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Rocky Restored in Philly
Forget Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago. Rocky's greatest victory was against the Philadelphia Arts Commission.
After months of debate, the commission finally voted in favor of returning an eight-and-a-half-foot statue of the Italian Stallion to the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, though not atop the steps the big-screen boxer--and thousands of inspired tourists--so famously climbed.
In a 6-2 vote Wednesday, the commission agreed to restore the statue to the grounds of the museum, this time on a street-level patch of lawn at the base of the steps. The city will also hold a dedication ceremony for the 2,000-pound bronze palooka Friday, to be attended by the muse himself, Sylvester Stallone.
The statue, which depicts the fictional punching bag with gloved fists raised victoriously overhead, was used as a prop in Rocky III and, following the film's 1982 release, briefly stood atop the museum's steps.
Following protests that the sculpture, though a popular tourist attraction, was not necessarily world-class art and therefore undeserving of such prime real estate, the statue was moved to the city's Spectrum Sports Arena.
The statue remained in front of the Spectrum for 24 years before being moved into storage. For the past few years, the arts commission has battled with the public and itself over whether to return the statue to its original spot in front of the museum.
"Whether we like the particular manifestation or not, I do think it has become a cultural icon for the city," Commissioner Nancy Kolb said in casting her vote in favor of the move. "We might have preferred that it be something else, but it isn't. It's Rocky."
Not everyone shared her opinion.
"It isn't about whether this is art or not," said Commissioner Miguel Angel Corzo, who opposed the statue's placement. "To me basically this is about what the city aspires to be. The question for me is...Is this as eternal as the seasons?"
We wouldn't bet against it--especially considering Stallone is taking his cinematic alter ego out of mothballs yet again.
Still, Corzo is so opposed to the statue's resurrection that he has hinted he may resign from the commission as a result of the vote.
Casting the other nay was artist and fellow Commissioner Moe Brooker.
"I think it is not a work of art, and for me it doesn't belong there," Brooker said. "Stallone himself in 1982 said the Spectrum is fine. I believe the statue would be better served in other places, other than the museum."
In any case, the museum should be expecting an uptick in tourism soon. The film franchise's fifth installment, Rocky Balboa, hits theaters in December, and to coincide with the dedication ceremony, a line of Rocky toys, including a limited-edition statue figurine, has been released. Yo.
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