Posted on Jul-23-2009
The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks
As an art history major, I have a special love-hate relationship with kitsch, which is why the first MOBA book is one of my all-time favorites. This second one is also a great book for any art library, with some real high points. However, it doesn't quite measure up to the original volume, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five. It may be that the presentation suffers a bit from the smaller trim size (it's quite small, if you didn't pick that up from the description). And it may be that the novelty factor was completely co-opted by the first book. But I also think that some of the selections aren't quite as unabashedly ghastly as the ones in the first book. I have indeed enjoyed perusing it and chortling on multiple occasions, but a little more selectivity and a lower bar, and I might have awarded it that coveted fifth star.
- Michael Frank
- Louise Reilly Sacco
Number Of Pages: 128
Release Date: 2008-05-01
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English
Located in the basement of a theater, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided. The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks presents a pulsating collection of more than seventy never-before-published pieces of artwork from MOBA's permanent collection. Comprised largely of canvases found discarded on curbside trash piles or obtained for a pittance at thrift stores, this innovative compilation occupies a niche previously ignored in the international community of art collection, preservation, and interpretation. If the subjectivity of art appreciation were ever in doubt, this astonishing assortment of artistic commentaries will fan the flames of controversy. It is clear that many of these artists suffered for their art; now it's your turn.
List Price: USD 14.95
Lowest Used Price: USD 3.54
Lowest New Price: USD 7.99
Very Entertaining
A wonderful complement to the real museum. If you haven't gotten to the community theater in Dedham, MA, see a good movie, go to the bathroom, and discover MOBA! The book has the same sense of the absurd as the museum and makes a great present.
Great little treasure of a book
What a fun ride it is through these selections from the Museum of Bad Art,.....yes, it really exists and I'm saving up my money to go there! As an art teacher and artist myself, I can appreciate these "bad" works that have been rescued from rather deserving destruction by kind souls seeking to find equality even for works that just don't,........work that is. And it's not just anything that qualifies for this collection,....there are rather strict criteria that each work must meet before becoming part of the collection. This is such a fun little book that everyone who likes art at all should have a copy. It makes fantastic toilet reading and sure beats those everyday magazines that find their way into the powder rooms of America.
MOBA rules
Love MOBA. Love the book. Love the way they talk about Bad Art. Love the Museum in the lobby of a men's restroom in the basement of a movie theatre. Love all of it.
Museum of Bad Art
I bought a couple of these for my "fun" loving friends, unfortunately one is a struggling artist with no sense of humor, the other a great physician with a great sense of humor. One negative, two positive (counting me) ain't bad.
