Museum of Bad Art

wt21

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Spurred by this thread https://www.photographerslounge.org/f24/show-art-11396/

I want to encourage folks to take a look at one of Boston's hidden cultural treasurers -- the MOBA (Museum of Bad Art)

Their site is here: The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) where you can read the art's description and commentaries, but the images are pretty small.

There's also a good video here:
which is an interview with one of the curators.

My personal favorite piece is Sunday on the Pot with George: http://www.museumofbadart.org/collection/portraiture-2.html

We even have a refrigerator magnet of this one in our kitchen. The treatment of George's feet is not unlike what is commonly seen in photographs!
 
for some divine reason I've been listening to some Beatles song over the last few days (actually it's because of the olympics opening ceremony), and the song playing in my head had just switched from Come Together to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, when I clicked on the portrait gallery, only to see the MOBA's masterpiece, Lucy in the Sky with Flowers. Needless to say, lightning struck, something connected in my mind, and visiting the MOBA has shot straight to #1 on my bucket list.

absolutely brilliant thing, the MOBA, and many thanks for your links!

PS their commentary with some of the pieces is making me LOL:D

[update a few minutes later]I actually have tears rolling down my cheeks now, this is too funny
 
I'm not sure what to make of it. I watched the video and I appreciate that the curator says that despite all the artwork being bad, they still like these pieces and they are celebrating them. But it just seems a bit gauche. As an unskilled person practicing the arts I would hate to see one of photos in their museum whether they are celebrating it or not. It's looks a bit like picking on a disabled kid and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

And quite frankly I actually like a few of the pieces I saw in there. Glad I'm not as well educated and high falutin' as those art lovers.
 
Interesting observations Luke. I had never thought of it that way.

In their newsletters, they recount that a number of folks have come forward to identify themselves as the artists who did certain work, and most were pretty tickled and laughed at the idea. At the end of the video, too, they talk about how people are actually sending in their art work.

I've visited the Dedham location. It's always felt pretty light-hearted, not at all picking on a disabled kid, and actually more about seeing my own feeble attempts at art in what others have done.
 
I certainly like several paintings in there as well, it's just the way they're taking the pee with it that's so funny. You could do this with just about any painting or artwork, no matter how skilled the artist (and when done well, I absolutely enjoy it when people take the pee out of me), although some works here do make it easy on the commentators. In a few comments I think they're harsh about the artist, but in most cases they're just analysing the work with a seriously-voiced, very big wink.
 
I'm not sure what to make of it. I watched the video and I appreciate that the curator says that despite all the artwork being bad, they still like these pieces and they are celebrating them. But it just seems a bit gauche. As an unskilled person practicing the arts I would hate to see one of photos in their museum whether they are celebrating it or not. It's looks a bit like picking on a disabled kid and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

And quite frankly I actually like a few of the pieces I saw in there. Glad I'm not as well educated and high falutin' as those art lovers.

I think MOBA is the equivalent of those horrid "reality" TV shows. People are happy with the attention, no matter how poorly it portrays them.
 
reality shows are impossible to watch for more than 5 minutes, just like the majority of talent shows by the way.

I don't necessarily agree that the people who don't mind having their own work shown at MOBA are like the reality show people; if I had made an artwork that I knew was horrid and there was a MOBA near me I'd think it fantastic to have it shown there, just to have a laugh, whereas I'd rather jump off a tall building than be in a reality show. If it was some work I was proud of and I didn't agree with the reasons why it was included in the MOBA, then yes, I'd probably be hurt a little, although I'm pretty good at relativizing, but if I was proud of a work yet I could see where they're coming from, I dont think I'd mind having a laugh about it (and surely most of the creaters of these works should be able to see where the MOBA's judgement is coming from).

Speaking of reality shows, I think the only people who "get" how to do a reality show are people like paris hilton and tila tequila, who just take it into the absurd to such a degree that whatever happens, they can let it just roll off their backs. Most other people on those shows (including the poor "contestants" in Paris' and Tila's shows) actually take themselves at least somewhat seriously, or hope to get some sort of recognition, and then don't realise how much they're being taken advantage of by the show's producers.
 
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