Philadelphia Museum of Art

What Philadelphia Museum of Art does

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a nonprofit art museum founded in 1876 and headquartered at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the largest art museums in the United States, operating three venues along the Parkway — the Main Building (recently renovated by Frank Gehry), the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, and the Rodin Museum, the last of which holds one of the largest public collections of Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris. The institution stewards a collection of more than 240,000 objects spanning a 150-year history, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, and 83 Mary Cassatt works, with more than half the collection available through an online database. It draws approximately 4 million visitors annually, augmented by the iconic Rocky Balboa statue location on its front steps.

The museum's core product is its exhibition and collection experience, layered with education, retail, and venue-rental services. Rotating exhibitions (e.g., 'Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments', 'A Nation of Artists', 'Van Gogh's Sunflowers') anchor the programming calendar, supplemented by educational offerings such as an 8-week, $4,000-stipend museum studies internship, Andrew W. Mellon curatorial and conservation fellowships, and seasonal youth programs (Art Kids Summer, Friday Nights). The museum monetizes through admission tickets, an annual membership program with retail discounts, event rentals for weddings and corporate functions across all three venues, an e-commerce custom-prints and merchandise store (customprints.philamuseum.org, store.philamuseum.org), and charitable donations. Distribution is multi-channel: physical venues, global e-commerce, email newsletters, social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X), and press/earned media.

The business model is a typical nonprofit museum funding mix: a combination of earned revenue (admissions, memberships, retail, rentals) and contributed revenue (donations, corporate support, grants), governed by a board of trustees with no parent company or PE backing. The museum is currently in a stabilization phase following a failed 2024 rebrand and the dismissal of CEO Sasha Suda; Daniel H. Weiss was appointed Director and CEO effective December 1, 2025, with new CFO/COO (Mitchell Lee Wein, March 2026), Chief People Officer (Lavita McMath Turner, April 2026), and Chief Advancement Officer (Neil Batiancila, May 2026) appointments following. The institution reported a $6 million deficit tied to the rebrand episode and is actively rebuilding executive capacity and donor pipelines.

Name

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Legal name

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Website

https://philamuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a nonprofit art museum founded in 1876, operating three venues in Philadelphia and stewarding 240,000+ objects. It serves 4 million annual visitors through exhibitions, memberships, education, event rentals, and an e-commerce custom-prints store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Art museum exhibitions
• Museum membership programs
• Event venue rentals
• Museum retail prints
• Curatorial fellowship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Museum admission fees for general entry and special exhibitions
2. Memberships: Annual membership program offering exclusive benefits to members including discounts at the museum shop and custom prints
3. Event Rentals: Venue rental services for weddings, corporate events, and private functions at Main Building, Perelman Building, and Rodin Museum
4. Retail Store and Custom Prints: E-commerce sale of prints, posters, and merchandise featuring works from the collection
5. Donations and Contributions: Charitable donations from members, donors, and supporters

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Philadelphia Museum of Art operates a multi-venue nonprofit art museum offering public access to a collection of 240,000+ objects across its Main Building, Perelman Building, and Rodin Museum along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Its primary offerings include rotating and permanent exhibitions (such as Rising Up: Rocky, A Nation of Artists, and Van Gogh's Sunflowers), annual memberships, event venue rentals, an on-demand custom prints e-commerce store, and educational programming including internships and curatorial/conservation fellowships.

Product overview

The Philadelphia Museum of Art operates as a multi-venue cultural institution offering a unified experience across its main museum, Rodin Museum, and Perelman Building. The core offering centers on rotating and permanent exhibitions (Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments, A Nation of Artists, Van Gogh's Sunflowers) alongside access to a collection of 240,000+ objects. Supporting offerings include a Custom Prints ecommerce store for on-demand prints, event rental services at three distinctive venues, and educational programs including internships, fellowships, membership, and seasonal youth programming. The museum also operates Friday Nights programming and specialized tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Museum Experience The primary museum experience offering public access to exhibitions, collections, tours, and educational programs at the Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
• Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments Exhibition A major ticketed exhibition exploring the cultural significance of the Rocky Balboa statue and monuments, tracing 2,000 years of boxing imagery. Open through August 2, 2026.
• A Nation of Artists Exhibition Long-running exhibition showcasing American artistic heritage, running through July 5, 2027.
• Van Gogh's Sunflowers Exhibition Ticketed exhibition featuring Vincent van Gogh's iconic Sunflowers painting, running through October 11.
• Rodin Museum Experience A separate Beaux-Arts-style museum and garden located on the Parkway, housing one of the largest public collections of Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris, including The Thinker at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden entrance.
• Custom Prints Store On-demand print-on-demand service offering archival-quality paper prints, canvas prints, and custom framing of artworks from the museum's collection. Made to order in the USA with 10 business day production.
• Event Rentals Service Venue rental service for weddings, corporate events, and galas at three settings: the Main Building (renovated by Frank Gehry), the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, and the Rodin Museum.
• Museum Studies Internship Program Eight-week summer internship program for undergraduate and graduate students introducing them to museum operations, offering mentorship and professional development. Provides $4,000 stipend for living expenses.
• Fellowship Programs Professional development fellowships for early-career curators, art historians, conservators, and educators, including Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellowships and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservation Fellowships.
• Annual Membership Program Annual membership program offering benefits including discounts at the Custom Prints store, exclusive access, and support for museum programs.
• Friday Nights Programming Weekly evening programming featuring locally sourced spirits and wines, late gallery access, music, and DJ in Residence performances.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 million annual visitors to Rocky statue location

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): New York-based nonprofit art museum with comparable operating model (admissions, memberships, retail, event rentals, exhibitions), large permanent collection, and similar visitor scale. Closest direct peer in product and brand positioning for major U.S. art museums.
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Major U.S. nonprofit art museum with similar 500,000+ object collection, comparable admissions/membership/retail/event-rental model, and similar Northeast/Mid-Atlantic peer-set positioning.
• Art Institute of Chicago: One of the oldest and largest U.S. art museums (founded 1879, 300,000+ works), nonprofit, with comparable multi-revenue model and iconic permanent collection. Highly comparable on scale, age, and visitor traffic.
• Whitney Museum of American Art: New York-based nonprofit art museum focused on American art, with a smaller but premium collection, comparable membership/retail/event revenue model, and similar recent capital project and leadership-transition dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Tate Modern: London-based modern and contemporary art museum with comparable visitor scale, free general admission, retail/café/event-rental revenue mix, and global brand recognition. Comparable as a major 20th/21st century art institution.
• National Gallery of Art: Federally chartered, free-admission art museum in Washington, D.C. with a major Western European and American collection. Comparable on curatorial scale and exhibition program, though distinct on funding model (federal support vs. donations).
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: The largest art museum in the U.S., also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a multi-million-object collection, multi-venue campus (Met Fifth Avenue, Met Breuer, Met Cloisters), and similar admissions/membership/retail/event-rental revenue mix. Most direct comparable for scale, governance, and product breadth.
• J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Center): Los Angeles-based art museum with a major permanent collection, free general admission, and significant endowment-funded operations. Comparable on collection depth and educational programming, distinct on geography and funding structure.

Regional players

• National Gallery, London: Major publicly funded art museum in Trafalgar Square with a Western European collection of comparable scale. Comparable on curatorial product and visitor scale, distinct on UK/European geography and free-admission model.

Emerging players

• Brooklyn Museum: Mid-sized nonprofit art museum with comparable collection scope, membership/retail/event model, and recent leadership-transition dynamics (departure of long-tenured director Anne Pasternak). Comparable in scale and operating challenges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/philamuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@philamuseumart
• Facebookfacebook.com/philamuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philadelphia-museum-of-art
• Instagraminstagram.com/philamuseumart
• TikToktiktok.com/@philamuseumart

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia Museum of Art