In 1929, Paul Manship began work on a huge bronze gateway filled with animal figures for the Bronx Zoo in New York City. He sculpted these bears as part of that design, which was never executed. Manship later combined three individual bears on a single base to form Group of Bears. This casting was produced from the original mold after Manship’s death by his son, John Manship.

Group of Bears welcomes guests to the Crystal Bridges Trail where it begins in beautiful Compton Gardens near downtown Bentonville. The work was the first sculpture from the museum’s permanent collection to be announced when it was unveiled in 2008, and served as a visual connection between the downtown square, Compton Gardens, and the museum, which was then under construction.