Rocky statue moved inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art for new show.
Rocky keeps going the distance. The statue of the iconic fictional boxer, originally portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in 1976, has been relocated from its familiar spot outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) to an indoor setting in preparation for a major upcoming exhibition. Titled “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” the show brings together 150 works by over 50 artists, examining how monuments have evolved across 2,000 years of art history. It will be on view from April 25 through August 2.
The Rocky Balboa statue is one of three monuments in Philadelphia dedicated to the beloved character. The bronze sculpture was created in 1980 by American artist A. Thomas Schomberg for Rocky III, where it appeared prominently behind Stallone during a speech scene. Standing nine feet tall and weighing 1,100 pounds, the statue has been installed outside the museum since 2006. The exhibition also marks the 50th anniversary of the original Rocky film.
Hank Willis Thomas, Solidarity, 2023. Courtesy of the Artist and Pace Gallery.
The PMA revealed that it will present the exhibition “Rising Up” “from the perspective of the Rocky statue.” The iconic figure will be displayed in dialogue with a broad selection of ancient monuments and contemporary works. Highlights include the historic Neck Amphora (ca. 510–490 BCE) and Hank Willis Thomas’s bronze sculpture of a raised fist, Solidarity (2023). “’Rising Up’ explores why millions are drawn each year to a statue of Philadelphia’s most famous fictional figure, using it as a way to reflect on our complex and evolving relationship with public monuments,” said Paul Farber, the exhibition’s curator and co-founder of Monument Lab.
The show will also include works by Keith Haring, Rashid Johnson, Delilah Montoya, Tavares Strachan, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others.
A Rocky statue is shown at the top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Sylvester Stallone lent his Rocky statue to the city for RockyFest in December 2024.
