Rocky Steps Inside: Philadelphia Museum of Art Welcomes Iconic Statue

The Philadelphia Museum of Art opened “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” on April 25, 2026, placing the bronze Rocky Balboa statue inside the museum for the first time. The show runs through August 2, 2026 and ends with the statue’s relocation to a permanent spot at the top of the museum’s famous steps.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tensionBilly Penn

The statue, cast by sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg for *Rocky III*, was left on the museum’s steps after filming in the early 1980s. The museum fought to have it removed, later moving it to South Philadelphia before returning it to the steps in 2006. The city owns the step location; the statue remains on loan from Sylvester Stallone.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• Louis Marchesano, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• Paul Farber, guest curator and Director of Monument Lab

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• A. Thomas Schomberg, sculptor of the Rocky statue

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• Sylvester Stallone, owner of the loaned statue

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• Monument Lab, World Boxing Council, and the Philadelphia Visitor Center provide research and support.

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• Early 1980s – Statue placed on museum steps after filming.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• 2006 – Returned to the bottom of the steps after a period in South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• April 24, 2026 – Opening-night celebration.

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• April 25 – August 2, 2026 – Exhibition period.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• August 2026 – Rocky statue moves to the top of the steps; a Joe Frazier statue replaces it at the bottom.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• About 4 million visitors climb the steps each year, rivaling foot traffic to the Liberty Bell.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• The exhibition spans more than 2,000 years of boxing imagery and includes works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and historic boxing photographs.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

By framing a fictional boxer as a public monument, the museum interrogates how societies assign power, endurance, and cultural identity to objects. The show links global boxing fever of the 1970s to Philadelphia’s local heritage, highlighting themes of struggle, grit, and collective memory.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

Museum officials said the statue “helps explain Rocky’s enduring pull” through a historical lens of boxing and human conflict. Curator Farber described the exhibition as an invitation to examine how monuments shape public perception. Marchesano noted the museum’s “rocky relationship” with the piece and expressed satisfaction that the dialogue has finally shifted.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tensionBilly Penn

Some critics have questioned whether the statue qualifies as “art,” a debate the museum now regards as resolved by its popularity. The institution’s earlier attempts to remove the statue illustrate longstanding resistance to popular-culture objects within a fine-art setting.

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Visitors described personal connections: French wrestling coach David Muller called the film “important for the mind of sport and the mind of life,” while Polish tourist Kate Tarchalska said Rocky was her childhood hero. Suraj Kumar from St. Louis traveled to photograph the statue for his father, who introduced him to the movies in Bengaluru, India.

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

Sources agree on visitor numbers but do not specify the exact year the statue was first installed on the steps. Ownership details are limited to the city’s control of the site and Stallone’s loan of the piece, leaving the legal status of the sculpture ambiguous.

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• “The common theme that runs throughout 2,000 years of boxing imagery is that people respond to the body under struggle, a conflict in much the same way today as they did 2,500 years ago,” — Louis Marchesano, Deputy Director, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension

• “Never in a million years did I think that this statue was going to be inside the museum. And I think a lot of other people agree with me,” — Louis Marchesano

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• “One of my hopes is that the museum and the statue not only see each other, but all of the people who have made meaning within and across those public spaces, receive spotlight and love,” — Paul Farber, Director, Monument Lab

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• “People don’t come to necessarily see the statue, but they come to see the story in the statue,” — A. Thomas Schomberg, Sculptor

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• “When Joe Frazier’s statue comes here, I hope that people will be inspired to their real, the real in them, their real ability,” — Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, former champion and daughter of Joe Frazier

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After the exhibition closes, the Rocky statue will occupy the museum’s top steps permanently, while a new Joe Frazier statue will fill its former spot. The museum plans to use the show’s insights to inform future programs that explore public monuments and community identity.

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