Museum of Bad Art
The only museum on earth dedicated exclusively to art that tried sincerely and failed spectacularly.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Boston offline.
MOBA started in 1993 when an antique dealer pulled a painting from the trash and his friends said "we should collect these." Now over 700 pieces strong, the collection accepts only originals made with genuine artistic intent — deliberate kitsch is rejected. As co-founder Marie Jackson puts it: "We are here to celebrate an artist's right to fail, gloriously."
What to look for
- The rotating selection of 25–35 works on display at any one time, drawn from 700+ in the permanent collection
- Works chosen for significant flaws without being boring — the curators' exact admission standard
- Pieces where, in curator Michael Frank's words, something went terribly wrong in either the execution or the original concept
Only 25–35 of 700+ works are shown at once, so the display rotates — check what's currently up before visiting.
Museum of Bad Art is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Boston, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Boston pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Boston
- Museum of Fine Arts BostonFour hundred and fifty thousand works of art under one roof — one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas.
- TD GardenThe subway stops underneath it — TD Garden is built directly above MBTA's North Station, so you step off the train and you are already at the door.
- Harvard College ObservatoryOn the night of July 16-17, 1850, astronomers here made the first daguerreotype of a star — Vega — through a telescope that was the largest in North America.
- Fenway ParkThe oldest active ballpark in MLB, where a cramped city block accidentally invented some of baseball's most famous features.
- Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIn 1990, thieves walked out with thirteen works worth $500 million — none have ever come back, and the case is still open.
- Boston Public LibraryJohn Adams' personal 3,800-volume library lives here — and any Massachusetts adult can walk in and access it.