Rocky

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In the movie Rocky III (1982), a massive statue of Philadelphia fighter Rocky Balboa, arms raised in triumph, is unveiled in the courtyard of the Museum of Art. In real life, actor Sylvester Stallone, the former Philadelphian who acted as the fictional Rocky in a series of films, presented the statue to the City of Philadelphia in 1982. In the movies, the fictional boxer ended his morning run through the streets of Philadelphia with an ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

But unlike the people in the film script, the real citizens of Philadelphia argued over the work. As an image of popular culture it was unparalleled; local moviegoers wanted to memorialize Rocky’s inspirational climb up the Art Museum steps. Others felt the statue lacked dignity and was essentially a movie prop that did not belong permanently at that location. After prolonged dispute, the city formally accepted the gift, and it was moved to the Spectrum, a sports complex in South Philadelphia.

For Stallone, Rocky’s ascent to the top of the steps is symbolic of Philadelphia, a city where an underdog can become a champion through hard work, determination, and hustle.

Rocky the statue is the work of A. Thomas Schomberg, whose sculptures of athletes have been installed at the Astrodome, Superdome, and Yankee Stadium. The controversy was rekindled in 1990, when the film producers relocated the sculpture for the filming of Rocky V, but, in the end, Rocky was returned to the Spectrum. Rocky was ultimately relocated to an area next to the Museum’s steps in 2006.

Content on this page was adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, 1992). Bach was the longtime Executive Director of the Association for Public Art, working with the organization from 1980 to 2022.

Update (2026)

In January 2026, the Philadelphia Art Commission approved a proposal from Creative Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia’s arts and culture office, to permanently install the City-owned Rocky statue atop the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum on the East Terrace. After standing at the base of the steps since 2006, the statue is scheduled to be temporarily displayed inside the Museum as part of the exhibition Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments, after which it is slated to be permanently installed at the top of the steps.