Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is one of the world’s most prestigious art museums, boasting a vast and impressive collection of over 227,000 works of art. It has one of the largest collections in the United States and is known for its extensive holdings of European art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The museum’s collection also includes American paintings and sculpture, modern and contemporary art, prints and drawings, photographs, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural models.
European Paintings
The PMA is particularly renowned for its collection of European paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. It houses an impressive array of works by iconic painters such as Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Monet and Degas. The museum’s European painting collection also includes a range of other schools such as Dutch Golden Age painting, Flemish Baroque painting and Italian Renaissance painting.
American Paintings
The PMA’s American painting collection encompasses a wide range of styles from Colonial portraiture to mid-20th century modernism. It features works by renowned American painters such as John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt and Georgia O’Keeffe. The museum also houses works by lesser-known artists like Henry Ossawa Tanner and Edwin Austin Abbey.
Modern and Contemporary Art
PMA boasts an impressive selection of modernist pieces with an emphasis on post-World War II American abstract expressionism. It features iconic pieces from major movements such as Pop Art, Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. The museum also has a wide selection of contemporary art including works by Richard Serra and Jeff Koons among others.
Prints & Drawings
The PMA’s Prints & Drawings department houses works on paper by European masters like Albrecht Dürer or Rembrandt van Rijn as well as 19th-century masters like Edgar Degas or James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The museum also has an extensive collection of 20th-century prints & drawings by influential figures such as Pablo Picasso or Wassily Kandinsky among many others.
In conclusion, Philadelphia Museum of Art has an unparalleled collection that spans centuries—from ancient Egyptian tomb artifacts to contemporary installations—with special emphasis on European paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries; American paintings from Colonial portraiture to mid-20th century modernism; Modern & Contemporary Art; Prints & Drawings; Photographs; Decorative Arts; Textiles; Architecture Models; Ancient Egyptian artifacts; Islamic Art; African Art; Asian Art; Classical Antiquities with Greek statues & vases; medieval sculptures & carvings plus much more!