Lot 496

THOMAS HART BENTON PENCIL SKETCHES, HOLLYWOOD 1937-1940

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THOMAS HART BENTON PENCIL SKETCHES, HOLLYWOOD 1937-1940

Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000

Starting Bid: $10,000

(0 Bids)

by Soulis Auctions
June 28, 2026 12:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
529 West Lone Jack-Lee’s Summit Rd
Lone Jack, MO, US 64070

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)

Hollywood Sketch Book Pages

Circa 1937-1940

A collection of nineteen original graphite on paper studies in eight frames and archival museum mats. The artist's signature is visible through a window in one mat. Additional inscriptions include Crestview 8666 601 North Linden Drive, Beverly Hills Lily Damita. Crestview was a Beverly Hills telephone exchange prefix in the 1930s; 601 North Linden Drive, Beverly Hills was the home address of of Errol Flynn and his French American wife Lily (Lili) Damita from around 1935 to 1942. Another page is inscribed Errol Flynn Warner Bros. and George Rowan Trinity 0131; which can be traced to the Rowan Real Estate and Loan company in downtown Los Angeles.

Benton had a significant and long-running relationship with the film industry, beginning in the late 1930s. In an Amon Carter Museum press release from 2015 relates that, ' During his month-long assignment in Hollywood, Benton used hundreds of graphite sketches to create 40 finished ink-and-wash drawings.' leading up the the 1937-1938 mural Hollywood. Similarly, on Feb 4, 1938 the Springfield (Missouri) Leader and Press reported ' THOMAS HART BENTON, who draws pictures, is back in Kansas City after a sojourn to Hollywood to memorialize the film colony in oil for the magazine, Life. According to Springfieldians who visited Mr. Benton the other day, there is more to the job than just painting what he saw. The foundation of Mr. Benton's Hollywood sketches will be three large paintings portraying movies in the making.' Later, in 1940, Benton and eight other prominent American artists, were hired to document scenes and characters during the production of the film The Long Voyage Home.

Overall framed size range from 19.25 x 25.75 to 22.75 x 36.5 inches.

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  • Provenance: Private collection, Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Dimensions: Overall framed size range from 19.25 x 25.75 to 22.75 x 36.5 inches.
  • Medium: Works on Paper
  • Circa: Circa 1937-1940
  • Condition: Very good condition, no major damage, stain, punctures, tears or repair; framed to archival standards in acid free mounts.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $99,999 $2,000
$100,000 + $10,000