The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the oldest art museums in the country, and has been distinguished since its founding as being among the very best. The collection of more than 200,000 relics and works of art reflects the unique history and the passions of generations of Philadelphia collectors and curators. By the time of its foundation, the museum remained true to its origins as an educative institution and to the principle that the arts could positively transform society.
In short—this is a world-class art museum, ranking 3rd or 4th in the United States. One cannot possibly see it all in one day; you must target what you're interested in and focus on that. They do periodic special exhibits which cost extra, and you need to get timed tickets to those, but they are absolutely worth visiting. To name but a few exhibits, there are rooms filled with furnishings from various periods, a complete Hindu temple, a complete Japanese teahouse, and even a complete room from a Chinese palace.
Across the street, the Perelman annex has seasonally-changing exhibits admission is on the same entry ticket as the main museum; there's a lovely sculpture garden by the parking garage lobby; and the Rodin Museum down the Parkway is also part of the PMA. There are frequent no-extra-charge docent tours sign up in advance. Not to mention that the cafeteria is nothing to scoff at, so you can plan on spending the whole day immersed in the works of art featured on display.
The second floor of the museum contains a handful of my favorite movements, including Impressionism, Modern, and Contemporary. For this reason, it is the map I chose to feature above the rest. But, above all else, this floor features a particular statue in the grand stairwell. Diana, popularly known as Diana of the Tower, is the gold statue of the goddess Diana done by an American sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. A major icon in the City of New York, the second version stood on the tower of Madison Square Garden from 1893 until 1925, while the original has been part of the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1932.
2 comments:
I've always wondered how architects and curators choose to design museums. There's so much to fit inside the building, choosing which pieces get the most prominent spaces feels like such a hard task. I have never been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but I am interested in seeing the large collection of Pennsylvania artists on display. Have you ever been to the Allentown Art Museum? They have a huge collection of pieces with a fairly open exhibition layout-- it's like each piece gets its own chance to shine.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the nicest museums ever in my opinion. I would like to go one day because not only can you enjoy the art, but the architecture of the museum itself. There are so many different displays like art made by women or art from around the world I would love to see.
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