Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

I remember the first time that I experienced a large, well-known museum.  I was 21 years old and I had just landed in Madrid, Spain for the beginning of what would be one of the best years of my life.  I studied at the University of Seville for a year and soaked in not just the language but also the culture of a European country.  Part of that included an afternoon trip to the Museo Nacional del Prado (The Prado) in Madrid.  It was there that I first tasted the experience of seeing world famous works of art firsthand.  Through years and years of Spanish classes in both high school and college, I had seen Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, and Salvador Dalí but I had never been within touching distance.  For the first time, I could see them without the limitations of first being photographed and then printed into a textbook. I could see the brushstrokes exactly as they were made by the artists themselves.

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez - Located in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Even more impactful to me though was my first experience with the great Spanish painter, Diego Velazquez.  His masterpiece, Las Meninas is in the Prado and frankly, it is amazing.  It is almost unbelievable how realistic this painting is.  It was painted in 1656 and it looks like a photograph.  In fact most of Velazquez’ work is like that.  He was an astounding painter and I discovered him at one of the greatest museums in the world.  Later in my trip I went to museums in Barcelona and London.  I also spent a day in the Louvre (after a two hour strike).  The reality of visiting a major, metropolitan museum is still exciting to me because of this experience.

Crystal Bridges

Tomorrow, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens its doors to the public.  The much-discussed legacy project by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton is set to become something that tourists from around the world will come to see.  First announced in 2006, the project has seen a small number of hiccups and controversies.  There have been some legal issues regarding the museum’s tax exemption (Act 1865 of 2005 cleared that road) and Ms. Walton’s recent arrest for DWI.  But most of the controversy is in the notion that nationally-regarded, high-profile treasures of American art have been purchased by someone who international art enthusiasts have labeled (in a manner of speaking) a rogue billionaire collector.  The one that perked up many ears in the media was the attempt to purchase a painting called The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins.  Thomas Jefferson University accepted the offer but the city of Philadelphia started a fundraising campaign in order to keep the painting in town.  They matched the offer and saved it from being sent to Arkansas.  Ms. Walton has been a fan of American art for a long time.  She has a personal collection but a lot of that will be on display at Crystal Bridges.  All told the Walton Family Foundation donated $1.3 billion towards the construction and stocking of Crystal Bridges.  Wal-Mart Stores Inc. later added $20 million over five years stipulating that no one pays to enter the museum.  This incredible new museum will be free to the public.

Kindred Spirits by Asher B. Durand, located at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA

Museum Itself a Work of Art

The building is 201,000 square feet and was designed by Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie.  Safdie spent time in NWA studying the works that the late E. Fay Jones had done for Ms. Walton.  He combined that inspiration with the natural beauty of the space in Bentonville that had been designated as its future home.  Ms. Walton fell in love with Mr. Safdie’s work after seeing his Skirball Cultural Center  in California.  With the luxury of her deep pocketbook and the role of project overlord, Ms. Walton did not need to take bids.  Mr. Safdie was the man she wanted and she got him.  Mr. Safdie spent time on the details as well.  Even the space between galleries is specifically designed to allow visitors time to consider what they have just seen and soak it in.

George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart located at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA

Impact on Bentonville and NWA

Despite the location of Wal-Mart, Bentonville has actually been the slowest of the Big Four cities to grow culturally.  In the 80’s Fayetteville was the big winner when the Walton Arts Center was placed on Dickson Street.  Rogers built a beautiful shopping center in the Promenade.  But other than numerous multi-use strip malls that have housed a multitude of vendors, Bentonville had not scored a big-ticket draw to the area.  That changes with both the new Walton Arts Center venue and this museum.  Several new businesses are now open or planning to open in the shadow of Crystal Bridges.  Perhaps the most notable is a boutique hotel called the 21c Museum Hotel.  This chain of designer hotels likely would not have chosen to move to downtown Bentonville had it not been for the Crystal Bridges.  Museum officials are predicting that it could draw 150,000 to 300,000 visitors per year.  That is the kind of traffic that the new restaurants and other businesses will love.  Bentonville is finally joining the big boys as not just a business Mecca but also as a first thought for cultural family outings.

Notable Works

Not that anyone expected less but Ms. Walton and her team have assembled a pretty impressive collection–about five hundred works of American artwork spanning five centuries in the USA.  The first major piece purchased specifically to be displayed at Crystal Bridges  is Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits.  It was purchased for $35 million from the New York Public Library in 2005.  A 1797 portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart will be on display.  Possibly the most recognizable piece in the collection is Norman Rockwell’s iconic Rosie the Riveter.  Mr. Rockwell became a household name in the United States for his work with the Saturday Evening Post.  His work is beloved by many Americans due to its accessibility and whimsical themes.

It may be a while before I get a chance to go to Crystal Bridges.  The tickets are free but you have to have one.  I am truly looking forward to this.  I can’t wait to see these pieces and all the rest.  What I hope is that while I am there I will see something new that I fall in love with like that day in Madrid 20 years ago.  And isn’t that what it’s all about?  These works of art (some of which were actually being stored and not displayed) are being brought to Middle America where people will see them and be inspired.  Bravo Alice Walton and everyone else involved in making this happen.  What a treat.

(Thanks to the complete reporting of the opening of Crystal Bridges in the 11/6/11 edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette for many of the details above.)

Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell, located at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA