PHILADELPHIA (djc) — 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 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.”
Van Gogh tickets may be purchased at the Museum or by phone at
215-235-SHOW (7469) Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and on weekends 9 a.m. –
5 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.
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.
