I Declare Today: Bad Art Appreciation Day
Because I love you all, and because I'm easily amused, I declare today:
Bad Art Appreciation Day
Now, you may be asking yourself, "Unh, why do we want to celebrate bad art?"
Because someone needs to celebrate people who reach too far, fly too high, love too much, and believe too deeply.
*sighs happily*
Sounds like a nice answer, doesn't it?
The truth is, I just found the most awesome Web site about really, really awful album covers. Eye-poppingly, what-were-they-thinking bad.
In short, we're talking Smell the Glove bad, at least before they replaced it with the Black Cover.
Today is the kind of day where I feel like reveling in bad taste. Yes, indeed.
And so, without further ado, I have decided to declare today Bad Art Appreciation Day by linking to my three most favorite Bad Art sites.
The Museum of Bad Art
The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) isn't just an awesome Web site, it is, in fact a real place that existed looooooooong before there was an Internet.
To be blunt, MOBA is a Massachusetts institution with a proud heritage and pedigree that rivals the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum as a temple to human bat-shittery in its finest form.
It's even suffered the sting of art theft of its most famous and popular painting. (Just like the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum!)
And has bemoaned the need to raise money so its works can be restored to their original glory (Again, just like the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum!)
Truly, I think I have made my point. However, nothing I say can truly do justice to MOBA's history. And so, I will merely quote the MOBA founders themselves:
The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) is a community-based, private institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory.
MOBA was founded in the fall of 1993 and presented its first show in March 1994. The response was overwhelming. Since then, MOBA's collection and ambitions have grown exponentially.
Initially, MOBA was housed in the basement of a private home in Boston. This meager exhibition space limited the museum to being a regional cultural resource for the New England area.
As the only museum dedicated to bringing the worst of art to the widest of audiences we felt morally compelled to explore new, more creative ways of bringing this priceless collection of quality bad art to a global audience. Another Boston-area cultural institution, Dedham Community Theatre, generously allowed MOBA the use of their basement. Our permanent gallery is now conveniently located just outside the men’s room in a 1927 movie theatre.
MOBA was founded the very night that "curator " Scott Wilson found Lucy in the Field of Flowers in the trash. (Read more about about Lucy in the Field of Flowers and the mystery of its origin was solved, here.) Here's a little look at the painting that started it all:
What makes MOBA a truly unique museum is that one may view the collection in its entirety online for free, or visit the bricks-and-mortar museum itself. Truly, MOBA is a full-service institution.
Below are two of my favorite pieces of art from MOBA. On the left is Think Again from the MOBA Unseen Forces collection; on the right, is Mama and Babe from the MOBA Portraiture Collection.
Ahhhhh, so refreshing!
But we're not done yet! No, indeed. For today is Bad Art Appreciation Day and that means we need to delve once more into the underbelly of the human subconscious.
For, behold! I give you my all-time bestest, greatest find on all the Internets!
Museum of Bad Album Covers
Really, what is there to say about the Museum of Bad Album Covers, besides "Pass the cheese?"
There's everything from the truly obscure, to some actually well-known bands. Upon perusing the collection, I have come to the conclusion that the Scorpions are the idiot-savants of bad album covers. Truly. Here's a sampling from the 158-cover collection:
I have no idea what Ethel Merman was drinking when she thought this was a good idea.
Let's just say that ol' Ethel nearly made the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time with this entry.
It's categorized under the site's "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time!" Gallery.
Ummmm, WtF? No, really. WtF? Can someone explain this one to me?
Would you believe this only ranked 6 on the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time? Not. A. Joke.
It's categorized under the site's Funk, Soul, etc. (That's Bad Meaning BAD!) Gallery.
Yes. That's really The Beatles. Yes, that's really the cover for Yesterday and Today. Yes, it was sold in the U.S. for one day.
God Bless Wiki. It's got the straight dope on what is known as "The Butcher Cover."
It's categorized under the site's A Special Tribute to the Beatles Gallery.
Remember how I said the Scorpions were, like, the idiot-savants of bad album covers?
The Animal Magnetism cover? Is probably the most tasteful and least offensive cover. It's really freakin' impressive. Truly.
Another album, Virgin Killer (Warning: Image NWS) actually made the top spot on the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time.
You can find Animal Magnetism categorized under the site's "Sexist ?...So what? What's Wrong with Being SEXY?" Gallery.
And finally, Bad Art Appreciation Day would not be complete without a salute to this World Internet-Famous Site...that Virtual Museum to comic book covers that make you say, "What the hell?"
Superdickery
Superdickery has been World Internet-Famous for years. It was founded in November 2004 as a response to, of all things, a message board thread. Hell, I remember seeing the initial thread because I had been linked to it via a fandom message board. (For the full story, click the FAQ.)
I can't believe I actually witnessed the birth of this site. As a result, it remains my sentimental favorite.
There are many different galleries on the site, but my favorites are the comic book evidence that Superman is a Dick. Confounding Comic Covers not only makes you wonder what the cover artists were taking, you want to have a hit of the good shit for yourself. For you perverts in the audience, check out Seduction of the Innocent, which features covers that were hilariously inappropriate for the presumed adolescent audience.
You femslashers will total dig Suffering Sappho! What makes the Suffering Sappho! Gallery especially fun to read through is that no, it's not your imagination. Those images were actually deliberate. As it turns out, William Mouton Marston, a Massachusetts medical doctor who created Wonder Woman, had a bit of an agenda (Hence me being really, really fucking relieved when Joss Whedon was kicked to the curb on the Wonder Woman movie.)
I won't upload the images here, because the comments that go with the various galleries are really half the fun!
And that concludes my salute bad art and the first post ever for first annual Bad Art Appreciation Day
In celebration, I'm asking all of you to post a link in your LJs to something that, to you, epitomizes the true meaning and spirit of Bad Art Appreciation Day. It can be a link to anything, be it book covers, bad paintings, bad music, bad video, bad digital art, bad whatever. It doesn't matter! This is all about celebrating that tacky, kitschy, and the tasteless.
So, pony up, people! Let's see those links to some truly excruciating art!
Bad Art Appreciation Day
Now, you may be asking yourself, "Unh, why do we want to celebrate bad art?"
Because someone needs to celebrate people who reach too far, fly too high, love too much, and believe too deeply.
*sighs happily*
Sounds like a nice answer, doesn't it?
The truth is, I just found the most awesome Web site about really, really awful album covers. Eye-poppingly, what-were-they-thinking bad.
In short, we're talking Smell the Glove bad, at least before they replaced it with the Black Cover.
Today is the kind of day where I feel like reveling in bad taste. Yes, indeed.
And so, without further ado, I have decided to declare today Bad Art Appreciation Day by linking to my three most favorite Bad Art sites.
The Museum of Bad Art
The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) isn't just an awesome Web site, it is, in fact a real place that existed looooooooong before there was an Internet.
To be blunt, MOBA is a Massachusetts institution with a proud heritage and pedigree that rivals the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum as a temple to human bat-shittery in its finest form.
It's even suffered the sting of art theft of its most famous and popular painting. (Just like the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum!)
And has bemoaned the need to raise money so its works can be restored to their original glory (Again, just like the Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum!)
Truly, I think I have made my point. However, nothing I say can truly do justice to MOBA's history. And so, I will merely quote the MOBA founders themselves:
The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) is a community-based, private institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory.
MOBA was founded in the fall of 1993 and presented its first show in March 1994. The response was overwhelming. Since then, MOBA's collection and ambitions have grown exponentially.
Initially, MOBA was housed in the basement of a private home in Boston. This meager exhibition space limited the museum to being a regional cultural resource for the New England area.
As the only museum dedicated to bringing the worst of art to the widest of audiences we felt morally compelled to explore new, more creative ways of bringing this priceless collection of quality bad art to a global audience. Another Boston-area cultural institution, Dedham Community Theatre, generously allowed MOBA the use of their basement. Our permanent gallery is now conveniently located just outside the men’s room in a 1927 movie theatre.
MOBA was founded the very night that "curator " Scott Wilson found Lucy in the Field of Flowers in the trash. (Read more about about Lucy in the Field of Flowers and the mystery of its origin was solved, here.) Here's a little look at the painting that started it all:
What makes MOBA a truly unique museum is that one may view the collection in its entirety online for free, or visit the bricks-and-mortar museum itself. Truly, MOBA is a full-service institution.
Below are two of my favorite pieces of art from MOBA. On the left is Think Again from the MOBA Unseen Forces collection; on the right, is Mama and Babe from the MOBA Portraiture Collection.
Ahhhhh, so refreshing!
But we're not done yet! No, indeed. For today is Bad Art Appreciation Day and that means we need to delve once more into the underbelly of the human subconscious.
For, behold! I give you my all-time bestest, greatest find on all the Internets!
Museum of Bad Album Covers
Really, what is there to say about the Museum of Bad Album Covers, besides "Pass the cheese?"
There's everything from the truly obscure, to some actually well-known bands. Upon perusing the collection, I have come to the conclusion that the Scorpions are the idiot-savants of bad album covers. Truly. Here's a sampling from the 158-cover collection:
I have no idea what Ethel Merman was drinking when she thought this was a good idea.
Let's just say that ol' Ethel nearly made the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time with this entry.
It's categorized under the site's "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time!" Gallery.
Ummmm, WtF? No, really. WtF? Can someone explain this one to me?
Would you believe this only ranked 6 on the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time? Not. A. Joke.
It's categorized under the site's Funk, Soul, etc. (That's Bad Meaning BAD!) Gallery.
Yes. That's really The Beatles. Yes, that's really the cover for Yesterday and Today. Yes, it was sold in the U.S. for one day.
God Bless Wiki. It's got the straight dope on what is known as "The Butcher Cover."
It's categorized under the site's A Special Tribute to the Beatles Gallery.
Remember how I said the Scorpions were, like, the idiot-savants of bad album covers?
The Animal Magnetism cover? Is probably the most tasteful and least offensive cover. It's really freakin' impressive. Truly.
Another album, Virgin Killer (Warning: Image NWS) actually made the top spot on the Top 10 Worst Album Covers of All Time.
You can find Animal Magnetism categorized under the site's "Sexist ?...So what? What's Wrong with Being SEXY?" Gallery.
And finally, Bad Art Appreciation Day would not be complete without a salute to this World Internet-Famous Site...that Virtual Museum to comic book covers that make you say, "What the hell?"
Superdickery
Superdickery has been World Internet-Famous for years. It was founded in November 2004 as a response to, of all things, a message board thread. Hell, I remember seeing the initial thread because I had been linked to it via a fandom message board. (For the full story, click the FAQ.)
I can't believe I actually witnessed the birth of this site. As a result, it remains my sentimental favorite.
There are many different galleries on the site, but my favorites are the comic book evidence that Superman is a Dick. Confounding Comic Covers not only makes you wonder what the cover artists were taking, you want to have a hit of the good shit for yourself. For you perverts in the audience, check out Seduction of the Innocent, which features covers that were hilariously inappropriate for the presumed adolescent audience.
You femslashers will total dig Suffering Sappho! What makes the Suffering Sappho! Gallery especially fun to read through is that no, it's not your imagination. Those images were actually deliberate. As it turns out, William Mouton Marston, a Massachusetts medical doctor who created Wonder Woman, had a bit of an agenda (Hence me being really, really fucking relieved when Joss Whedon was kicked to the curb on the Wonder Woman movie.)
I won't upload the images here, because the comments that go with the various galleries are really half the fun!
And that concludes my salute bad art and the first post ever for first annual Bad Art Appreciation Day
In celebration, I'm asking all of you to post a link in your LJs to something that, to you, epitomizes the true meaning and spirit of Bad Art Appreciation Day. It can be a link to anything, be it book covers, bad paintings, bad music, bad video, bad digital art, bad whatever. It doesn't matter! This is all about celebrating that tacky, kitschy, and the tasteless.
So, pony up, people! Let's see those links to some truly excruciating art!