SVP, Head of Department of American Art Kayla Carlsen journeys to the Midwest, specifically Thomas Hart Benton's Fire in the Barnyard (1944). This portrayal of an almost cinematic-like scene, with rich colors and intense detail, harkens back to one of Benton's childhood memories, where he vividly remembers his grandfather's barn burning down in rural Texas. Benton utilizes this memory as he depicts the rolling hills of the Midwest countryside he's so very fond of.
Benton's Fire in the Barnyard will be offered at Sotheby's New York in the Modern Evening Auction on 14 November.
