. (233.7 x 341.6 cm) |
| Deep South | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| Midwest | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| Changing West | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| Coal | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| Steel | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| City Building | 92 x 117 in. (233.7 x 297.2 cm) |
| Outreaching Hands | 17 1/8 x 97 in. (43.5 x 246.4 cm) |
The mural was commissioned in 1929 byAlvin Saunders Johnson, director ofThe New School for Social Research in New York City, for the school's boardroom. Benton was not offered any payment beyond material costs. Instead, he saw the work as an opportunity to make a name for himself and thereby get more commissions in the future. The subjects were based on Benton's extensive travels in the United States. Benton said about the work: "Every detail of every picture is a thing I myself have seen and known. Every head is a real person drawn from life."[2] The mural was painted with eggtempera on linen canvases.[1]
The mural was acquired byAXA Equitable Life Insurance Company in 1984. After two years of renovation it was installed at AXA's headquarters at787 Seventh Avenue in New York City. In 1996 AXA moved to 1290 Avenue of the Americas and installed the mural in the building's lobby. In January 2012 the mural was renovated again, and in December 2012 it was donated to theMetropolitan Museum of Art.[3]
