The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas has announced that it will soon welcome its one millionth visitor since opening in 2011.  Founded by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, the museum has exceeded all visitor estimates, seeing annual attendance well over 500,000 annually.  “Reaching one million visitors just 21 months after our opening is a huge milestone for us,” said Executive Director Rod Bigelow. “From the day we opened our doors, our goal has been to welcome visitors to experience the power of art and the beauty of nature, and we’re thankful to have been able to create these connections with such a vast audience.”  (more…)

Since opening in 2011, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has faced criticism for its dearth of Post-War Contemporary Art.  In response, the museum has gone on a spree of acquisitions to fill out its collection, including works by Andy Warhol, Donald Judd and Mark Rothko.  “It’s fair to say that we are very actively seeking to shore up the 20th century, including early Modernism,” says museum president, Don Bacigalupi, “though not to the exclusion of other things.”  (more…)