Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

This is a Philadelphia Museum of Art press release.

When visitors from around the country and beyond arrive in Philadelphia to see Van Gogh Up Close—the highly-anticipated international loan exhibition for which the Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only U.S. venue—they will have their choice of four exclusive hotel packages that combine a premier overnight experience with tickets to the post-Impressionist feast for the eyes at the Museum, as well as 15% off Amtrak tickets, 10% off in the Museum Store, and a special celebratory van Gogh dessert in the Museum’s Stephen Starr-operated Granite Hill restaurant.

Travelers can choose from the Best Western Center City Hotel, the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel, the Rittenhouse Hotel, and the Four Seasons. All four popular and conveniently-located properties are making an art of Van Gogh-inspired travel accommodations as the exhibition of van Gogh’s masterpieces fills the Museum’s Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries over three months.

Rail travelers planning a trip to Philadelphia to see Van Gogh Up Close can also purchase discounted train tickets via Amtrak by visiting www.philamuseum.org beginning on January 14, where they will be directed to a designated page on Amtrak’s website. Tickets are 15% off a regular adult fare. Restrictions and black out days will apply.

Guests may reserve their rooms and receive two tickets (per room reservation) guaranteeing admission to Van Gogh Up Close with no date or time restrictions during exhibition hours: February 1 – May 6, 2012, Tuesday through Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Friday evenings: until 8:45 p.m.

Best Western Center City Hotel
(800) WESTERN
www.bestwestern.com/centercityhotel
Includes free parking and continental breakfast
Weekend/weekday from $189*

Radisson Plaza – Warwick Hotel
(215) 735-6000
www.radisson.com/philadelphiapa
Weekend/weekday from $179*

The Rittenhouse Hotel
(800) 635-1042
www.rittenhousehotel.com
Includes guest room taxes, special welcome amenity, complimentary Wifi, complimentary use of the indoor pool, steam room, sauna, and health club, complimentary show shine and newspaper delivery.
Weekend/weekday from $330.72

Four Seasons Hotel
(215) 963-1500
fourseasons.com/philadelphia
Includes breakfast for two in The Fountain Restaurant
Weekend from $357*
Weekday from $407*

* Hotel package prices do not include any applicable taxes and gratuities (except where otherwise noted) and are subject to availability.

Van Gogh Up Close presents some of the artist’s most daring and innovative works that have never been seen together and contributed to altering the course of modern painting. The exhibition features 45 still lifes and landscapes van Gogh made in Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Auvers that concentrate on “close-ups” of flowers, trees, open fields, forest interiors, and countryside vistas. Among significant loans from major museums and private collections in Europe, North America, and Japan are works such as Almond Blossom, Sunflowers, Iris, Sheaves of Wheat, and Vineyard at Auvers. In addition, the exhibition includes more than 30 comparative works including Japanese woodblock prints and European prints, drawings, and photographs by artists whose works bore intriguing correspondences with and offered inspiration for van Gogh.

This exhibition is made possible by GlaxoSmithKline and Sun Life Financial. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Additional support is provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Annenberg Foundation Fund for Major Exhibitions, The Kathleen C. and John J. F. Sherrerd Fund for Exhibitions, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, David and Margaret Langfitt, Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Linck, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Thalheimer, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Abramson, The Arcadia Foundation, Mrs. Eugene W. Jackson, and other generous individuals. Promotional support is provided by NBC 10 WCAU and Amtrak. The catalogue was funded, in part, by the Netherland-America Foundation. The exhibition is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. An exciting addition is the recently renovated and expanded Perelman Building, with five exhibition spaces, a soaring sky-lit galleria, and a café overlooking a landscaped terrace. The Museum also opened a new sculpture garden on the West side of its main building in 2009, offering new exhibition space for outdoor sculpture. The Museum offers a wide variety of enriching activities, including programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the 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 (1/9/2012)

Contact(s):

• Gigi Lamm, (215) 684-7860