The Museum of Bad Art, Boston

Too much history, too much art and culture. Sometimes sightseeing in Boston runs the risk of  making your eyes glaze over! For campy fun, you may want to work in a visit to the almost world-renowned Museum of Bad Art where you will find that unintentionally awful art is awfully amusing.  The Museum of Bad Art was founded in the Boston area in 1993, with a mission dedicated to “the collection, preservation, exhibition , and celebration of bad art in all its forms.”

The Museum of Bad Art has two Boston sites- one in Dedham, the other in Sommerville- and both are  in the basement of small, independent cinemas where the collection is displayed near the restroom. The MOBA owns hundreds of works- bad art is not hard to find, after all- but each location displays only 20-40 pieces at a time. The collection has been acquired through several means- works have been found left on the sidewalk , bought for next-to-nothing at thrift stores, and sometimes donated by the artist.

MOBA’s tagline is “Art Too Bad To Be Ignored” and most visitors will agree- this is a compelling collection. Grotesque portraits are a MOBA specialty. “Mana Lisa”, an oil on canvas by Andrea Schmidt, borrows heavily from  DaVinci’s classic work- vibrant, blurring gender boundaries, and depicting oddly shaped hands. There are paintings of strange and unlikely landscapes and allegorical works too.  “Drilling for Eggs” by William Murphy  is brilliant-  even art neophytes will get that the “yolk is on us” if we waste our natural resources.

Admission to MOBA is free, but donations are gladly accepted.  MOBA also raises money through the sales of souvenirs-postcards, T-shirts, posters, and a book, “The Museum of Bad Art Masterworks”.

The Museum of Bad Art, two Boston locations: Dedham Community Theatre, 580 High St., Dedham, 781-444-6757 (Map) and the Sommerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Sommerville,(Map), phone info for both locations 781-444-6757, museum hours:  vary , but generally MOBA is open when films run and shortly before and after.

Image Credit: Personal Collection