Friday, December 11, 2015

American Art

I have just spent a few weeks in Midwest America, based in Oklahoma, but here in this entry, visiting Arkansas. In a town called Bentonville, where lives the family that started Walmart, is an astonishing museum of American art. In, as a New Yorker or Angelino might say, the middle of nowhere.
The Crystal Bridges Museum is set in a beautiful location, spanning a lake. The surrounding grounds are peaceful, treed and full of sculpture, the inside - a revelation.
The collection goes from early American history to the latest in modern art. Of the twenty or so American artists I have heard of, all (except Fritz Mooney, obviously) are represented in the museum. Maybe not their best known work - but they are there.
The visit took me about 90 minutes, and starts with two portraits of George Washington. The art is well exhibited throughout and I came away highly content.
The museum was funded in its entirety by Alice Walton, a member of the family that owns Walmart. Entrance is free.
Sometimes, the wealthy put something back into the community - Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others. Not so often in Spain though...




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