Monday, April 9, 2012

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

A casual word from the Deacon after Palm Sunday services at the Anglican parish we were visiting led to our discovery of the Crystal Bridges Museum of Modern Art in nearby Bentonville, Arkansas.



According to this Wikipedia article, the museum officially opened its doors to the public on November 11, 2011.  As I remarked to my family, it still has that "new museum smell".   It has gained its permanent collection quite quickly and, according to the Wikipedia article, must now be ranked among the top half dozen art museums in the United States.  It was built largely with donations from Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, who has reportedly donated $317 million to the project.

The architecture of Crystal Springs, by Moshe Safdie, is pleasing, with a very modern feel.  The grounds, though I only saw a small fraction, seem immaculately kept, and their are 7 or 8 walking trails that visitors may use.  Admission to the museum is currently free!

I was very impressed with the permanent collection, and to give you a small flavor of that, I will share some of the photos I took.  Photography is allowed in the museum as long as it is without using a flash or a tripod.

Enjoy!!