News Articles Library Event Photos Contact Search


Thursday, 19 May 2011 03:27

Art of 1951 Miss. flood up for timely auction

This picture provided by Sotheby's shows the painting "Flood Disaster" by Thomas Hart Benton, which will be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on May 19, 2011, for an estimated $800,000 to $1.2 million. This picture provided by Sotheby's shows the painting "Flood Disaster" by Thomas Hart Benton, which will be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on May 19, 2011, for an estimated $800,000 to $1.2 million. AP

As the swollen Mississippi River threatens residents of the South, a 1951 painting is a reminder of another devastating flood 60 years ago.

"Flood Disaster" by American painter and muralist Thomas Hart Benton is scheduled to be auctioned at Sotheby's on Thursday. The presale estimate is $800,000 to $1.2 million.

The painting was created to highlight the extent of the damage caused when the Kansas and Missouri rivers swelled to 70 times their normal size on July 13, 1951, killing 17 people and displacing more than 518,000 residents.

In a further effort to shed light on the flood victims' suffering, the Missouri artist made a lithograph of the painting and sent a copy to each member of Congress urging them to expand a flood relief appropriations bill. It did not pass, and many of Benton's lithographs wound up in the trash.

President Harry Truman had estimated the damage at more than $1 billion, and reluctantly signed a $113 million flood relief bill.

Additional Info

Events