The Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building—originally the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building—is an annex of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

containing exhibition galleries, offices, conservation labs, and the museum library. It is an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

building that features cathedral-like entrances and is adorned with

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

. The building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

.Perelman Building: History of the Building
Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Perelman Building is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fairmount Avenue, facing the Philadelphia Museum of Art's main building across Kelly Drive.

History

Philadelphia architectural firm

Zantzinger, Borie & Medary Zantzinger, Borie and Medary was an American architecture firm that operated from 1905 to 1950 in Philadelphia. It specialized in institutional and civic projects. For most of its existence, the partners were Clarence C. Zantzinger, Charles Loui ...

, which had collaborated on the Philadelphia Museum of Art, designed the building to be the headquarters for Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company. Construction began in 1926 and the building was completed in 1928. Sculptor

Lee Lawrie Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...

created its decorative scheme, which features

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

facades adorned with figures symbolizing attributes of insurance: the owl of wisdom, the dog of fidelity, the pelican of charity, the opossum of protection, and the squirrel of frugality. Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company occupied the building from 1927 to 1972. In 1982, it was acquired and restored by the Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, which in turn relocated in 1999.

Philadelphia Museum of Art restoration

The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired the building in 1999 through the City of Philadelphia. In anticipation of its 125th anniversary in 2001, the museum began a capital campaign that collected $240 million in donations.Perelman Building: Construction Timeline
Philadelphia Museum of Art. In recognition of the $15 million contributed by the Perelmans, the annex was renamed the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building in 2000.

Gluckman Mayner Architects Gluckman Tang Architects, (previously Gluckman Mayner Architects), is a New York City based architecture firm providing services in architecture, planning, and interior design. Established by Richard Gluckman in 1977, the firm is known for min ...

restored and renovated the historic building, and expanded it with a addition. The Perelman Building opened on September 15, 2007.

Resources

The Perelman Building's six galleries total of exhibition space. *The

Julien Levy Julien Levy (1906–1981) was an art dealer and owner of Julien Levy Gallery in New York City, important as a venue for Surrealists, avant-garde artists, and American photographers in the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Levy was born in New York. Aft ...

Gallery is dedicated to photographs from the museum's collection of over 150,000 prints, drawings, and photographs.Perelman Building: Galleries and Spaces
Philadelphia Museum of Art. *The Joan Spain Gallery is dedicated to exhibition of the museum's costume and textiles collection, which has over 30,000 works. *The Collab Gallery shows modern and contemporary design art ranging from furniture to ceramics. *The Exhibition Gallery hosts changing special exhibitions. *Two study galleries provide resources to art scholars, and are available to the public by appointment and an educational resource center for teachers. *The museum's library holds collections of art books and periodicals on the first floor and a reading room on the second floor.
Philadelphia Museum of Art.

References

External links

*
Listing at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
{{Museums in Pennsylvania Philadelphia Museum of Art Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Cultural infrastructure completed in 1926 Art Deco architecture in Pennsylvania Fairmount, Philadelphia