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Heirs Of Thomas Hart Benton Lose Legal Battle Against Bank

After years of legal battle, a court ruled against the heirs of muralist Thomas Hart Benton in favor of his bank.

Before his death in 1975, Thomas Hart Benton authorized UMB Bank in Kansas to take care of his holdings. These included thousands of artworks he made during his lifetime, as well as many sketches and studies. For over 40 years, the bank took care of his works, selling them to buyers frequently. However, in 2019, his daughter Jessie Benton and other heirs came forward and accused the bank of various malpractices. They accused the bank of selling the works at below-market prices without proper appraisal and without informing Benton’s estate. They also accused the bank of misplacing over 100 artworks by the painter.

After 5 years, the legal battle ended this when a court ruled in favor of the UMB Bank. Judge Mark Styles ruled that the bank was not guilty of any negligence and rather did their tasks dutifully. He noted that only 5 works were missing from the catalog, and they were likely sketches instead of paintings. Finally, he rewarded the Benton heirs $35,000 – a far cry from the $85 million they initially claimed in the suite.

The Benton family is considering an appeal, as per their lawyer. Amy Harris (chief legal officer, UMB Financial Corporation) said: “From the beginning, we stood firm in our belief that Crosby Kemper and the UMB associates who worked on this Trust for over 40 years acted with integrity and in the best interests of the Trust.”

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Born in 1889, Thomas Hart Benton started his career focusing on paintings about industrialization and the common American worker. Since the 1930s, he turned towards regionalism where he made paintings about rural America.