The Philadelphia Museum of Art offers an unparalleled collection of artwork, ranging from the ancient world to contemporary times. There are paintings from renowned artists such as Picasso, Monet, and Rembrandt, as well as lesser-known works from lesser-known artists. In addition to a vast collection of European and American art, the museum also boasts a significant collection of Asian and African art.
European Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to some of the world’s most renowned European paintings. Among them are works by Francisco de Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, Diego Velázquez, and Jan van Eyck.
The museum also has a large collection of Impressionist works by painters such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro. For a more modern aesthetic, the galleries feature works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
American Art
The museum’s American art collection includes pieces from the colonial period all the way up to present day. Early American portraits such as John Singleton Copley’s “Watson and the Shark” are on display alongside works by modern masters like Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keeffe. The Philadelphia Museum also has a strong selection of landscapes from painters like Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt as well as abstract paintings by Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning.
Asian Art
The Asian art galleries contain pieces from cultures around the continent including India, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. The museum is home to many sculptures in stone or metal that span centuries old Buddhist statues to contemporary sculptures in wood or ceramic. Paintings range from traditional Chinese scrolls depicting court scenes or landscapes to modern Japanese prints featuring kabuki actors or geisha girls.
African Art
The African art section is one of the most comprehensive in North America with over 5500 objects representing over fifty different cultural groups from sub-Saharan Africa. Visitors can view masks used in ceremonial rituals or everyday objects meant for practical use such as bowls or tools for farming. These artifacts are often adorned with intricate carvings which depict stories about each cultural group’s history or beliefs.
Conclusion:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art houses an extensive collection of paintings from around the world spanning centuries of artistic development—from ancient Greek sculpture to 20th century abstract expressionism—and across many cultures—from Renaissance Italian portraits to contemporary African masks.