Thomas Hart Benton—lauded American painter, muralist, and print maker—and his iconic mural “The Sources of Country Music” are expertly examined fifty years later in this fascinating, in-depth panel discussion. Moderated by Seth Feman, executive director and CEO of Nashville’s Frist Art Museum, this program was recorded on April 13, 2024, in support of the Museum’s exhibition “An American Masterwork: Thomas Hart Benton’s ‘Sources of Country Music’ at 50” and the Frist’s exhibition “SOUTHERN/MODERN.”

In 1973, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum commissioned Benton to create “The Sources of Country Music,” a mural detailing the cultural influences of the genre. Hung as the centerpiece in the Museum’s Hall of Fame Rotunda, the piece was the American Regionalist’s last work, as he died shortly after its completion. Award-winning art historian, curator, and Benton biographer Henry Adams; Katelyn Crawford, curator of American art at the Birmingham Museum of Art; and Elek Horvath, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s associate director of collection access, provide insightful interpretation of the painting and its commission, as well as background on Benton, his technique, and his enduring importance.

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