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Norman Keyes, Jr., Director of Media Relations or Frank Luzi, Press
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                MUSEUM SPANS 125 YEARS OF MEMORIES WITH
                  SNAPSHOTS FROM A MUSEUM FAMILY ALBUM

A crowd gathers in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park to celebrate the
nation's 100th birthday. Five decades later, a steel skeleton begins to
rise at the end of a new boulevard linking the park to Philadelphia City
Hall.  A Tokyo teahouse is shipped to America in the 1920s and restored
to its original glory.  These snapshots represent important milestones
in the history of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and they are part of
one hundred images and objects in an installation commemorating the
Museum's 125th anniversary.

Celebrating 125 Years: A Museum Family Album is on display in the Julien
Levy Gallery on the ground floor of the Museum from December 15, 2001
through April 7, 2002.  The installation documents the rich history of
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with special focus on its early
beginnings as an outgrowth of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the
construction of the new building on the hill of Fairmount, and the
growth of its collections under Fiske Kimball, the Museum's illustrious
director from 1925 to 1955. Other institutions in the city that are or
were associated with the Museum are represented, including the
University of the Arts (once the Museum School of Industrial Arts), the
Rodin Museum, the Fleisher Art Memorial, the proposed Calder Museum and
the Fairmount Park Houses: Cedar Grove and Mount Pleasant.

"This thought-provoking array of photographs, objects and documents
comes together wonderfully to take visitors on what Mr. Kimball would
have called 'a walk through time,' celebrating the rich history of this
great institution," said Anne d'Harnoncourt, Director and CEO of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art. "What a pleasure it is to cap this
anniversary year with a portfolio of images documenting the growth of
the Museum and the tremendous role it has played in Philadelphia's
history."

A selection of photographs and architectural drawings documents the
thirty-four year planning and construction of the Museum's vast,
honey-colored building on the rocky summit of Fairmount. Drawings by
Horace Trumbauer and the architectural firm of Zantzinger, Borie and
Medary follow the building's evolution from initial concepts through
sequential stages of construction.  Three intriguing design proposals
for the east facade of the Museum show what could have faced the new
Benjamin Franklin Parkway when doors first opened to the public on March
27, 1928. When viewed alongside the final design, prepared by Julian
Abele, it becomes clear that certain elements of the rejected ones were
incorporated into the final construction.

Glancing at the future, the installation also touches on the Museum's
growing collections and its acquisition of the Ruth and Raymond G.
Perelman Building, an art-deco landmark designed at the same time---and
by the same architects---as the main Museum building. Also featured are
photographs of some of the Museum's most famous visitors, including
artists Marcel Duchamp and Jacob Lawrence, actresses Joan Crawford and
Marlene Dietrich, singers Barbra Streisand and Mick Jagger, and royals
Princess Grace of Monaco and Queen Elizabeth II.

Celebrating 125 Years: A Museum Family Album is organized by Elizabeth
Anderson, Curator for Adult and Public Programs, Division of Education,
and Susan Anderson, Archivist. The installation draws heavily upon the
Museum Archives, but also includes items lent by other city institutions
as well as private collectors.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, which celebrates its 125th anniversary
in 2001, is one of the largest Museums in the United States. It
showcases more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in
masterpieces of painting, sculpture, decorative arts and architectural
settings from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The striking neoclassical
building, housing more than 200 galleries across an expanse of 600,000
square feet, is an oasis of beauty and enriching activities-including
family programs, lectures, concerts and film.
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For additional information, contact the Marketing and Public Relations
Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The
Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit
the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org. (11/26/01)