Philadelphia Museum of Art

The building went up in 1928 at the head of the parkway in a Greek temple manner with polychrome terracotta on the pediments, and the seventy-two steps in front became famous through the 1976 film - a bronze Rocky statue stands at the bottom, moved there after an argument about whether a film prop belonged at an art museum. Inside, the collection runs wide: the largest holding of Marcel Duchamp anywhere, including The Large Glass and the peephole tableau Etant donnes, one of Cezanne's Large Bathers, strong American and South Asian collections, and complete rooms and architectural interiors installed whole. A Frank Gehry renovation opened new core galleries in 2021.

What you actually see

• The largest Duchamp holding anywhere - including Etant donnes.
• A Cezanne Large Bathers - among the museum's set pieces.
• Installed architectural interiors - whole rooms, not fragments.
• The steps and the Rocky statue - the statue at the bottom, by decision.

When to go

Year round; closed Tuesdays. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The steps draw crowds who never go inside. It is very large - one visit covers a fraction. Special exhibitions cost extra. The main entrance at the top of the steps is not always the open one.

Nearby

The Barnes Foundation is down the parkway; Fairmount Park is behind.