The exhibition examines the power of monuments and marks two millennia of boxing and celebrity, according to multiple reports. The statue, from the 1982 film Rocky III, was placed on the museum's steps in 1982, six years after the original film made Stallone a star. It is one of Philadelphia's most popular tourist attractions, visited by an estimated 4 million people annually.
The show is curated by Paul Farber, co-founder of Monument Lab, a nonprofit Philadelphia public art organization. According to The Guardian - World, Farber described the statue as a 'cultural meeting ground' and a 'site of global pilgrimage', noting that as many people visit it as visit the Statue of Liberty. He also highlighted a racial contrast: the most mythical Philadelphian is a white boxer who never lived, while many Black Philadelphia boxers were major community members.
We had a very fraught relationship with a statue that started off as a movie prop.
The exhibition draws on ancient sculptures, 19th-century European works, images from boxing's golden age, and contemporary pieces. It comes as the Rocky franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary. Louis Marchesano, the museum's deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, told The Guardian - World that the museum had a 'fraught relationship' with a statue that started as a movie prop. The exhibition aims to answer why millions visit the statue amid a broader reckoning over monuments.