Perelman Building

The Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building is part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, across the parkway from its main building at 2525 Pennsylvania Ave. Its galleries focus on costumes and textiles, contemporary art and design, and prints and drawings. The former Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company headquarters has Art Deco details and glass-linked galleries that give the interiors an open feel. Special exhibitions have included Romare Bearden’s collages, Gee’s Bend quilts and work by Dieter Rams. Its smaller scale suits a focused museum visit.

Galleries and collections

The Perelman Building houses galleries for costumes and textiles, contemporary art and design, and prints and drawings. It also contains a library that is open to the public, along with study centres.

Special exhibitions have ranged from art connected with fashion to a collage show featuring Romare Bearden. Other exhibitions have presented African American artists from the South, including Gee’s Bend quilts and sculpture. The programme changes, so check what is on view when planning your visit.

An Art Deco building across the parkway

The building began as the headquarters of the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Philadelphia Museum of Art converted it into an expansion space, opening the Perelman galleries in 2000. Its exterior has ornamental details, while glass elements connect the galleries and lend the interiors an open feel.

The Perelman Building is across the parkway from the museum’s main building. The Anne d’Harnoncourt Sculpture Garden is also part of the museum complex. The Perelman site has a wheelchair-accessible entrance, elevator and restroom.