School’s Benton painting to hang in Nelson-Atkins Museum

“Utah Highlands” Photo Courtesy Shawnee Mission School District. — “Utah Highlands”
Photo Courtesy Shawnee Mission School District.

On Jan. 30, John Douglass, director of safety and security, spoke to members of the media about the Thomas Hart Benton painting that is in the custody of the Shawnee Mission School District. Photo courtesy Shawnee Mission School District

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City school district has found a new home for a Thomas Hart Benton painting students donated in 1957.

The painting “Utah Highlands” will be on long-term loan at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, starting in late April.

The Shawnee Mission School District had kept the painting in a vault for safekeeping after it was appraised at $700,000. Students who donated the painting in 1957 as a class gift began asking where the painting was after The Kansas City Star reported it was no longer being displayed.

Museum spokeswoman Kali Hudson says the painting will be assessed for any damage. The school district will retain ownership of the painting, which will be rotated for display.