Crystal Bridges Museum

World Class American Art Museum a Must See

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the dream of founder Alice Walton, has brought to the nation's heartland a spectacular new venue for American art. With its grand opening 11/11/11, the museum lures art lovers from around the country to the 105-acre wooded venue located just north of the downtown Bentonville square.

Already considered a premier national art institution dedicated to American art and artists, the museum complex encompasses approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery, library, meeting, and office space, a 250-seat indoor auditorium, areas for outdoor concerts and public events, gallery rooms suitable for large receptions, as well as sculpture gardens and walking trails.

Crystal Bridges is expected to draw more than 250,000 visitors annually with the potential for a direct economic impact of $17.2 million on Northwest Arkansas.

The heart of the permanent collection includes signature paintings and sculptures from American artists from the Colonial period through the modern era including Hudson River School masterwork "Kindred Spirits" by Asher B. Durand, "George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait)" by Gilbert Stuart, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait's "The Life of a Hunter: A Tight Fix", Thomas Moran's "Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn", Thomas Eakins' "Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand and "Rosie the Riveter" by Norman Rockwell.


The museum, which features galleries dedicated to regional art and artists, is free of charge thanks to funding by the Walton Family Foundation. Crystal Bridges is open Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Museum is closed on Tuesdays. The Museum will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Crystal Bridges' trails are open from sunrise to sunset, every day.