The Museum of Bad Art
It Takes a Certain Kind of Genius to Collect and Display Art "Too Bad to be Ignored."
The Museum of Bad Art is a collection of not-so-fine art. It is physically located about eight miles south of downtown Boston in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1993, the Museum was originally housed in a private home's basement in Boston but the collection is now on permanent display in the basement of the Dedham Community Theatre.
Virtual Visit
The Museum's collection is also viewable online at www.museumofbadart.org. The online museum is more than just pictures. Each piece of art is displayed alongside insightful commentary and a brief history of the piece, if known.
A virtual visit to the Museum of Bad Art should not be undertaken lightly. It is best to prepare by packing a snack with beverages to take with you. Plan on spending at least a few hours on each collection.
The Collections
The Portraiture Collection features portraits of people and animals. The most famous of these portraits is probably Lucy In the Field With Flowers, an oil on canvas by an unknown artist. The story behind this particular painting is especially interesting.
The Landscape Collection includes works with intriguing names like The Horror, The Glory and Vortex which have to be seen to be appreciated.
The museum describes the Unseen Forces Collection as "a preeminent collection of artwork, expressing as it does the full scope of the human psyche and its feeble yet caring yet terrified use of artists' materials and symbols such as the word 'Love.'"
Bad Art Souvenirs
Most museums have souvenir shops, and the MOBA is no exception. Available in their online shop are T-shirts, coffee mugs, coffee-table books, posters, and more.
Some of the paintings are also available on postcards. If you find a painting that strikes your fancy, look under it to see if there are any museum shop products listed which feature it.
Friends of MOBA
The Museum of Bad Art invites those who are interested in becoming a Friend of MOBA to sign up on their site. The membership, which is free, entitles members to invitations to museum events and more.
Donations
MOBA welcomes donations of both money and original pieces of bad art.
Electronic monetary donations can be made securely on their website through the Amazon Honor System. To donate using cash, check, or money order, mail it to:
Museum of Bad Art
Executive Offices
73 Parker Road
Needham, MA 02494
To submit a piece of art electronically, send a photo of the piece to curator@museumofbadart.org. Artwork may also be mailed to the museum at the address above.
Each piece of art donated will be evaluated to ensure it meets the standards of truly bad art before being displayed.
Published by Myranda Morgan
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18 Comments
Post a CommentI've got plenty of bad art for them to display. Failed or half finished pieces litter my house.
WOW..this is really interesting!!
This is great. Loved the article and site. I kind of liked 'Two Trees in Love'. It has a kind of child-like innocence about it.
Nice, very nice indeed. I figured the museum would be dedicated to abstract only. Guess I was wrong. o.o'
Interesting, but I think I'll stick with the good stuff. Good article!
I tend to see something of value (my definition of value anyway) in almost every artistic expression. I guess that's how we know something is truly art; some people love it and some hate it. I liked the "Lucy" painting too. ;)
Interesting. Of course some of the masters were considered bad artists by many in their day.
I guess it's meant to be funny (?), but it just seems rather hurtful (to the artist) in my opinion. I like "Lucy in the Field with Flowers". Anyways, interesting article.
Haha, great article!
Cool! Art is always awesome.