May 15, 2025
Albert Yes/Philadelphia Museum of Art
Swoop and Eagles cheerleaders take in Édouard Manet's 'The Croquet Party' at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The painting is on display as a result of a Super Bowl bet between the museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
The Eagles' Super Bowl smackdown of the Chiefs in February is the gift that keeps on giving for Philadelphia.
As part of the "Museum Bowl," the Philadelphia Museum of Art received a painting on loan from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City on Wednesday.
Édouard Manet's "The Croquet Party," an oil on canvas from 1871, now finds itself in Philadelphia for several months with, naturally, a Kelly Green backing behind the frame:
Édouard Manet’s 'The Croquet Party' is on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Aug. 17 thanks to a Super Bowl bet the museum won with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
"We congratulate Philadelphia on an exciting Super Bowl win and look forward to seeing our treasured Manet in conversation with the incredible collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art," Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins, museum said in a press release. "'The Croquet Party' will be in very good company, and we are delighted to continue our Museum Bowl friendship and rivalry.”
"We are thrilled to continue the celebration of our champions with a victory of our own," said Sasha Suda, the director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Julián was a great sport, and we're delighted to welcome him and his team here to personally deliver Manet's 'The Croquet Party' to its new (temporary) home."
This is not the first time the two museums have swapped works of art. After the Eagles fell to the Chiefs two years in the 2023 Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Museum of Art sent Thomas Eakins' "Sailing," an 1875 painting, on loan to the Nelson-Atkins museum.
The Birds got their revenge over Kansas City handily thanks to the heroics of Jalen Hurts and Cooper DeJean. Now, the Art Museum has, too.
Manet's "The Croquet Party" will remain on view in Philadelphia until Aug. 17.
Follow Shamus on X: @shamus_clancy
Follow Shamus on Bluesky: @shamus
