Rocky is going the distance. A statue of the fictional boxing hero, first brought to life by Sylvester Stallone in 1976, has been moved from its longtime perch outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) into the building ahead of a major new exhibition. “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” features 150 works by more than 50 artists to explore the changing role of monuments throughout 2,000 years of art history. The show will run from April 25th to August 2nd.
The Rocky Balboa statue is one of three monuments dedicated to the fictional boxing star located in Philadelphia. The bronze statue was created by American sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for Rocky III. It featured prominently behind the actor during a speech in the film. The nine-foot, 1,100-pound bronze statue has lived outside the museum since 2006. The exhibition will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original Rocky.
The PMA announced that it will frame the exhibition “Rising Up” “through the lens of the Rocky statue.” This work will be featured alongside a wide range of ancient monuments and contemporary artworks. Among the works on view will be the ancient vessel Neck Amphora (ca. 510–490 BCE) as well as Hank Willis Thomas’s bronze statue of a raised fist, Solidarity (2023). “‘Rising Up’ asks why millions of people each year visit a statue of the most famous Philadelphian who never lived as a way to better understand our complex and vital relationships to our public monuments,” said Paul Farber, curator of the exhibition and co-founder of Monument Lab.
The exhibition will also feature works by Keith Haring, Rashid Johnson, Delilah Montoya, Tavares Strachan, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others.
“‘Rising Up’ is an opportunity for the art museum to reframe the narrative around Rocky and the steps, placing it in the context of Philadelphia’s civic and cultural identity,” Louis Marchesano, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, said in a statement.
There is a second Rocky statue at the museum, perched on the “Rocky Steps.” It will remain outside for the duration of the exhibition. The third edition is housed at the Philadelphia International Airport. Meanwhile, a statue of real boxing legend “Smokin” Joe Frazier, who triumphed against Muhammad Ali, will replace Rocky outside the museum.
