Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Art museum in Bentonville, United States
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is an art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, built over two spring-fed ponds in a ravine of the Ozark hills. Its eight interconnected pavilions, designed by Moshe Safdie, use concrete, western red cedar, copper roofing and laminated pine; some are held up by suspension-bridge technology with minipiles anchored in limestone bedrock.
Alice Walton opened the museum in 2011 as an institution for American art from the 18th century to the present. The collection grew rapidly through purchases and donations and now holds paintings, photographs, and installations from all phases of US art history.
The name refers to two natural spring-fed ponds that run through the grounds and are woven into the architecture. Visitors today see works by American artists from all eras in spaces linked by galleries and sculpture gardens.
Entry is free, and the museum opens from 10 in the morning on weekends and from 11 on Wednesdays through Fridays. Parts of the route run outdoors, so weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended.
Moshe Safdie designed eight connected pavilions that appear to float above two ponds, mirroring the surroundings on their water surface. This architecture joins the exhibition spaces with the landscape and brings natural light into the galleries.
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