Campanella Collection, a group of forgotten works by Thomas Hart Benton spanning six decades, up for auction until Dec. 2

Circle Auction Preview of the Campanella Collection // photo courtesy of James Fry

Circle Auction is auctioning the Campanella Collection, a group of 116 original works by Thomas Hart Benton that have never been displayed before. The collection includes sketches and paintings completed by Benton between 1917 and 1970, and are a glimpse into Benton’s working process and evolution as an artist over nearly six decades.

“What I find fascinating about the collection is it’s really a look at his working process,” says James Fry of Circle Auction. “So many pieces in this collection are the very early working of pieces that are now quite famous and hanging in institution and museums across the country.”

The collection is named for Vincent Campanella, a longtime friend of Benton’s and accomplished artist in his own right—though he never achieved the same level of recognition as Benton—who acquired the collection upon Benton’s death in 1975. When Benton passed, he’d been working on a mural for the Country Music Hall of Fame. His wife requested Campanella to complete the mural, which he did.

Unsurprisingly, given that Benton was a somewhat controversial figure, the friendship was rather stormy over the years. Campanella and his wife moved to Kansas City from New York in 1949, and they met and became friends with the Bentons shortly after. However, in 1951, a modern art forum discussion involving both Campanella and Benton turned into an argument between the two, and they didn’t speak much for over 20 years, reconnecting only a few years before Benton’s death.

“I think a lot of times you get two talented people side by side in a friendship and one of them is achieving national recognition and the other’s struggling to get that same level of notoriety,” says Fry. “I mean, there is likely gonna be a little bit of tension in that relationship. But in terms of the arc of the story, it’s nice to see that did end with them being friends and connecting at the end of Benton’s life.”

“Tetons Study for the Sheepherder” Oil & Gouache (1955-60) // by Thomas Hart Benton, photo courtesy of James Fry

Campanella kept the collection bequeathed to him stored at his home beneath a tarp, and it was basically forgotten about until his death in 2001, when it was discovered while the house was being cleaned out. Still, the collection has largely remained untouched until now, with few people having the privilege of seeing it. Henry Adams, who has written several books on Benton’s work, was hired to review the collection and wrote an essay on it.

“This collection of works by Thomas Hart Benton, assembled by Vincent Campanella, is the single largest collection of Benton drawings and studies outside of the Benton Trust,” writes Adams. “No other body of Benton’s work, in a single place, provides such a varied record of his changes of subject matter and style.”

Bidding is currently open on Circle Auction’s website, and will be until Dec. 2, when final bidding begins at 10 a.m. There will also be an open house preview of the collection on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Circle Auction Gallery in the West Bottoms, which is open to the public even if you’re just interested in seeing the collection and aren’t a serious bidder. There will also be wine and cocktails served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. both nights.