Philadelphia Museum of Art

About the Business

Specialties

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the cultural heart of a great city. It's the place for creative play, with a surprise around every corner. We have world-class collections, exhibitions, programs and some well-known steps.

History

Established in 1876.

The Museum began as a legacy of the great Centennial Exhibition of 1876, held in Fairmount Park. At the conclusion of the celebrations, Memorial Hall--which had been constructed as the Exhibition's art gallery-- remained open as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art "for the improvement and enjoyment of the people of the Commonwealth". Director Fiske Kimball set the tone for a new era in the 1920s, and the opening of the new building on Fairmount--what is now the Main Building--opened with an attendance record of one million visitors in its first year. After decades of renovations and acquisitions, the Museum transitioned into the new millennium with ease and continued to navigate the changes that the first decade would bring with grace and strength. Now, with an astonishing history behind it, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is poised to meet the decades to come as one of the nation's foremost destinations in which to see world-class art.

Philadelphia Museum of Art also recommends

Rodin Museum

Philadelphia Museum of Art says, “With the largest collection of Rodin's work outside of Paris, the Rodin Museum's collection and garden offer an absorbing experience for all visitors.”