Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood

Rapid industrialization of cities and the nation’s expansion westward. The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. The rise of Fascism in Europe and America’s involvement in two global wars. During the first half of the twentieth century, the United States experienced tremendous social and cultural change. In response, many artists developed a uniquely American aesthetic based on realism and American subject matter, from towering skyscrapers and verdant landscapes to floral still lifes and locomotives, sheep shearers, and cement finishers. Artists explored both urban scenes and images of the heartland, reinforcing an American identity centered on working-class values.

Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood focuses on early twentieth-century American culture and society through lithographs, etchings, and wood engravings. The fifty-seven prints in this exhibition, produced between 1905 and 1955, encompass a broad range of art styles collectively known as “American Scene.” 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.