Boston’s Museum of Bad Art

For those who believe art and artists can sometimes be too serious, there is the Museum of Bad Art in Boston. The intention of the museum is not to make fun of the artist, but rather to lovingly celebrate their uniquely bad work. Not simply anything can make it into the museum, however. Each piece must have an original, bizarre, campy quality to it.

© Connie Ma | Flickr

Interestingly enough, the Museum of Bad Art or MOBA isn’t actually a museum at all — it is actually a grass-roots organization that hosts a series of galleries. Originally displayed in the private cellar of one of the founders, the Museum has grown and moved to a few new locations Each of these three galleries is located in a different neighborhood around the Greater Boston Area. From the display in the basement of the Somerville Theater to the showcase in the lobby of the Brookline Access Television to the exhibit in the Dedham Community Theater, the galleries are always changing, shifting and adding new pieces.

At each of the locations, visitors can admire a selection of more than 600 rotating pieces, including paintings of clowns, velvet paintings and a number of very serious dog portraits. Some of the more popular titles include “In The Cat’s Mouth,” “Worried Guy” and the “Mana Lisa.”