Through special art exhibitions and permanent fixtures of famous artists, the Philadelphia Museum of Art displays historical and contemporary art pieces to provide entertainment and education to all ages.
Located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has a multitude of displays for everyone to enjoy.
Those who enjoy learning about American history can find a place of entertainment in various parts of the museum.
The museum presents many historical pieces in American history from 1650-1950, with placards next to the pieces to explain the history of the piece and how art changed throughout history.
One such display is the china sets that past American presidents used while they were living in the White House and their private homes. The earliest set of “American Presidential China” was used by George Washington.
According to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s website, the original exhibition of the chinaware sets in 1977 had “115 ceramic objects used by the nation’s First Families from George and Martha Washington to Gerald and Betty Ford.”
The museum houses European and Asian art, with period rooms to display the architectural style of the time.
The armory displays weaponry from the Middle Ages.
Those who are not as interested in historical pieces may find more enjoyment in viewing the pieces in the modern and contemporary art section of the museum.
Many of these pieces reflect the personal views of the artist themselves with placards available near the artwork to explain the original intention of the artist.
One display of artwork to highlight was the work entitled “Strange Fruit” by Zoe Leonard, which consists of empty fruit skins that Leonard stitched together throughout the early days of the AIDs crisis in New York.
According to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s website, this display “[recalls] the European tradition of memento mori paintings” to display Leonard’s feelings on the crisis going on at the time. These displays of artwork are not just limited to being sources of entertainment and interpretation, however.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art also has many educational resources for all students from preschool to high school.
They have school tours and talks from artists, but they also have classrooms in the museum available for anyone who is interested and publications about the museum’s collections.
Admission for adults is $25 per ticket, but anyone 18 and under who accompanies one adult has free admission. However, college and high school students with valid IDs pay $14 for a ticket instead of the usual $25 if they aren’t with an adult.
Overall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has something for everyone to enjoy and learn from and cultivates an experience that allows anyone who visits to find something that will satisfy their taste for the arts.