A few weeks ago, we decided to use a very cold day as a reason to take a trip to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The Museum opened in 2011 and we've heard pretty amazing reviews of the place, but being "inside" when the weather is nice is always a struggle for us, so we had been putting off the trip until now.
The museum itself was designed by architect Moshe Safdie. Many people are familiar with Safdie's work, as were we, because he'd also recently designed the Kaufman Center of Performing Arts in our hometown of Kansas City. Like many of his works, the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art is, in itself, and architectural work of art.
The museum is just a mile or so from downtown Bentonville, in a secluded park-like setting. The outside of the museum is wooded, and the different halls of the museum surround two reflective pools. There are about 3 miles of trails that surround the museum and wander through the wooded 120 acre land that surrounds the museum. Most are broken into very short, family-friendly trails of about 1/2 mile or so.
The museum has an interesting design -- and essentially tells the story of American History through the works of art that reflect the history and art styles of the times. The museums starts with many portrait-style paintings that reflect the art style of the day, and the many famous Americans who started this country. It evolves into different styles depicting Lewis and Clark's expedition and depicting daily life of the period.
The collection also includes many Thomas Hart Benton paintings -- which was great to see as I've always like Benton's style and his home/museum is not far from my house in Kansas City.
Later paintings include World War I era prints, and other paintings that depict the rise of industrialism in America -- including some famous work by Norman Rockwell.
The final hall depicts the rise of modern art in the 20th Century, and while this style isn't really my cup of tea, it also contains an interesting collection with a lot of information about the rise of modern art style during the decade.
Crystal Bridges is a must-see in Northwest Arkansas -- depicting fantastic art, fantastic architecture, and several miles of scenic trails (which, we didn't get a chance to explore too much of, but some).
There is also a very good restaurant in the museum, Eleven, that features a lot of fresh dining options, a bar serving wine and beer, and a coffee bar. I enjoyed the Ozark Banh Mi sandwhich which was deliciously messy.
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