Philadelphia Museum of Art
If you’ve never been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art then you must schedule a trip. I went to Philadelphia in March 2016 with my husband to visit the annual Philadelphia Flower and Garden Show and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Anyone who knows me, knows that flowers and gardening are as much a passion for me as art and watercolor painting. I was certain that the highlight of this trip would be the Flower and Garden Show, especially since I had never been. I must confess, however, that as much as I enjoyed visiting the Flower and Garden Show, I appreciated visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art more. Surprised? Me too.
Since we only had a few hours to spend at the museum we focused on seeing the exhibits in the Main building. Each floor was laid out so logically that you flowed from one beautiful exhibition into another. On the first floor was the American Art with numerous works of art by Thomas Eakins, Charles Wilson Peale, and many others. Next was the European Art dating from 1850-1900 with beautiful works by artists such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. Also, located on the first floor was the Modern and Contemporary Art with works by Cy Twombly and Marcel Duchamp.
To get to the exhibits on the second floor there was an impressive stairway called the Great Stairs where the gilded copper statue of Diana, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, reigns at the top of the stairs. The second floor housed European Art dating from 1100-1500 and 1500-1850 and included works by Peter Paul Rubens, Joseph Mallord William Turner, and so many others. There was also an Asian Art exhibit which we didn’t spend much time in, but those with more time might like to.
Oh yes, if you are a fan of the Rocky movies, then you won’t want to miss the Rocky statue outside at the bottom of the steps leading up to the museum. These 72 stone steps are the ones that Rocky trained on in five of the Rocky movies. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the Museum Café and the Museum Store on the ground floor. We ate at the café and even though the food was a little pricey it was well worth the cost. The sandwiches are made to order with special breads and fresh vegetables and meats.
I would have liked to visit the Rodin Museum as well, but it was closed. So if you’re planning a trip to the PMOA ensure that you know the schedule for the main building, the Perelman building, and the Rodin museum as entrance to these buildings is also included in your admission fee.
The Museum has a parking garage which costs $12.00 for four hours of parking. Admission to the museum is for two consecutive days and costs $20 for adults and $14 for youth. On the first Sunday of the month from 10-5 pm you can pay what you wish. I can’t think of a better way to spend a day. Can you?
