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Philadelphia Museum Brings Rocky Statue Inside for Exhibition Reframing a City Icon

The show clears the way for a permanent move of the statue to the top of the steps after August 2.

Overview

  • Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments, which opened Saturday, gathers more than 150 works to trace how a film statue became public art.
  • The museum moved the Rocky bronze indoors for the run, while a second cast from Sylvester Stallone now sits at the top of the steps on a temporary basis.
  • Officials say the statue inside will be placed in a permanent home at the top of the steps once the exhibition closes on August 2.
  • Rocky’s longtime spot at the base of the steps is slated for a new Joe Frazier monument to honor the Philadelphia champion.
  • The steps draw roughly 4 million visitors each year, signaling why the statue’s placement shapes tourism and the city’s civic identity.