This spring and summer in New York, people who came to see Marcel Duchamp's The Large Glass at the Museum of Modern Art were looking at a copy. The Large Glass at MoMA was Richard Hamilton's reconstruction from 1965–66, with a lower panel remade in 1985, on loan from Tate. Their view of Étant donnés came through 45 of Duchamp's 164 Polaroids and color photographs of the piece in his Fourteenth Street studio. Those photographs belong to the Philadelphia Museum of Art's own archives.
Since October 10, the same retrospective has been at the top of the Parkway, and here it ends at the real works. The museum's exhibition page puts the show in two places, the Dorrance Galleries and Galleries 281–283. The second address is the important one for anyone who lives nearby. Galleries 281–283 are where The Large Glass and Étant donnés are on permanent display. When the touring show leaves on January 31, 2027, they will still be there.
What New York saw, and what is down the hill from you
| Work | At MoMA, April 12–August 22, 2026 | At the Philadelphia Museum of Art |
|---|---|---|
| The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, known as The Large Glass, 1915–23 | Richard Hamilton reconstruction, 1965–66, lower panel remade 1985, lent by Tate | Duchamp's original, installed at the museum by the artist himself in 1954 |
| Étant donnés, 1946–66 | 45 of 164 Polaroids and color photographs of the work in his studio, lent from the Philadelphia museum's archives | The room-sized diorama itself, installed at the museum in 1969 according to Duchamp's wishes |
The Philadelphia Inquirer's opening coverage noted that the Philadelphia version includes exclusive artworks that can be seen only at this museum, and named The Large Glass first among them. According to the museum's press announcement, the exhibition's last section covers the artworks and studies Duchamp made in support of Étant donnés, then sends visitors out of the Dorrance Galleries to the two works themselves. In practice, the touring show is a long lead-in to two works in three permanent galleries of your neighborhood's museum.
Why the ending was always going to be here
Duchamp chose Philadelphia. In the museum's announcement, director Daniel Weiss said Duchamp "played a key role in guiding the distinguished art collection of Louise and Walter Arensberg, his principal patrons, to the PMA as a gift in 1950. That act made Philadelphia the artist's permanent home." The museum now holds about 200 of his paintings, sculptures and works on paper, along with the most extensive archives on his life and work.
That history explains how the exhibition was built. It is the first major U.S. Duchamp retrospective in more than 50 years. The last one, in 1973–74, was organized by the same two museums. This time the curators are Matthew Affron, the museum's Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art, and MoMA's Ann Temkin and Michelle Kuo. Because of where the two largest works sit, the Philadelphia version had to finish in the permanent galleries. A glass painting that the artist installed himself in 1954 does not go on tour.
The Inquirer quoted Kuo at the press preview describing the show's arrangement:
"Chronology seems like a very simple, straightforward logic for an exhibition, but as with all things Duchampian, what seems normal actually becomes very strange."
In Philadelphia the strangeness ends somewhere specific. The chronology finishes in galleries that were part of the building before this exhibition was planned, and they will still be open after it closes.
What the Philadelphia version adds along the way
The Philadelphia stop has more of its own material than those final galleries. Here are the details that set it apart:
- All three versions of Nude Descending a Staircase. The Inquirer reported that alongside the famous No. 2 from 1912, the museum is showing versions one and three, which it called a rare display.
- Ten Boxes in a Valise in one place. WHYY's report on the opening quoted Affron calling it the most ever assembled together. WHYY also described the show as about 300 objects across seven galleries. The museum says the display includes three deluxe examples, a complete set of standard copies assembled between 1941 and 1971, and never-before-seen preparatory materials.
- The work behind The Large Glass. One section covers the full range of materials and methods Duchamp used to plan and make the piece. Seeing that section and then the original glass in the same visit is something only this museum can offer.
- A different mood. An October 19 review on Art Eyewitness compared the two installations and described MoMA's galleries as bright and white and Philadelphia's as darker and more subdued.
- A South Philadelphia thread. Several portraits of Duchamp as his alter ego, Rrose Sélavy, were taken in the early 1920s by Man Ray. The Inquirer notes that Man Ray was born in South Philadelphia.
Timing the visit when the museum is part of your walk
For neighbors, a ticket like this works more like a season than a single day out. The exhibition is open from now through January 31, 2027, and the main attraction at the end will still be there afterward. Here is what the museum has published that matters for planning:
- The ticket. Duchamp tickets are $35 with a timed entry and include general admission for the whole visit. Members always get in free. When you buy, you pick a one-hour window. You can join the exhibition line any time during that hour but not before it starts, and if you arrive after it ends, entry may be delayed or unavailable depending on capacity.
- The line. The museum warns visitors to expect a queue and to allow up to two hours for waiting and viewing combined. If you live close by, a weekday window you can walk to is much easier than a Saturday trip planned around a car.
- The Rodin on the same ticket. From Friday through Monday, a Duchamp ticket also gets you into the Rodin Museum. The Rodin's current exhibition, Rodin's Hands, runs through January 3, 2027, at 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. If you want both, go on a Friday-to-Monday visit before early January.
- Members' Hour. On Fridays from 10 to 11 a.m., through January 15, members get the exhibition to themselves while the rest of the building stays open to the public.
- Friday nights. The museum has extended Pay What You Wish Friday Nights through June 25, 2027. Visitors choose what to pay after 5 p.m. Friday Nights run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Great Stair Hall, with a DJ residency on the first, third and fourth Fridays. The Duchamp exhibition has its own timed ticket, so check the museum's ticketing terms before assuming a Friday-night admission covers it. A June museum announcement also listed first Sundays as Pay What You Wish.
- A family day in Gallery 282. The Alter Ego family festival is Sunday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free with museum admission. It includes Dada games and a gallery activity in Gallery 282, one of the permanent Duchamp rooms where the retrospective ends.
- The audio tour. The museum's audio tour includes the curatorial team and excerpts of Duchamp speaking. It runs on the free Bloomberg Connects app, so bring headphones.
The hill outside will have its own crowds on a couple of dates. Rocky Season's Rocky Steps Challenge is at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, November 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. The 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade comes up the Parkway to the Art Museum steps on November 26, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. If you have a choice of timed windows, pick a time away from those mornings.
After January 31, a version of the show goes to the Grand Palais in Paris in spring 2027. The Large Glass and Étant donnés will stay in Galleries 281–283, a short walk from Fairmount.
Fairmount homeowners have the world's largest Duchamp collection just up the hill. If you're wondering how that kind of neighborhood asset shows up in your home's value, Frank Genzano and the team at Love City Group can give you a clear, local read. Get your free home valuation.
