Visiting the Museum

Always changing and evolving, experience PAFA's world-famous collection of American art.

Welcome to the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts! 

Check out the Planning Your Visit page for answers to our most frequently asked questions, including information about holiday closures, museum discounts and family programs.

As a thank you for purchasing in advance, ticket confirmations include a 15% discount at PAFA’s Museum Store. 

Due to the scale of current exhibitions, artwork from the collection has been removed temporarily from the galleries of the Historic Landmark Building. Consider seeing works from the permanent collection on tour through the traveling exhibition, Making American Artists.

View Making American Artists Traveling Exhibition Schedule

 

March 21 - 24, 2024

March 28 - 31, 2024

 

Please be aware that Petah Coyne's art installation, 'Two Halves of the Same Soul', in Gallery 6 of the Historic Landmark Building will be CLOSED March 15-29, 2024. In the meantime, please view videos of Petah Coyne's installation below at your convenience.

Sisters- Two Trees

Colors Of Heaven

Admission Prices

Learn more about guided tours.

Adults (18+)$18.00
Seniors (55+)$15.00
Students$15.00
Youth (13-17)$10.00
Children (12 & under)Free
PAFA MembersFree

Museum Hours

Thursday–Friday10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Saturday–Sunday11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Monday–WednesdayClosed
*Holiday closures may affect these hours.Please check and see if PAFA is open if you plan to visit on or around a holiday.

Locations

Throughout the year, PAFA presents special exhibitions, an outstanding permanent collection, and work by the region's most talented artists. Visit our galleries in the Historic Landmark Building, the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as Maxfield Parrish's The Dream Garden at the Curtis Center.


Historic Landmark Building

The Great Staircase in HLB.

PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building (HLB) is considered one of the finest surviving examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in America. Built by the Philadelphia firm of Frank Furness and George Hewitt, the HLB rises 70 feet above street level, and opened to the public on April 22, 1876. The HLB houses exhibition space, as well as classroom space for the School of Fine Arts, in addition to historic Cast Hall. 


Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building

Exterior of the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building

Built in 1916, the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building (Hamilton) was originally home to the Hudson Motor Company. PAFA acquired the building in the early 2000s and formally renamed it in honor of board member Samuel “Sam” Hamilton (1924-1997). The Hamilton Building is home to the School of Fine Arts, as well as special exhibition spaces on the first, second, and basement floors.


Lenfest Plaza

outdoor pavilion with tables and plantsLocated between PAFA's Historic Landmark and Samuel M.V. Hamilton buildings, the plaza was constructed in 2011 and is open year-round. It features a three-part serpentine bench, mosaic pavers, plantings, and rotating works of emerging and established artists in an urban setting. Claes Oldenberg's Paint Torch (2011) is situated at its eastern end overlooking Broad Street. 


Dream Garden at the Curtis Building

Maxfield Parrish's "Dream Garden" at the Curtis Center.

Curtis Building lobby (interior), 6th and Walnut Streets, entrance on 6th Street

Hours: Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM until 6:00 PM

Designated as the City’s first “historic object” by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, artist Maxfield Parrish's (1870–1966) landmark mural The Dream Garden (1914–1915), is a breathtaking mural not to be missed. Composed of hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable glass tesserae in more than 260 color tones, Dream Garden was the only collaboration between Maxfield Parrish and glass master Louis Comfort Tiffany, and commissioned by Cyrus Curtis to adorn the lobby of the Curtis Publishing Company.