The Museum of Art is located at Eakins Oval upon the north east end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway aka the Museum Mile. It opened in 1876 and has the most impressive collection of 240,000 objects spanning 2000 years including paintings, sculptures, furniture, decorative arts and even an armor collection. It has an impressive frontage with a striking pediment sculpture on the north wing (right side) of the east entrance. The steps leading up to the entrance were made famous from the film 'Rocky' in 1976. The museum is one of many along the museum mile, others include, Rodin Museum, The Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences and The Barnes Foundation.

This is my 2nd visit to art museum on a trip to Philadelphia and it has become one of my favorite art museums in US. There is lots to see including large selections of European Impressionist and American Realist paintings. There are several period rooms and galleries. One negative, not sure, but think there is some renovation going leading to the gallery containing 19c American Art has you had to walk down a narrow corridor from the main part of the building to reach the wing. I also missed this entrance. I was surprise to find there was a free admission for military, which was a great. If ever back in the area, I will make another visit to this museum.

My wife, a friend, and I visited this museum on the last Thursday of September 2023. Parking in the museum garage was painless, although it cost $22 for our 4+hour stay. That did, however, include a discount of $17 acquired by having our parking ticket validated inside the museum. Even then, on departure we could not get the exit gate to read our ticket properly and were trapped until we pushed the Assistance button and someone inside raised the gate electronically. This is a very fine museum, with particularly strong collections related to PA. We saw lots of wonderful paintings by the Peales, by Stuart, and by other artists. Particularly charming was the "staircase" painting of the Peale brothers that was exhibited with a 3-D bottom step added. Very effective! And the bust of Franklin was every bit as wonderfully done as you would expect. In Philadephia, Franklin feels like an omnipresent friend. We saw several very good Eakins paintings, including his two huge operating theatre ones. Gruesome but excellent. "Whistler's Mother" was here on loan from Paris, and we were surprised to discover it was a huge (57"x64" BEFORE you count the wide frame). We found DuChamps' "Nude Descending a Staircase," a seminal cubist work, as well as a very nice Mondrian. Their Impressionist holdings were quite good, and we enjoyed the Seurats and Sissilys, as well as a great Pissarro. Many very nice Cezannes, and what we considered a lesser Rouseau. They have an impressionistic John Singer Sargent that we liked. Along the way, we saw a complete Asian temple, many Indian works, and lots of interesting contemporary works. They had a beautiful 14' tall column covered with colored glass tiles that was done by Tiffany Studios, and that was a wow. Pressed for time, we sped by many medieval altarpieces, and we are sure we missed a LOT of other great works. We spent 4.5 hours here (11 am - 3:30 pm), including a one-hour lunch in their Stir Cafe (reviewed separately here on TA), and that was nowhere near enough time for a museum of this quality. That just means we need to visit again! We recommend this museum highly.

Beautiful building but not so user-friendly so be sure to grab a map. Surprised by the lack of signage both inside and out. Otherwise, world-class collection. And we enjoyed the Korean exhibit very much. Very nice cafe with lots of options at decent prices.

As a former Philadelphian, my first visit to this world class museum since my relocation seven years ago was a wonderful as my past experiences! There is always a special exhibition as well as the permanent collection, which features art from the world spanning centuries, including some of my favorites: impressionist art! Its layout is comfortable to accommodate large crowds without feeling cramped. My visit was on a Sunday, which enables patrons to pay as they wish, so it was a bit crowded that day with too people talking, taking selfies and not paying attention to the art. This was a distraction and irritation to those who were there to experience the wonders at this fine museum. Also, there are too many people waiting in endless lines outside to take selfies with the Rocky statue, who don’t patronize the museum and are missing a great experience. My suggestion is to forgo this needless activity and step inside to enhance your enjoyment and experience in Philadelphia! Very Highly Recommended!

I visited the museum twice during a two week trip to Philly. It's a spectacular very large art museum with wonderful art ranging from the medieval period, Impressionism and Post Impressionism, Asian art, American art, modern/contemporary art, and even an exhibit on armor! An admission ticket gives you two days of entry, and even then, you can only see a fraction of what they have. The museum offers several free hour-long tours led by very knowledgeable volunteers. I took several of these tours, and I highly recommend them. I learned much more than I would have otherwise. The volunteers were also very friendly and helpful with other advice and directions. The museum has frequent special or traveling exhibits, so you may be lucky and catch one of those as well. Depending on where you're staying in Philly, the museum is easily accessible by foot or public transit (or rideshare/taxi/driving). If you like art, this is a great place to visit!

Lots of famous pieces from artists you’ve heard of, and tons more from ones you haven’t. Something for everyone here. The arms and armor area was very intriguing. Can’t forget the rocky steps and statue in front!

Ready to run the Rocky steps? The Philly Art Museum has an excellent collection of impressionism and post impressionism art. All the guys are here Monet, Millet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Pissarro, Picasso, & Renoir I captured Paul Cezanne’s last painting. Pablo Picasso called Paul Cézanne “the father of us all.” Cezanne was influenced by impressionism and prominent in creating what we think of as abstract painting today. Thanks to the Barnes foundation (across from the Philly Art Museum) Paul Cezanne is best represented in Philadelphia than anywhere else in the world.

One of the great impressionist collections in the States, especially of Monet. A few Cezannes and Pisarros. A good early Cubist primer, too. The collection has a dozen or so exceptional and famous works, including two of the most beloved Van Goghs, an amazing Rubens, and more, but Bo the patchwork coverage of most periods leaves the visitor wanting way more. The American wing, on the other hand, is plentiful and fun. For those with different interests, the noncolossus Rocky is right next door.

I love art, modern, classical and even the weird ones. I remember going to museums in other countries and states. Something about it just brings so much joy to me. If I could be an art enthusiast, I would. I love the first Sundays! I remember when I used to live here, I would come on Sundays. Enjoy the art and be kind!