Philadelphia Museum of Art

Posted On February 25, 2011 



Welcome to the excellent art institution in Philadelphia! Considered as the great artistic as well as historic home in US, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among the largest museums in the continent, houses some of the most esteemed exhibitions as well as outstanding collections. It is located in the Fairmount Park that is at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s western end. Formerly called as the School of Industrial Art as well as the Pennsylvania museum; this art gallery is also admired for its inspiring programs besides its 2,00,000 items organized well in more than 200 galleries.

Talking about the architecture of the museum, it is so mesmerizing that the visitors, irrespective of the locals or foreigners, have dubbed it as the American Parthenon. Well, it is somewhat logical to say so as its pediment is adorned with a plethora of Greek deity sculptures. Each year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art displays approximately 15 to 20 exhibitions that are praised by over 800,000 patrons who also are attracted towards the big shows honoring Salvador Dali as well as Paul Cezanne.

In the museum complex, there are many historical sites such as the Rodin Museum, Main Building, and the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. Of these, the Perelman Building is the most recently added one, which is visible from the Main Edifice across the street. Within this one, you will encounter few most popular collections of the Philadelphia museum along with five exhibition spaces, a sky lit galleria, and a cafe offering the vistas of the landscaped terrace.

Coming to the main building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, this is the home of the works by the best Philadelphia artist named Thomas Eakins, vital collection of the Pennsylvania German art, as well as silver and furniture items of the to the 18th and 19th centuries, which were made by the early craftsmen of the region and Pennsylvania. It is an honor to explore the most vital collection of Thomas Eakins on the planet. All the collections in the museum stress on the creative accomplishments of the West countries, which date back to the 1st century A.D along with the Asian works of the 3rd millennium B.C. Among the Asian exhibits, the main highlights are the paintings as well as sculptures of Japan, China, and India; Turkish as well as Persian carpets; ornamental arts along with the furniture including the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese ceramics; and strangely architectural replicas such as the Indian temple hall of 16th century, palace hall of China, and Japanese teahouse.

Among the medieval European collections, look for the diverse masterworks of Flemish early-Renaissance period and from Italy; furniture; tapestries; sculptures including the elegant ones of Auguste Rodin; decorative arts; arms and armors that is the second largest in US; European paintings of the French as well as Post-Impressionism; classical rooms; Burgundy’s medieval church façade, and decked English drawing room.

Do also explore the American collections that are among the superb collections in the continent. These include decorative arts, sculpture, and painting; which are simply outstanding: 18th as well as 19th century’s Philadelphia silver and furniture, pastoral Pennsylvania ceramics, rural furniture, and modern artwork of several artists like Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi along with the American modernists.

Besides the above collections, you will come across a few expanding ones with time whose works are of Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, and many more. Further, also look for the encyclopedic collections of prints, drawings, photographs, textiles, and costumes in rotation.

Timings

10 am to 5 pm; 8:45 pm on Fridays (both main and Perelman).

Entry fees

$16 and $8 per adult for the main and Perelman building respectively

$12 and $6 per child (13 to 18)

Eateries in the museum
  • Granite Hill on the main building’s ground floor offering the French bistro menu: salads, seasonal appetizers, and omelets.
  • The Cafeteria on the ground floor again offering sandwiches, salads, and garden soups.

  • Balcony Cafe on the first floor of the main building serving French-pressed coffee, blended teas, sweets, snacks, salads, and sandwiches and also offers the vistas of the Lenfest Hall.
  • Gallery Cafe at Perelman’s ground floor accessible beyond the main lobby and  offering salads, sandwiches, and snacks as light lunch.

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