Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Bentonville · United States · Founded 2011
A remarkable museum of American art set in the Ozark forest, built over natural springs — with free permanent collection admission and one of the strongest American art collections assembled in the 21st century.
About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges was founded by Alice Walton (of the Walmart family) and opened in 2011 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The building was designed by Moshe Safdie and built directly over two spring-fed ponds in the Ozark forest — its name refers to the crystal-clear springs and the glass bridges that connect its gallery pavilions. The design creates an immersive relationship between art, architecture, and the surrounding woodland trails.
The collection covers the full arc of American art, from colonial portraits and 19th-century Hudson River School landscapes to modernism, Abstract Expressionism, and contemporary art. Major works include Asher B. Durand's Kindred Spirits, Winslow Homer's Snap the Whip, and works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, Kehinde Wiley, and Mark Bradford. Admission to the permanent collection is free.
Collections & Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
A small ask before you go
You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.
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