The Philadelphia Museum of Art is opening a new exhibition titled "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments" that brings the iconic bronze statue of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa inside the museum for the first time. Guest curator Paul Farber organized the show, which spans over 2,000 years of boxing imagery and places the statue within art history and Philadelphia's identity. The museum, which had a historically rocky relationship with the statue—initially fighting to have it removed from its steps—has now embraced it, with plans to permanently install the statue at the top of the museum's steps after the exhibition closes in August.
The exhibition matters because it represents a significant shift in how major cultural institutions engage with popular, non-traditional monuments and their public meaning. By contextualizing Rocky—a fictional character who draws 4 million annual visitors to the museum's steps—alongside works by artists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol, the museum bridges high art and popular culture. The show also highlights the real-life inspiration of boxer Joe Frazier and addresses broader themes of endurance, struggle, and public memory, reflecting a growing trend of museums reexamining their relationships with beloved but unofficial landmarks.