America Today

These two murals, City Activities, were among nine Thomas Hart Benton painted for the board room of the New School's 12th St. building in 1930-31. Today they live in the lobby of the AXA Equitable Center at Sixth Ave. between 51st and 52nd Street (New School sold them in the 80s), but it's hard there to get a sense of what it was like to be surrounded by these bold murals. From what I understand, as you came in the room through a central door, you faced a wall filled with Instruments of Power (above) between two windows - indeed it must have felt like practically being run over by that train! Continuing the celebration of industry, on the left wall: Steel, Coal, City Building.On the right wall: Changing West, Midwest, and Deep South.
City Activities (Dance Hall and Subway) were on either side of the door. A quite overwhelming ensemble - and very different in feeling than the other room of murals painted at the same time a few stories up, by Orozco and still on site.

Images are from Emily Braun, Thomas Hart Benton:
The America Today Murals (Williamstown, MA: Williams College Museum of Art, 1985)