'Charlie and Sheba', anonymous; oil on canvas. Found in a thrift store in Boston
One day in 1994, Scott Wilson, an American antiques dealer, found himself a painting in the rubbish bin. His idea was to get rid of the painting and sell the frame, but his friend Jerry Reily insisted on keeping the whole pack. Soon, they acquired more works that others had discarded, until they formed a collection and inaugurated the Bad Art Museum , that is, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA).
THE HISTORY
Now, they had a mission: "Collect, display and celebrate art too bad to be ignored ", says Louise Sacco, Reilly's sister. "We preserve and share the work of artists whose work would not be displayed or appreciated anywhere else ", adds this business consultant, who joined the project when the collection no longer fit in Reilly's basement and began to attract the attention of others "kindred spirits", as she calls them.
Soon Reilly's wife, Marie Jackson, began writing explanatory notes at the bottom of each work, to help her friends understand the pieces, and the group decided to publish a CD with a virtual walk through the museum , in addition to launching a web. Thus, the photographer Tom Stankowicz joined the team, and soon, the idea began to attract the attention of media such as Rolling Stone, Wired and Wall Street Journal : the basement of the house was too small for them.
Urged by the interest it was arousing and by the growing space occupied by the exhibition, the Museum of Bad Art moved to an experimental movie theater opened in 1927, just outside of Boston. Thus, the collection -once again, located in a basement- can be visited every time the cinema is open free of charge, whether you buy a ticket or write to [email protected].
'Lucy in the Field with Flowers', anonymous oil on canvas. Garbage pickup in Boston
THE COLLECTION
But how do you decide which works are bad enough How to be part of such an excellent sample? "The most important thing is that must be art ", explains Sacco. "For us, this means that it must be sincere and original. And something must have gone wrong in its execution, but it must be something that ensures that the results make up a picture compelling, captivating As in traditional museums, at the end it is the commissioner who decides. When our art curator, Michael Frank, is asked to explain the criterion that he continues to add new works to the permanent collection, he usually answers: ' Bad art is like porn , in the sense that it is difficult to express what defines it: i know when i see it ".
Sacco assures that some of the works they house have been created by talented artists that they were trying something new, or that they made a misjudgment which ended up resulting in an interesting piece for the museum. Others, however, are the consequence of " people who hardly know where to hold a brush , but his passion and enthusiasm give rise to a work too bad to be ignored ".
To get hold of them, the museum curator visits second-hand shops, flea markets and the typical "garage sales" North American, both in the United States and in Europe and the Caribbean. Other pieces, however, are donated by friends that the museum has around the world, who send a photo of the work they have found "in the garbage, at his dead grandfather's house, or at a rake" and take care of the Shipping costs.
However, the most interesting source of art, in Sacco's opinion, is that formed by the artists themselves: "At first, we were amazed that they wanted us to exhibit their work, but we've come to realize that what creators want, above all else, is for their work to be shown. We bring them closer to an audience and We celebrate your efforts. Also, if we turn them down, they may think that their job is actually it wasn't that bad ".
'Blue Mushroom Man', by Matthew Johnson. Acrylic on canvas. Bought at a thrift store in Boston
THE WORKS
Lucy in the Field with Flowers was the first piece in the collection, and is defined as such in its explanatory note: "This painting single-handedly planted the seed that eventually became MOBA. The movement, the chair , the sway of his chest , the subtle nuances of the sky, the expression on her face: every detail comes together to create this transcendent and convincing portrait ". {#result_box}
On Charlie and Sheba, the magnificent painting that opens the article, they also have something to say from the museum: "Without being able to tolerate their l incessant dryness, Charlie the Squirrel wears a little strip to seal Sheba the Sheepdog's mouth before posing with her in the picnic table ". {#result_box}
And what about Blue Mushroom Man ? "According to Marty Frank, "possible chanterelle in the top left-hand corner. Probably mushrooms of the boletus family in the upper right corner and sprouting from the top of his head . A bunch of lion's manes come out of his mouth. Others are unknown, but appear to have {#result_box} little culinary interest ".
'President Obama', by Andrea Estrada. Photographs and oil on canvas. Donated by the artist
The image of the president, a delirium of bluish tones, is explained as follows: "With his re-election, Barack Obama secured his place alongside David Palmer ( 24 ) and Tom Beck ( Deep Impact ) , in the pantheon of 21st century African-American Presidents of the United States." Palmer and Beck, of course, are fictional characters . {#result_box}
See Battle by Viv Joynt. Acrylic on canvas. Donated by the artist
East delicious play on words (sea, sea, is exchanged for see, see) is accompanied by the following text: "We don't need binoculars to predict which battleship will be victorious in this nautical battle. {#result_box} Some viewers assume that the small object just below the boat, on the right, is a lifeboat carrying sailors who are lucky to escape from hell. MOBA's curatorial staff has determined that it is, in fact, a ladybug in the window, right in front of the binoculars."