Opening in November 2011, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas--designed by eminent architect Moshe Safdi and financed by Walmart heir Alice Walton--celebrates its inauguration with this notable volume. The catalog features 151 works spanning the history of American art in full-page color plates of outstanding quality, with an essay on the work on the facing page. An essay on the museum's sculpture collection, by Christopher B. Crosman (Crystal Bridges curator of American art), and an interview with collector Alice Walton, by John Wilmerding (emeritus, American art, Princeton U.), are included. The range and quality of the works of art--Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Cole, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Richard Estes are among the artists featured--and the quality of each catalog entry make this a valuable work on the history of American art. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)