Benton was elected into the National Academy of Design in 1954 as an Associate member and became a full member in 1956.

In 1977, Benton's 2-1/2 story late-Victorian residence and carriage house studio in Kansas City was designated by Missouri as the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site.
The historic site has been preserved nearly unchanged from the time of his death; clothing, furniture, and paint brushes are still in place.
Displaying 13 original works of his art, the house museum is open for guided tours.

Benton was the subject of the eponymous 1988 documentary, Thomas Hart Benton, directed by Ken Burns.

In December 2019, a lawsuit was filed against the long-time Benton estate manager, UMB Bank.
The suit alleges that "More than a hundred paintings gone, priceless works of art stored in subpar conditions, paintings sold for fire sale prices - those are the allegations put forward by a new lawsuit filed by the heirs of famous American artist Thomas Hart Benton."
The bank did not directly respond to the specific allegations in the lawsuit but characterized them as misguided.
The bank's president, Jim Rine, said that it regrets that the Bentons chose to resolve the issue through litigation and that the bank takes its role as trustee of Benton's art very seriously.
Benton was elected into the National Academy of Design in 1954 as an Associate member and became a full member in 1956.
In 1977, Benton's 2-1/2 story late-Victorian residence and carriage house studio in Kansas City was designated by Missouri as the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site. The historic site has been preserved nearly unchanged from the time of his death; clothing, furniture, and paint brushes are still in place. Displaying 13 original works of his art, the house museum is open for guided tours.
Benton was the subject of the eponymous 1988 documentary, Thomas Hart Benton, directed by Ken Burns.
In December 2019, a lawsuit was filed against the long-time Benton estate manager, UMB Bank. The suit alleges that "More than a hundred paintings gone, priceless works of art stored in subpar conditions, paintings sold for fire sale prices - those are the allegations put forward by a new lawsuit filed by the heirs of famous American artist Thomas Hart Benton." The bank did not directly respond to the specific allegations in the lawsuit but characterized them as misguided. The bank's president, Jim Rine, said that it regrets that the Bentons chose to resolve the issue through litigation and that the bank takes its role as trustee of Benton's art very seriously.
Thomas Hart Benton (painter)