Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Field Trip: The Museum of Bad Art

For spring break this year, my daughter asked if we could take a mother-daughter trip to Boston. Last year we did a road trip around New England, so we were in many places for a short time. Since I loved what little of the city I got to see, and there are far worse things a 21-year-old can be doing for spring break, I said okay.

Despite being dressed like Houstonians in the surprise snowstorm, we had a fabulous time and visited a different part of the city each day. One of our favorite things was something we didn't even know about until we stumbled upon it--The Museum of Bad Art. We decided to see a movie at the theater in Somerville, and since we had some time to kill, we headed to the basement to see what the MOBA was all about. We were not disappointed.

It's exactly what it sounds like. Ever been to a garage sale and seen a hideous and/or unintentionally funny painting? Or perhaps made something like that yourself? There's a home for such artwork. The museum is "dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory."

Here are a few highlights from our visit:

There were history lessons. Like this rendition of the Tiananmen Square protest:
I'd totally forgotten about the mariachi

And a tribute to our country's African-American presidents:

Presidents Obama, Beck, and Palmer

There were a couple of paintings inspired by famous works of art. The Mana Lisa, for example:


...and, uh, this:

I don't remember the name of this one, but let's call it "Girl With a Sunburn Crashing Van Gogh."

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm pretty sure mine is the ferret prostitute in a brothel:

I was a kit, I needed the money
So what's your favorite? There are many more paintings for your viewing pleasure at MOBA's website. It's a good reminder that art is pain.

12 comments:

  1. Sadly they closed the MOBA location nearest me, but I'm happy to venture farther to see such awful art. I think the mariachi remains my favorite. :-)

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    1. Aww, that is sad! I didn't realize till I looked at the website that there are multiple locations, but I suppose there's plenty of bad art out there.

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  2. Never heard of this. I could have started one chez moi ;)

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    1. Haha! Yeah, kind of ashamed I didn't think of it myself.

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  3. Oh my. 'Girl With the Sunburn' wins with the title alone! Too funny. I had no idea that such a thing existed. I wonder what the criteria is for getting something exhibited?

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    1. Yeah, I'm not sure about that--I imagine it's one of those "we know it when we see it" things!

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  4. I think that one is a portrait of Tan Mom. :) I've never been to Boston, but will definitely go to the MOBA when I do. Heck, I drove across town once to see the beer can house.

    Great post.

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    1. Oh of course, I totally forgot about the tanning bed mom! And yes, the MOBA is well worth the visit.

      Thanks, Dotti!

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  5. all of my artwork needs to be displayed there! i think it would be the first time i'd win a ribbon!

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    1. Oh dear! There's one ribbon you might not want to win. :-)

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  6. I did an oil painting of a horse once that completely belongs there, lol!

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  7. This sounds like something my family and I would enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

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