Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Announces KAWS: FAMILY

HI-RES PHOTOS HERE

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will present a major solo exhibition of work by KAWS. Opening in March 2025, KAWS: FAMILY will feature a broad mixture of the artist’s works – drawings, paintings, sculptures, altered advertisements, and product collaborations – that examine complex, familiar, and astonishingly heartfelt entryways into human emotions.  

Since the late 1990s, KAWS has been creating a cast of iconic characters steeped in the American zeitgeist that populate his work. Each with their own distinct personality pulled in part from their creator, these characters have been a constant throughline in the artist’s career. The exhibition takes its title and thematic jumping-off point from the sculpture titled FAMILY (2021), which brings together four of the KAWS’ characters posed in the style of a family portrait. As witnessed throughout the show, the relationships between the figures can be complex, familiar, and astonishingly heartfelt entryways into human emotions.  

“Part of the brilliance of KAWS’ work is that he pulls from the world we know,” says Alejo Benedetti, curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges. “His characters may have recognizable elements of icons from popular culture, but at their core, the human connection is always the strongest throughline. This exhibition is a chance to introduce this great artist to our audiences and invite them to connect with this family of characters in meaningful ways.”  

Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), KAWS: FAMILY at Crystal Bridges is KAWS’ Arkansas solo exhibition debut. Expanding to fit Crystal Bridges’ exhibition gallery space, this presentation builds on the AGO’s original exhibition to create an experience that is uniquely suited for the museum.   

In addition to launching new exhibitions next year, progress will continue on Crystal Bridges’ nearly 100,000-square-foot expansion that is set to open in 2026. In 2025, teams will begin to transform the guest experience, providing new ways to bring American stories to life and even giving visitors a glimpse into how exhibitions are created, and artworks are reinstalled throughout the museum. During this time, the museum will remain open, with new, refreshed installations unfolding in the galleries, on the trails, and across campus. The Crystal Bridges expansion project was originally announced in 2021, with construction beginning in 2022. 

KAWS: FAMILY will be on view at Crystal Bridges from March 15, 2025, through July 28, 2025, and is curated by Julian Cox, AGO deputy director and chief curator. 

KAWS: FAMILY is sponsored by General Mills, Hartman Family, and Paradigm Advisors. 

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About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 12.2 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and philanthropist, Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions. The museum is nestled on 120 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities. Some 418,375 school children have experienced the museum through art kits, virtual visits, and the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), conceived as a platform for the art, food, and music of our time. In 2026, Crystal Bridges will complete a nearly 100,000 square foot expansion that will allow the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visitCrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712. 

For more information on the Momentary, please contact:

Allison Elbl, Alexa Price, and Mike Jones