October 15, 2024

Philadelphia Museum of Art to host murder mystery event with clues in paintings and artifacts

A curator's mock death is the center of a Nov. 16 hunt where groups of 4-6 people try to pick out the killer from four suspects.

By Michaela Althouse
PhillyVoice Staff

Provided Image/Watson Adventures

Watson Adventures will host a murder mystery event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Nov. 16.

What happens when a curator knows too much about an upcoming painting sale? In a new murder mystery at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he sleeps with the fishes.

The mock killing is the center of a Nov. 16 event where groups of 4-6 people can gather clues around a storyline that involves the acquisition of a Leonardo da Vinci piece.

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For $19, plus the price of admission, visitors can participate in the Murder at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt and try to narrow down the killer from four suspects by using hints in paintings, artifacts and the victim's appointment calendar.

Watson Adventures, which holds events at museums across the country, said this event is one of its harder mysteries, so it's aimed toward adults looking for a challenge. But Rachel Duncan, director of public hunts, said it still can also be fun for teenagers working with their parents.

"The PMA is the most amazing place to discover, even if you've been to the museum time and time again," she said.

Duncan said the hunt offers a tour of the museum from a new perspective.

"The idea is that you live here, we're going to show you this museum in a different way so that you get to support the arts in a different way and have a great time doing it," Duncan said.