Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 2000

November 20th, 2000

Four Weeks Into the Exhibition, Van Gogh Has Booked Over 180,000 Tickets

Since first going on sale last summer, more than 180,00 tickets have been booked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for Van Gogh: Face to Face, the first-ever museum exhibition devoted to the legendary Dutch artist's portraits. This figure represents more than half of the total 300,000 visitors that are expected to see the exhibition in Philadelphia before it closes January 14, 2001. The exhibition sold out in Boston and Detroit, drawing about 300,000 at each venue.

"We anticipated this demand early on and decided both to extend our operating hours and to add two days to the exhibition's 12-week run," said Gail Harrity, Chief Operating Officer for the Museum. "The good news is that tickets are still available, especially for weekdays as well as Wednesday and Friday nights. Our Ticketing Center has added staff to meet the strong demand, and we are pleased to see the response created by our new online ticketing capability, accounting for more than 8% of our sales."

More than 100 hours were added to the exhibition's schedule, allowing visitors more opportunity to see Van Gogh: Face to Face. On Friday evenings during the run of the exhibition, the Museum remains open until 8:45 p.m. Beginning Thursday, December 21 through Sunday, January 14, hours will be extended.

While the Museum is normally closed on Mondays, the Van Gogh exhibition will be open on Monday, January 1 (New Year's Day) from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last timed ticket at 3:30 p.m.) and Monday, January 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. (last timed ticket at 7:30 p.m.).

Added Harrity: "Visitors should also know that during extended hours on Wednesday and Friday nights, they can enjoy our newly refurbished Modern and Contemporary Galleries, the 19th Century Galleries, with so many masterpieces by Van Gogh's contemporaries, as well as the new fall season exhibitions devoted to the work of Milton Glaser, Ray K. Metzker, and Dorothea Tanning. And we've introduced music in the galleries on Friday nights, in addition to our popular Wednesday Night performances."

TICKET INFORMATION
Van Gogh tickets may be purchased at the Museum or by phone at (215) 235-SHOW (7469) Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., and on weekends 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Tickets may also be obtained at any time online at www.philamuseum.org. There are service charges for both phone and online ticket orders. For recorded information about the Van Gogh exhibition as well as other Museum programs, call (215) 684-7500.

Purchasing Van Gogh tickets in advance of visiting is strongly encouraged. Advance Restaurant Reservations are also encouraged. The exhibition and selected Museum galleries--including the 19th Century Galleries featuring Van Gogh's Sunflowers and works by his Impressionist and Post-Impressionist contemporaries--will be open during extended evening hours. Other galleries will be closed.

TRANSPORTATION NOTE
Phlash extends operating hours to the Museum on Wednesday and Friday nights during the Van Gogh exhibition. Through January 12, 2001, Phlash picks up at the Museum until 9:00 p.m.

The exhibition is made possible in Philadelphia by Aetna and First Union. Additional support was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Amtrak, and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. NBC 10 WCAU and The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News are the media sponsors. The exhibition was organized by The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.