In the 1976 film Rocky, actor Sylvester Stallone, playing the eponymous boxer, races up the 72 stone steps to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). It’s one of the most iconic scenes in modern film history, and even led to the creation of a 9-foot-tall bronze sculpture in the 1980s. Now, after some debate, the original Rocky statue will soon return to the top of PMA’s steps.
Stallone first commissioned sculptor Auldwin Thomas Schomberg to produce the sculpture of Rocky Balboa in 1980, his chest bare and boxing gloves raised triumphantly in the air. The statue was featured in the 1982 film Rocky III, in which it’s unveiled during a ceremony at PMA. Following the movie’s release, Stallone gifted the work to the city, where it has traveled around to various locations before landing at its final resting place at the base of PMA’s steps in 2006.
For nearly two decades, the statue has served as a symbol of resilience, determination, and the unexpected rise of an underdog, themes that have long resonated with Philadelphia as a city. It has attracted endless selfies, adoration, and controversy, raising questions about whether or not it can even be considered an art object. Regardless, PMA became the home of yet another Rocky sculpture last year. That version of the statue was a duplicate commissioned in 2006 and, before being bought by Stallone at a 2017 auction for some $400,000, had been on display in the San Diego Hall of Champions. It remained in the actor’s personal collection until Philadelphia’s inaugural RockyFest, held in December 2024. Since then, the replica has been perched at the top of PMA’s steps—the original site of the iconic Rocky scene…