Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a huge place.

It sits on a big hill. It has over 240,000 things to see. You can find many paintings and drawings.

You can also see metal armor. There are many objects from many lands. People love to visit this museum to see art.

It is a very special place for art lovers.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a very large place.

It sits on a hill called Fairmount. The museum holds more than 240,000 objects. You can see many kinds of art there. This includes paintings, drawings, and prints. You can also see sculptures and metal armor.

Some art comes from Europe, Asia, and America.

The main building was finished in 1928. It was built with stone from Minnesota. One person who helped design it was Julian Abele. He worked on the fine details of the building.

You might see a group of painted statues on the wall. This group is called Western Civilization. It shows figures from Greek myths.

The museum has other buildings too. The Perelman Building is across the street. It holds many photos and colorful clothes.

People visit the museum to learn about art. In 2021, over 437,000 people went to see it. It is a grand place for art lovers.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a grand place for exploring human creativity.

It holds a massive collection of over 240,000 different objects. Visitors can see beautiful paintings and detailed drawings from many lands. You might find shiny metal armor or delicate decorative arts. The museum also looks after special buildings like the Rodin Museum. It even manages historic colonial houses in Fairmount Park. These treasures help us understand how people create and express themselves.

Walking through the museum is like traveling through time.

The main building features many different types of art in its halls. In the Perelman Building, you can find 150,000 prints and drawings. There are also 30,000 pieces of clothing and textiles to see. You might even spot modern design objects like glass or furniture. Each room offers a new way to look at the world. The museum even holds special shows that travel to other countries.

This great museum began with a big celebration in 1876. Philadelphia held the Centennial Exposition to mark 100 years of independence.

A building called Memorial Hall held an art gallery during this event. People wanted a permanent place to keep these beautiful items. The museum started with objects from the exposition and gifts from the public. Early donations included books and art from Europe and Japan. Over the years, many people gave their own collections to help it grow.

Building the large museum we see today was a long job.

Construction on the main building began in 1919. It was built using dolomite stone from Minnesota. A man named Julian Abele helped with the important detail work. He was the first African-American to graduate from his architecture school. The building was finally completed in 1928. One special part is a group of painted statues called Western Civilization.

Today, the museum is still growing and changing for everyone.

A famous architect named Frank Gehry is designing a huge expansion. This new part will be built mostly underground. It will add much more space for Asian art and sculpture. In 2021, more than 437,000 people came to visit the museum. It remains a place where people gather to learn and wonder. The museum continues to be a home for art and history.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a massive institution dedicated to the preservation of human creativity.

It serves as a major repository for a diverse array of global treasures. The museum currently administers collections that include more than 240,000 individual objects. These holdings span many different cultures and eras. Visitors can explore works of European, American, and Asian origin. The collection encompasses various media, including sculpture, paintings, prints, and drawings. It also features photographs, decorative arts, and historical armor. This vast assembly of objects allows people to witness the breadth of human expression.

To manage such a large collection, the museum operates through a main building and several specialized annexes.

One important annex is the Rodin Museum, located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Another key site is the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. This building opened in 2007 and sits just north of the main structure. It is specifically designed to house specialized collections. The Perelman Building contains over 150,000 prints, drawings, and photographs. It also protects 30,000 costume and textile pieces. Additionally, it holds more than 1,000 modern and contemporary design objects, such as glasswork and ceramics.

The museum's reach extends beyond its walls into the surrounding landscape. It administers several historic colonial-era houses located within Fairmount Park. These include the houses known as Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The institution functions through a unique administrative structure. While the City of Philadelphia owns the main building and its annexes, a registered nonprofit corporation manages them. This allows the museum to host special exhibitions throughout the year. Some of these are touring exhibitions that travel to other museums in the United States and around the world. This connectivity helps share art with a global audience.

The origins of the museum date back to the Centennial Exposition of 1876.

This event celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. During the exposition, Memorial Hall housed an art gallery. Leaders wanted this gallery to become a permanent museum. They followed the model of the South Kensington Museum in London. This model focused on applied art and science. The museum also intended to provide a school to train craftsmen in modeling, designing, and painting. This school, the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, opened on May 10, 1877.

Building the current landmark was a complex, decades-long architectural endeavor.

Plans for a new structure on Fairmount hill were first made in 1907. Architects from the firms Horace Trumbauer and Zantzinger, Borie and Medary collaborated to design the site. The final design is largely credited to two specific architects within Trumbauer's firm. Howell Lewis Shay handled the building's massing and plan. Julian Abele was responsible for the perspective drawings and detail work. Abele was a significant figure, as he was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Architecture in 1902. He even adapted classical Greek temple columns for the museum's entrances.

Construction of the main building officially began in 1919.

Mayor Thomas B. Smith laid the cornerstone during a Masonic ceremony. However, the project faced delays caused by World War I and various shortages. The building was not completed until 1928. It was constructed using dolomite quarried from Minnesota. To ensure continued funding, the architects intentionally built the wings first. Once the exterior was finished, twenty second-floor galleries opened to the public on March 26, 1928. One notable feature is the "Western Civilization" pediment completed in 1933.

This sculpture group by C. Paul Jennewein features painted terra-cotta figures of Greek deities.

As the museum grew, its collections expanded through significant donations and acquisitions. In 1928, the museum received 5,000 Old Master prints and drawings from Charles M. Lea. This gift included works from Italy, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Throughout the mid-20th century, the museum acquired diverse items, such as Oriental carpets and photography. In the 1950s, early modern art became a major focus of the collection. Even the wedding dress of Grace Kelly was gifted to the museum during this decade. These acquisitions helped the museum reach a milestone in 1928 when it saw one million visitors in its first year of the new building. By 2021, the museum recorded 437,348 visitors.

Looking toward the future, the museum is undergoing a major expansion designed by Frank Gehry.

This project aims to increase the available display space by sixty percent. Much of the new gallery space will be built entirely underground behind the east entrance stairs. This design choice ensures the existing Greek revival facade remains unaltered. The expansion will primarily house contemporary sculpture, Asian art, and special exhibitions. A new space called the forum will also be created, along with retail and dining areas. While the project has faced various challenges, it represents a significant effort to modernize the visitor experience. The expansion is projected to be completed by 2028.