Sneak peek: New Rocky exhibit debuts at Philly art museum
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The exhibit also marks the first time that people must pay to see the city's original Rocky statue. Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios
The Rocky statue is finally getting its moment inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Why it matters: The exhibit is settling the debate about whether the movie prop turned Philly symbol is a work of art.
State of play: The museum debuts "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments" on Saturday — an exhibit exploring the legacy of the statue that's turned the museum's steps into a pilgrimage site.
- It comes as the original "Rocky" film marks its 50th anniversary this year.
Axios got a sneak peek:
👀 What's inside: The exhibit features more than 150 works spanning eight galleries, featuring artists that include Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
- And at the center of it all is the bronze Rocky statue from the 1982 film "Rocky III."
Worth noting: It's the first time the statue, formerly at the bottom of the Rocky steps, has entered the museum.
- For years, museum brass looked down on the statue.
- "We had a very fraught relationship with a statue that started off as a movie prop," Louis Marchesano, the museum's deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, recently told The New York Times. "And we fought really hard at one point to have it removed."
Yes, but: The exhibit puts all that to rest, Joslyn Moore, exhibition assistant and part of the curatorial team for the new exhibit, tells Axios.
- "It settles a yearslong debate of is it art or is it not art," she says.
🎙️ Fun fact: The exhibit was inspired by WHYY's 2023 podcast about the statue.
🖼️ Zoom in: Works in the exhibit include video, sculpture, paintings, drawings and artifacts.
- You'll also see pieces highlighting boxing greats, like Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis.
- Also listen for a remix of "Gonna Fly Now," the theme song from the original movie, playing in the background.
📝 Plus: Visitors are also asked to make their own suggestions about who or what in the city they would make a monument for and post them on a wall.
🛍️ Pro tip: Don't skip the gift shop, where you can find exhibit tees ($28) and sweatshirts ($49).
🎟️ If you go: Tickets to the exhibit are included in general admission ($14-$30; those 18 years old and younger are free.)
- But access to the museum on the first Sunday of the month is pay-what-you-wish.