Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art[1] in Bentonville announced Monday (Sept. 8) “two landmark gifts” and that it will host an opening ceremony for its 114,000-square-foot expansion on June 6 and 7, 2026.
The gifts comprise art from museum chairwoman Olivia Walton and her husband, Tom Walton, and from collectors Candace and Michael Humphreys of Dallas. Art from the Waltons includes 18 works all by women artists, such as Yayoi Kusama, Alice Neel and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Artwork from the Humphreys comprises 200 artworks by more than 100 artists spanning eras and artistic disciplines and introduces new artists to the museum’s holdings.
According to a news release, the Humphreys’ gift of art is the museum’s largest since its founding and was accompanied by a financial contribution to support future acquisitions. In recognition of the gift, a space within the Foundations of American Art installation at the museum will be named the Candace P. and W. Michael Humphreys Gallery.
Both gifts were donated in celebration of the expansion to increase the 200,000-square-foot museum footprint by 50% and provide a new gallery experience. Safdie Architects is the designer for the expansion. The company was also the original designer of the museum building. The expansion was announced[2] in April 2021.
The museum has remained open during construction and is reinstalling nearly every gallery, including “an all-new core experience that takes visitors on a thematic journey through American life, landscape and spirit,” according to the release. “Both the Walton and Humphreys gifts will feature prominently in the expanded Crystal Bridges, within the new contemporary art gallery as well as in rotating displays, thematic installations and interdisciplinary programs.”
“This announcement marks an historic day for Crystal Bridges and the entire campus, where art, architecture, nature, education, and wellness now come together to inspire people, enhance their well-being, and build a greater understanding of the American experience,” said philanthropist Alice Walton, founder of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. “Next June, we will recognize how Safdie Architects’ vision helps us welcome all and provides a fitting home for the generous gifts of art from Olivia, Tom, Candace and Michael.”
Olivia and Tom Walton’s gift was donated in memory of Olivia Walton’s mother, Monique Knowlton, a New York gallerist known for her support of women artists. Of the 18 works in the gift, 13 are by artists who are new to the Crystal Bridges collection. Knowlton showed three of them in her gallery: Betye Saar, Elaine Reichek and Helen Oji. Other artworks in the gift include Yayoi Kusama’s “Narcissus Garden,” which has been on loan to Crystal Bridges since 2020; Hannah Wilke’s “Self-Portrait” along with self-portraits by Loie Hollowell and Maria Berrio; and Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s “Mama, Mummy and Mamma,” comprising a layered composition in acrylic, colored pencil, charcoal, and photo transfers.
Artwork in the Humphreys’ gift is by artists such as Mary Cassatt, Barkley Hendricks, and Alex Katz and includes works by artists that have seldom been exhibited publicly, such as Beverly Buchanan, Flo Perkins and David Wiseman. Artists included in the gift who have not previously been represented at Crystal Bridges include Robert Arneson, Robert Bechtle, Edward Ruscha, Kiki Smith and Do Ho Suh. The gift also includes the first two quilts to enter the museum’s collection: “Work – Clothes Strips and Pant Legs Gee’s Bend Quilt” by Loretta P. Bennett and 19th Century Applique Quilt” by Mary E. Harris.
“Through their extraordinary generosity, Candace and Michael Humphreys have broadened and deepened the stories of America that we tell at our museum, and that have established Crystal Bridges as a leading destination for major collections of American art,” Olivia Walton said. “It’s thrilling to receive such a landmark gift at this pivotal moment in our history. It’s also personally moving, as I reflect on my mother’s trailblazing contributions to broadening our understanding of American art and artists. Tom and I are honored to make this gift in her memory. These works reflect my mom’s spirit and influence, enriching the Crystal Bridges collection while continuing her legacy of opening doors for artists and inspiring future generations.”
Candace Humphreys is an honorary adviser and past member of the Collections Committee at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Michael Humphreys is a retired venture capitalist and past member of the Painting and Sculpture Committee at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
“We are proud that these works we’ve cherished will engage, challenge, and inspire audiences at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, now and far into the future,” the Humphreys said. “It is an honor to support the museum’s vital mission during this exciting period of its evolution.”
Other artists represented in the gift include Ralph Bacerra, Julie Buffalohead, Marisol Escobar, Nicholas Galanin, Theaster Gates, William H. Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Marquis, Josiah McElheny, Judy Kensley McKie, Laura McPhee, Ivań Navarro, Alice Neel, Robert Rauschenberg, Cindy Sherman, Tseng Kwon Chi and Andy Warhol.
The Humphreys’ gift also includes sculptures that will be installed throughout the museum’s 134 acres of trails and gardens, such as “Tom’s Carousel,” a full-size carousel with seven bronze figures by Tom Otterness; Claus Oldenberg and Coosje Van Bruggen’s “Floating Peel;” Juane Quick-To-See Smith’s “Making Medicine: Coyote (Going Forward, Looking Back);” and Wendell Castle’s “Wandering Mountain.”
Along with new galleries, the museum’s expansion will also include additional classrooms to support outreach programs and lounges to connect visitors to the outdoors.
“At Crystal Bridges we set out to merge art and nature. We could not be more delighted to see how the museum, its collection and the surrounding landscape have grown together to create what has been described as a happy building,” said Moshe Safdie, founding partner of Safdie Architects. “With the addition of diverse galleries, workshops, and gardens, the expansion exponentially expands the museum’s mission of serving as a centerpiece of communal and cultural life.”
The 134-acre Crystal Bridges campus includes the new Heartland Whole Health Institute, an 85,000-square-foot structure designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, and the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM), a 154,000-square-foot medical education facility designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. Both buildings incorporate art from the Crystal Bridges and Art Bridges Foundation collections.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened in 2011 at 600 Museum Way and has welcomed more than 14 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Alice Walton founded Crystal Bridges in 2005 as a nonprofit.
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References
- ^ Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (crystalbridges.org)
- ^ expansion was announced (talkbusiness.net)