The Philadelphia Museum of Art has restored its historic name following public outcry surrounding an unpopular rebrand late last year that introduced its new identity as the Philadelphia Art Museum. The change, effective immediately, was decided in a unanimous vote by the museum’s board of trustees this week in response to surveys given to the museum staff, trustees, members, and the greater Philadelphia community. While the name will revert back, the accompanying logo of a griffin that was also introduced as part of the new visual identity will remain. “An essential part of brand stewardship is innovating, and also listening…The new logo, with the griffin, is a bold, yet historical approach that we are heartened to see is being embraced by the public. Returning to the name that is beloved by staff, trustees, and members is an important gesture,” said the new director and CEO of the museum, Daniel Weiss, in a statement. In an interview with the New York Times, Weiss admitted “It was a misstep,” and that “The reason there was so much public consternation and criticism is because it didn’t resonate.”
When the rebrand was first unveiled in October 2025, then-president and director, Sasha Suda, framed the move as a modernization effort that would usher in a new era for the institution. The museum has faced many challenges in the past few years, including changes in leadership, frustrated staff, missteps by senior management, and mishandled union negotiations. But the greater Philadelphia and museum community at large swiftly denounced the new name and its imposed moniker, “PhAM,” choosing instead to refer to it as “PhArt.”
Chief among the complaints was that the entire rebrand, which is reported to have cost more than $1 million, was unnecessary. Meanwhile, when union workers were striking, for increased wages among other reasons. The museum also brought in a design team from Brooklyn instead of working with a local firm, and only alerted the board of trustees about the new identity just days before the rollout.
Smoothing out the controversy by altering the new logo to include the original name was a top priority for Weiss as soon as he took over. Weiss was recently instated as president and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art this past November. He started two weeks after the former director, Sasha Suda, was ousted by the board after just over three years at the helm of the institution.
