Philadelphia Museum of Art

Originally built to house gifts from the Centennial Exposition — the first official World's Fair — the Philadelphia Museum of Art now boasts a collection of more than 240,000 objects and hosts exhibitions curated in cooperation with museums from all over the world.

Chartered in 1876 to honor the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the museum showcases its treasures in one of the most recognizable buildings on the city's Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The museum oversees nearby satellite sites that include the Rodin Museum, the Perelman Building, and colonial-era historic houses in Cedar Grove and Mount Pleasant, which all house collections of their own. 

The museum's vast collection began with European and Japanese fine and decorative arts, later expanding to feature artwork from across the globe. Its holdings include battle armor, lace, ceramics, and the world's most extensive display of the works of Marcel Duchamp. The museum also features celebrated Pennsylvania artists Thomas Eakins and Charles Wilson Peale as well as European greats including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Berthe Morisot, Judith Leyster, and Vincent van Gogh.