The Tamesis
A popular Rocky statue that currently sits at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art has officially been moved to the top of these flights.
Technically, the top of the stairs now has a sculpture of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, but it’s a second casting of the original at the bottom and remains the more popular statue. It regularly attracts tourists and locals alike and has become a Philadelphia icon.
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The Philadelphia Arts Commission voted Wednesday to move the piece to the bottom, saying it would make the sculpture more visible. “I think people are coming not because they’re told, but because this is already theirs, and that cultural legitimacy can’t be manufactured,” Commissioner Rebecca Segall reportedly said. Philadelphia Inquirer. “By that standard, I believe it’s one of the most meaningful monuments in Philadelphia, and I believe we should get him out of the bush and put him up there.”
Creative Philadelphia, which oversees creative work in Philadelphia, can now begin moving the work, which has a budget of between $150,000 and $250,000. Part of the cost will go toward building a new 14-foot-tall pedestal for the work.
Opinions on the statue itself appear to remain divided, with not everyone liking it. this inquirer A September poll of Philadelphians asked where the sculpture should ultimately be placed, and only 46 percent of respondents wanted it at the top of the stairs, suggesting that not everyone is happy with the prospect of increased visibility.
Even some members of the Arts Council seemed to approve of the department. “I don’t think people see it as a work of art,” said Pepón Osorio, one of the committee members. “People see it as iconic.”
The Philadelphia Museum of Art agrees with at least the second view. The institution is currently organizing a monumental exhibition centered on Rocky sculptures that will open in April.
