The only masterpiece you will ever see in this blog post.
For centuries works of art like the firing squad painting above have always moved us and influenced our culture each in a piece’s own special way. Unfortunately The artworks I’m showing in this post do none of that but are still noteworthy in its own way for their sheer badness and their tendency to incite shits and giggles. Also, many of them may tend to make my art major sister at VCU wish she was in front of Goya’s firing squad as shown above. Still, just for the record, I’m keeping many of the artists’ names anonymous for good measure because no one wants to be recognized for art so bad it becomes unintentionally funny. So without further adieu, here is a list of all the great artistic blunders. (I will be showing nude pictures in this since this is an art post, just so you know. And fortunately, for my sister, I’m certainly not showing anything by Thomas Kinkade for I know better than to post pictures of his disasterpieces. This is bad art you can enjoy for it’s own sake.)
1. Lucy in the Sky with Flowers
From a Museum of Bad Art patron: “Dear Sirs,
!Bravissimo! Thank you! “Lucy” is clearly the key work in the collection. As with all great art, extended viewing reveals endless layers of mysteries: What is Norman Mailer’s head doing on an innocent grandma’s body, and are those crows or F-16’s skimming the hills?”
By the way, the late Norman Mailer was a well-known American intellectual and author who most people on the internet don’t know about so his name won’t come to mind.
For some reason this old woman with flowers kind of reminds me of Miss Finster from Recess (for those who were once kids in the 1990s). And it doesn’t help matters that she’s sitting on a chair you can barely see.
2. Mama and Babe
Undead mother and child hungry for your brains. Nice delicious brains!
The only painting that not only shows the touching bond between mother and child but also the irresistible hunger for human flesh during a zombie apocalypse.
3. Reef Garden
The dancing clown in this painting is beyond creepy. The undersea musical extravaganza of your nightmares.
Inspired by someone who watched a Cirque Du Soleil show under the influence of the brown acid.
4. Inspiration
The organist must be on some serious hallucinogenic drugs to see such visions like that. Or perhaps God really works in mysterious ways.
A talented 19th century organist summons the ghost of zombie Jesus Christ and a medieval monk while playing at the Sunday service in the cathedral.
5. Think Again
From MOBA: “This disturbing work “makes an offer you can’t refuse”. The chilling, matter-of-fact manner in which the subject presents the severed head to us is a poignant reminder of just how numb we have become. The understated violence implicit in the scene speaks volumes on our own desensitization, our society’s reflexive use of force, and the artist’s inability to deal with the hindquarters of the animal.”
Of course, this could be a pop culture juxtaposition of Thriller meets The Godfather.
Of course, nothing says “masterpiece” than a picture of a lifelike horse’s head being held by Michael Jackson after a sex change.
6. The Contortionist
Of course, anyone with a contortionist fetish has seen more than they wanted to see. Still, this is pretty horrifying if you think about it.
An erotic image of a contortionist and her nightmarish interior skeleton.
7. Gina’s Demons
From MOBA: “Frightening non-kosher demons haunt this blonde, blue-eyed beauty in a see-through blouse. Her world is cracking apart at the edges, but her careful hairdo and makeup show us that she knows it’s important to keep up appearances.”
Also, it seems the demons tend to find Gina’s blond hair rather appetizing.
Frightening non-kosher demons haunt this well-kempt Victoria’s Secret model in her see-through nightie.
8. Chiquita
Behind the tropical fruit spokeswoman with bare breast is a hellscape reminding of impeding doom that will eventually turn her into a fossil.
Nothing like a sight of a woman adorned in fresh fruit than seeing her in the midst of a volcanic eruption.
9. Woman Riding Crustacean
Of course, this woman shouldn’t be surprised about getting crabs afterwards.
Because nothing is any more erotic than a naked woman riding atop a giant lobster.
10. An I for an Eye
There may be some symbolism involved but the crying eyes tree and naked woman trunk doesn’t much make sense to me.
Never seen before an eye tree with a trunk shaped like a naked woman possibly painted by someone on acid.
11. Dissent from the Pedestal
Lady Liberty doesn’t seem like herself lately. Hey, what’s with the Capitol dome shaped microphone coming out of her dress?
From MOBA: “Infuriated and distraught about the state of the world, the iconic Lady of the Harbor has come down from her traditional perch, bemoaning the fact that, despite global warming, her day in the sun seems to have passed.”
12. He Was a Friend of Mine
From MOBA: “The artist is a skilled watercolorist, as is evident by his knowledgeable use of negative space to create the ghostly husky. The sparkle in the eyes of the see-through cat brings a discordant, evil glint to an otherwise soft and peaceful scene. ‘Who else thinks it’s a good idea to eat from my bowl?'”
Evil cat summons the ghostly image of husky to inflict his angry wrath upon humanity.
13. March Madness
Of course, the basketball metaphor might actually make sense. Could it be that March Madness was once an ancient pagan ritual to mark the transition from winter to spring with the vernal equinox?
From the Museum of Bad Art: “In like a lion, out like a lamb, the glorious thrill of victory and the deathlike agony of defeat are portrayed in this homage to the annual spring classic.”
14. Juggling Dog in Hula Skirt
This artwork makes no sense. Also, the dog is standing upright as if in an anthropomorphic setting. He could also be Rowlf’s hippie brother who ran off with the circus.
Because someone on acid had the artistic pointlessness to depict a bone juggling dog in a hula skirt.
15. Lobster Lady
Seriously, who’d want to keep lobsters as pets? And shouldn’t they be in the pot instead of crawling on the table?
Because nothing shows the love and togetherness like a young girl and her pet lobster.
16. Nude with the Eyes
House Speaker John Boehner, have I got a perfect woman for you.
Woman who spent too much time in a tanning salon or the spawn of one of those porn star and Oompa Loompa pairings?
17. You’ve Got to Be Kidding
Her thirst for blood is as red as her dress.
Sure she may have a cross around her neck, but her eyes say she’s out for blood.
18. Ghoulfriend
Can someone be a friend to this lonely ghoul? So he may be all bones underneath but he only goes haunting desperate for companionship.
Though he may scare the bejesus out of people, he’s really looking for a friend.
19. Sad Girl with Poodle
Never underestimate this creepy sad girl’s wrath. And what’s with the poodle?
An Oompa Loompa girl after hearing about her dad getting involved in a horrible accident at Wonka’s factory.
20. Tika, Kitty in Paradise
Of course, this may be a Persian delusion of grandeur for a Fancy Feast Gourmet Cat Food ad.
Behold, the giant Persian, all bow down to him.
21. A Tree Grows in Boston
Still, I don’t understand why this guy had a yellow head and a purple hand? Yet, he seems fixated on that tree for some reason.
Creepy androgynous person sees tree out the window with eyes matching the sky depicting absence of soul and personality.
22. Vanishing Woman
And yet another reason why nuclear power isn’t bad. Also, try to touch her and you risk exposure to radiation poisoning, which you certainly don’t want. Field could’ve also been a nuclear testing site like Los Alamos since they say she appears out west like Nevada, Arizona, or New Mexico.
Legend tells of a glowing vanishing woman who appears at night in the farm fields. It’s said she glows like that because the field was once the sight of an explosion of a nuclear power facility.
23. Play Boy Bunnies
Most horrifying Playboy Bunnies I have ever seen. They are said to have been former Playboy Playmates who became part of some mad scientist’s experiment.
More like the Ferocious Porno Bunnies from Hell if you ask me.
24. The Undefeated
Give em’ one for the Lord! Seriously, why put Jesus in a boxing ring? Still, I can understand why Islam forbids pictures of Muhammad. And there are plenty of tacky Jesus pictures I’m sure.
Nothing defines Jesus as the Prince of Peace than depicting him in an arena associated with hand to hand combat.
25. Blue Pesto
It’s said this monster’s existence is the stuff of legend wherever it’s from be it some Slavic or Muslim country or someone’s hallucinogenic drug induced imagination?
Don’t look now but it seems that this entire city was built over a blue sea monster.
26. Diaper Babies Gone Wild!
Sure they may seem like two little harmless tykes frolicking in the meadow, until you take a closer look that is. Pictures of children don’t really seem to turn out right.
Sure they may be little but they are little shit machines of doom.
27. Two Trees in Love
Of course, they could both be just settling for one another since they live in such close proximity and that there’s no one else.
Seriously, how does that work out in nature?
28. Spewing Rubik’s Cubes
Now how can this guy manage to put a Rubik’s cube into a bunch of little pieces in order to spit them all out?
From MOBA: “This image of the classic 1980s toys emanating from a jester gargoyle’s mouth can only be described as puzzling.”
29. Safe at Home
Sure he may have won the game today, but there’s a good chance he may take a permanent leave of absence after being eaten and all.
As the old town favorite scores a home run, he and the catcher are devoured by some mysterious headless monster.
30. On Vacation in Italy
Seriously, what’s with the dead houseplants in front of a beach view sunset? It’s kind of depressing.
Should more or less be called, “Forgot to Tell the Neighbors to Water My Houseplants While I’m Gone.”
For More:
The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA): http://www.museumofbadart.org/
Seattle’s Bad Art Museum of Art: http://officialbadartmuseumofart.com/
Bad Art Museum of Ohio: http://badartmuseumofohio.blogspot.com/
Museum of Particularly BAD Art: http://www.mopba.org/
Bert Christensen’s Weird, Strange, & Just Plain Bad Art: http://bertc.com/weird/index.htm
The Lone Girl in a Crowd 