Museums
Fine Art on Billboards
1963: In response to polls indicating that a majority of the public disliked billboards along highways and were in favor of banning them, the O'Mealia Outdoor Advertising Corp. began displaying fine art masterpieces on a handful of its billboards throughout New Jersey. The idea was to show that billboards could be educational and instructive, and that they should be thought of as "the public's art gallery." Among the masterpieces displayed were Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Gainsborough's Blue Boy.Cute idea, but it must have been difficult for motorists to fully appreciate a masterpiece as they sped by it at 60 mph. Perhaps those stuck in traffic jams could admire the art.
link: Popular Science - Oct 1965
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 24, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Museums, 1960s
Old Car City
Old Car City opened in 1931 and since then has developed into a 32 acre classic car junkyard/museum. Now instead of selling parts they charge admission to see all the old cars.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 08, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Museums
One Of Our own
No list of weird collections would be complete without the inclusion of one of our WUvian founders. Alex and his Museum of Hoaxes is, of course, one of the top weird collections on the net!
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 01, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Authorities and Experts, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Museums, Alex
World Erotic Art Museum
RIP, founder Naomi Wilzig.
Being TV journalism, the clip is work-safe.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 21, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Museums, Regionalism, Sexuality
Nerve Man
The giant man of nerves was part of the "Conquest of Pain" exhibit held at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in 1955. If I had seen this thing as a kid, it definitely would have given me nightmares.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 01, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Body, Museums, 1950s
World Carrot Museum
The thrills start here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 08, 2014 -
Comments (9)
Category: Eccentrics, Food, Museums
Human Hamster Wheel
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 06, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Museums, Performance Art
Walter Potter
The Wikipedia page.
Alas, the museum was dissolved in 2003.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 23, 2014 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Eccentrics, Hobbies and DIY, Museums, Outsider Art, Europe, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You
This fascinating book by Harriet Baskas is a perfect gift for the WU-vie in your life. Full of rare info about the bizarre objects--such as the Soap Man Mummy pictured here--which are stashed in museum back rooms, it offers hours of fun and amazement.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 15, 2013 -
Comments (3)
Category: Museums, Weird Studies and Guides
Madge Gill
[Click to enlarge]
Thanks to WU-vie Mark De Novellis, we learn of a new UK exhibition devoted to the work of outsider artist Madge Gill. If you image-google her name, you get tons of examples, such as you see above.
A nice visit if you're in the UK over the next several months.
Exhibition home page.
From the Wikipedia entry:
After recovering from her illness, she took a sudden and passionate interest in drawing, creating thousands of mediumistic works over the following 40 years, most done with ink in black and white. The works came in all sizes, from postcard-sized to huge sheets of fabric, some over 30 feet (9.1 m) long. She claimed to be guided by a spirit she called "Myrninerest" (my inner rest) and often signed her works in this name.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 30, 2013 -
Comments (3)
Category: Museums, New Age, Outsider Art, Reader Recommendation, Europe, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |