Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dorrance Galleries
Until August 2, 2026
The debate began in 1982, when movie actor Sylvester Stallone presented an enormous bronze statue of Rocky Balboa, the fictional boxer he portrayed, to the City of Philadelphia, according to the Association for Public Art.
The statue, created by A. Thomas Schomberg, was first installed at The Spectrum, the former South Philly sports complex. Then, in 2006 after a Rocky remake, it was moved near the base of Philadelphia Museum of Art’s iconic steps, becoming one of the most popular landmarks nationwide.
Until this March, when it was relocated again, this time as a focal point of the PMA’s “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” organized by guest curator Paul Farber, director of Monument Lab. Open through August 2nd, the exhibit showcases works by over 50 artists to explore how “this movie prop ultimately turned into a public art piece and site of global pilgrimage,” according to the PMA’s website.
The exhibit is about more than the Rocky character, though. It reflects on how artists have portrayed boxing culture historically, with many works highlighting boxing champions like Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, and “Smokin” Joe Frazier. Many claim Frazier, who was raised in Philly, was the inspiration for Rocky, pointing to his challenging family history and underdog training including running up the museum’s steps and punching meat in a slaughterhouse where he worked, as the fictional Rocky did in the movie series.
Arguably this special exhibit, which opened in April 2026, motivated permanent monument changes outside the museum. An 11-foot bronze statue of Frazier currently located in South Philly will be moving soon to the famed Rocky statue’s former spot by the museum’s steps. And the 8.6 foot Rocky statue that’s now part of the temporary indoor exhibit will move to the top of the stairs; the replica that stands there now will be returned to Stallone who loaned it to the museum for the exhibit’s duration, according to Philly Voice.
“Rising Up” also displays ancient sculptures, portraits of boxing legends, reels of classic boxing moments, and famous works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lisa Brice, Glenn Ligon, among others.
Shadow-boxing as metaphor is another facet explored in “Rising Up,” highlighted by quotations from Joyce Carol Oates, an American author known for reflecting on humans’ divided selves. Shadowy divisions reach every aspect of this exhibit, asking viewers how a brutal, bloody sport can be inspiration for art? How can we celebrate both a fictional underdog and real ones? How can we explore racial issues via artistic expressions including painted punching bags? And how is Philadelphia, known as the city of brotherly love, central to this conversation?
By Liz deBeer https://www.ldebeerwriter.com
Liz deBeer is both teacher and writer with Project Write Now, a writing cooperative based at the Jersey Shore, where she resides with her family. Her debut chapbook Farewell to Emptiness, a novelette-in-flash (Thirty West Publishing House), is set in the Albany, NY, area, her birthplace. Her flash has appeared in Fictive Dream, Bending Genres, Literally Stories, BULL, Literary Garage, and others. Her essays on writing and teaching have been published in various journals including Brevity Blog and New Jersey English Journal. A volunteer reader for Flash Fiction Magazine, Liz holds degrees from University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. Her weekly Substack A Lizard's Tale explores nature and art as a vehicle to discover meaning and resilience.
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