One of America’s most well-known art museums recently found itself at the center of a major controversy over changes to its brand and name. In the fall of 2025, the Philadelphia Museum of Art reintroduced itself as Philadelphia Art Museum. It unveiled a new identity, featuring a griffin within a circular symbol as its central image. The mark references the bronze sculptures on the museum’s building and the historical symbolism they have used for decades.
However, the rebrand sparked protests from visitors, museum staff, and residents. After discussions and review of audience feedback, in February 2026, the museum officially restored its former name, “Philadelphia Museum of Art.” Notably, the new Griffin logo was retained and was well received by the public, perceived as a historical symbol rather than a marketing device.
The new style was developed by the New York-based studio Gretel. The project draws on the museum’s heritage and its strong connection to the urban environment. The logo’s foundation is an updated depiction of a griffin, a symbol that has long accompanied the museum. In the previous logo, designed by Pentagram, the griffin was absent, and the large letters of the word ART felt heavy and did not form a cohesive image. In the current version, the Griffin has returned in a carefully detailed form, with sharp claw shapes and smooth wing contours. Even when rendered in a single color, the image retains depth and remains easy to recognize. The circular inscription is set in a new typeface and neatly fills the circle, supporting the illustration, though at certain curves the letter spacing occasionally becomes tight.
The museum also introduced its own typeface, Fairmount Serif, created by Ryan Bugden in collaboration with Gretel. The typeface combines the industrial spirit of Philadelphia with the refinement of the museum’s artistic heritage. It is based on motifs from historic museum printing and decorative engravings preserved in the building’s architecture. The starting point was Hess Neobold, reworked with contemporary industrial accents. The result is a memorable typeface with expressive form dynamics, easy to read, and holding attention through its distinctive outlines.
The new style also introduced the informal abbreviation PhAM. In its name, it echoes other well-known museums, such as MoMA. For now, the abbreviation is used sparingly, primarily in the museum’s members’ magazine.
Alongside the visual changes, the Philadelphia Museum of Art continues to rely on tradition and maintains one of the largest art collections in the United States. More than 240,000 works span four millennia of history, from ancient artifacts to masterpieces of modernism, including works by Picasso, Duchamp, and Dalí, as well as current projects by contemporary artists.
The museum’s updated image conveys a desire to move beyond a familiar format, become a living part of the city’s fabric, and invite everyone to engage with Philadelphia’s rich cultural heritage.