PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For decades, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has had a "rocky" relationship with the movie Rocky, often distancing itself from their historic connection.
Now, the museum is embracing it and inviting Rocky inside.
The bronze statue is part of a new exhibit: "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments," which opened this weekend. The exhibit examines how the fictional fighter became a global symbol of struggle and resilience, placing the statue within the sweep of art history and Philadelphia's identity.
The exhibition spans more than 2,000 years of boxing imagery, tracing a thread of human struggle that Louis Marchesano, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, said helps explain Rocky’s enduring pull.
“The common theme that runs throughout 2,000 years of boxing imagery is that people respond to the body under struggle, a conflict in much the same way today as they did 2,500 years ago,” Marchesano said.
When the exhibit closes in August, the statue inside will move to a permanent spot atop the museum's steps, a place it has never officially held. The statue was left on the steps after filming the “Rocky” movies, and the museum fought to have it removed. It was eventually relocated to South Philadelphia before returning to the bottom of the steps in 2006. It was welcomed back, but never fully embraced.
“The museum has had, and I hate to say this, no pun intended, a rocky relationship with the statue,” Marchesano said. "It took us decades to come to terms with it, but I'm glad that we did."
Rocky's longtime spot at the bottom of the steps won't be empty: a statue of Joe Frazier, whose real-life story partially inspired the character, will take his place.
According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center, about 4 million people visit the steps each year, rivaling the Liberty Bell in annual foot traffic.
