Alice Walton

Biography

Alice Walton worked in finance before founding the investment firm Llama Company in 1988. A lifelong art collector, she opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in 2011, filling it with masterpieces and offering free admission. She has since turned to health, founding the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, which welcomed its first students in 2025.

American heiress and philanthropist, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, who built one of America's great art museums in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Known for

Founding the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Notable works & defining projects

• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
• Alice L. Walton School of Medicine
• Llama Company (investment firm)

Notable achievements

• Founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (opened 2011) with free admission
• Founded the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, which took its first class in 2025
• Built one of the most important private collections of American art

Timeline

1. 1988Founded the investment firm Llama Company
2. 2011Opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
3. 2025Her medical school in Bentonville welcomed its first students

Did you know?

• Her 2005 purchase of Asher Brown Durand's 'Kindred Spirits' for a reported $35 million was a landmark American art sale
• She is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton