52: THOMAS HART BENTON (1889-1975) PENCIL SIGNED LITHOGRAPH

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)
Mr. President (Portrait of Harry Truman at 86) (1971)
The lithograph published by Associated American Artists in an edition of 150 prints is signed by the artist in pencil below the image lower left and listed as Fath catalog number 83.

Benton's comments in Fath read: Shortly after I finished painting the mural in the Truman Library at Independence, Mo, (that was in 1961) I tried, at the request of some of the president's admirers, to make a portrait of him. I failed. The reason - there were too many people around him, secretaries, politicians and would be cronies who wanted me to make him look like God- maybe Clark Gable - anyhow some kind of beauty. The President sensed the kind of predicament this put me in and let me 'off the hook.'
Later on, when he was eighty-six years old, I went to visit him and somehow we got to joking about my failure with his portrait, and why I had failed which he understood perfectly. Looking at his old face while we talked, I found it wonderfully interesting and I said 'You know, Mr. President, we can try that business again.' He said, 'Why not?' I made some drawings of him and later a portrait which, this time, did not fail. The litho is from one of the drawings.
Image measures 8.75 x 7, sheet is 19.25 x 16, and frame is 24.5 x 21.25 inches.
Very good condition, the full untrimmed sheet with four deckle edges, not laid down, no damage, stain, punctures, tears or repair; a shadow of very light even toning floats on the image, framed to archival standards in acid free mounts.
Provenance: The private collection of a Clay County Circuit Court Judge
$1,800 - $2,400