From Rodin and Rubens to Rocky Balboa, this museum covers all the cultural bases.
Perched on a hill overlooking the city, the Philadelphia Museum of Art takes the form of a beautiful neoclassical structure. With more than 200 galleries housing more than 227,000 items, it is also one of the largest museums in the United States. With exhibits centred on everything from tools to photography, and sources from America to Asia, the museum's collection is extensive, and is housed in a complex which includes a Rodin museum, a sculpture garden and the Perelman Building located across Kelly Drive.As you approach the main museum building, you may begin to get a strange sense of déjà vu. In fact, it's quite likely that you have seen the museum façade before, in some of the most iconic scenes from the Rocky film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. Plentiful tourists can be seen every day recreating Stallone's run up along what have come to be known as the "Rocky steps" or simply striking a convincing pose beside the triumphant statue of the man himself.The collection housed within the museum is an impressive one. Don’t miss the gallery dedicated to local Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins, or the comprehensive collection of European art spanning the period between the Middle Ages and the 1850s. A number of these works are world-famous, such as Rubens' Prometheus Bound or Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase.A good way to become familiar with the museum and its various galleries is to take part in the Introduction to the Collection tour. This tour is free and will give you an overview of the entire collection. You can also download free podcasts on specific topics if there is some particular element of the collection that interests you. You can purchase two-day tickets if you'd rather take your time to peruse the collections, while the museum also offers the option to take guided tours of the mansion houses scattered around Fairmount Park.The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on top of the hill at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Fairmount Park. The main museum and the Perelman Building are open from Tuesday to Sunday, and the Rodin Museum is open from Wednesday to Monday.
