Friday, June 6, 2014

It's all relative

How the heck did it get to be Friday so fast?

Well, readers comment frequently on the interesting places I write about (I mean, the places I haven't actually made up -- although I hope those are interesting too). I haven't written about this place -- or been there yet -- but it's on my list.

I give you MOBA. The Museum of Bad Art in Boston.

Seriously. Take a moment to peruse the online gallery.

36 comments:

  1. LMAO!! Looks like the raided someone's refrigerator!

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  2. They used to have this clown gallery that was sheer genius. I thought of you, M.

    The online gallery is too limited now, alas.

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    1. Clown and genius do not ever belong in the same sentence!

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    2. God, I hate clowns. They seriously creep me out.

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    3. What IS it about clowns?! They form their own peculiar malevolent universe.

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  3. Ha! LOL, thank you! My fav is Peter the kitty.

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    1. Stirring in its portrayal of feline angst. Is Peter hungry or contemplating his place in a hungry world? The artist has evoked both hopelessness and glee with his irrational use of negative space.

      Yes! Quite. ;-D

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  4. Hm, I go one or twice a year to a museum in various towns and I have seen such art there. It's all relative, hihi ; )

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    1. More so than we would like to think, I suspect. ;-)

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  5. Hola, Josh:
    I'm envious that you may have museums in the United States even for bad art. In Spain there are many works of art stored in the basements of museums because there is not enough space or money to expose to the public.

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    1. Have you been to the Prado, Minu? I would love to go there some day.

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    2. Yes, I have been many times in the Prado because until recently lived in Madrid. It is a marvel all those paintings by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco...

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    3. I am jealous. I admit it. :-)

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    4. I've been to Prado. I was completely blown away by the paintings of Goya. Hadn't heard of him before that, ignorant me. I felt sad when I saw those he painted at his dark age though. Such a waste of talent.

      Savanna

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    5. Troubling images there, yes. Art does not always make for a happy life.

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  6. As someone I know and respect would say, "Yeesh!" I didn't want to click on an image to see a larger version of anything, though. I guess this is "Eye of the Beholder" stuff. But thanks for the look/see, Josh. :)

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    1. I am especially partial to "Circus of Despair"

      This joyous, frightful circus romp is emblematic of, and yet somehow transcends, Unknown's entire body of work.

      :-D

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    2. Uh-huh. Shouldn't you be writing a story or two? Or at least swimming or digging in your garden? :-)

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  7. Whoever writes the captions is a genius.

    Granted, as we now see, genius has its dark side. :-D

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  8. I may have nightmares about that cat

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  9. Strangely intriguing...
    What is it about bad art? It's like driving past a car wreck--you don't really want to see, but you can't look away.
    ~Whitley

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    1. Yes. All that passion. And flowing in completely the wrong direction. Like...defying the very laws of nature.

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  10. I realize this is totally off topic Josh, but did you see Stephen Colbert's terrific takedown of Jeff Bezos and Amazon in regard to their treatment of writers and publishers?

    It was priceless!

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  11. Heading to Boston Sunday, if my 4 year old wasn't going to be with me, maybe I'd give MOBA a try, lol!

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    1. I do understand not wanting to terrorize wee ones. ;-P

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  12. Under the portrait of Eileen:
    "For a number of years, the museum and public mourned the loss of this seminal masterpiece of the MOBA collection. A reward of $6.50 was offered for information leading to its recovery -- the top price ever paid for a work of art in the permanent collection."

    Made me laugh. Made my day.

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    1. Oh my! I would DOUBLE that reward. DOUBLE, I tell you! To retrieve such a monsterpiece!!!

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  13. I love it! Boston is only 3 hours away - I just may have to visit.

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  14. What is bad art? OK - I had to rub my eyes and polish my spectacles after looking at these pieces. I like Peter the cat. I had to count its feet. Is it not art when I am not able to look away from its feet? But often I like the work of an artist and the reviews in the newspapers call it bad art. I am confused.

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    1. Well, I think that is the age old question, isn't it? I mean, you can see it in book reviews. One person's Worst Book Evah is someone else's Work of True Genius. And who is correct? What is "correct'?

      And does anyone care about any opinion that is not their own? ;-)

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