Treasures from the Museum of Bad Art
"Mana Lisa" by Andrea Schmidt of Vancouver, oil on canvas. Donated by the artist, January 2002.
Why fly to Paris to see the Mona Lisa, when there's a perfectly fine copy at the Museum of Bad Art in Somerville, Mass.? It's in the basement (fittingly!) of the Somerville Theatre.
Louise Sacco is permanent acting interim director of the Museum of Bad Art, the only museum that collects, exhibits and celebrates bad art.
And what precisely makes "bad art"? "Bad art is like pornography; it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it," Sacco told correspondent Bill Geist.
"The Answered Prayer"
"The Answered Prayer" by Anonymous, acrylic on canvas; found in the trash in Berkeley, Calif. Donated by Lisa Von Blanckensee, December 2013.
Sacco said bad art is "sincere and original, and something went wrong in a way that's interesting."
"New Year Bagel"
"New Year Bagel" by Mari Newman, mixed media (collage, marker on paper); donated by the artist, April 2009.
And what is not bad art? "We're not about kitsch that's not sincere," said Sacco. "No black velvet, no dogs playing poker. We're also not interested in anything that's just boring."
"Ronan the Pug"
Much of the Museum of Bad Art's collection has been rescued from the trash, or purchased at yard sales and flea markets. They also receive donations from people the world over.
Left: "Ronan the Pug" by Erin Rothgeb, acrylic on canvas board. Purchased by M. Frank at a Boston thrift store.
"Lucy in the Field With Flowers"
"Lucy in the Field With Flowers" by Anonymous, oil on canvas. Rescued from the trash in Boston, Mass.
This painting, discovered in the garbage, became the founding piece of the Museum of Bad Art.
"Man in the Mirror?"
Few meet the museum's low standards.
"People sometimes send us pieces that were deliberately made to be bad, and you can usually see right through that," said Sacco. "It's fake bad art, and it shows."
Left: "Man in the Mirror?" by Geraldine "Jere" Deuro, oil on canvas. Donated by Jason Deuro, August 2010.
"Red Rose Serenade"
"Red Rose Serenade" by Susan Rose, acrylic on canvas. Donated by the artist, May 2013.
Featuring a keyboard bound to confound any pianist.
"President Kennedy Eating Ice Cream"
"President Kennedy Eating Ice Cream," artist's name illegible, print on canvas.
"Mama and Babe"
"Mama and Babe" by Sarah Irani, acrylic on canvas. Donated by the artist.
Geist asked, "Has an artist ever sued for defamation?"
"Most artists are happy to find their work in our museum," Sacco replied, "and [the reason is] because artists are trying to communicate something. We're exhibiting and celebrating their work."
"Celebrating?" asked Geist.
"We're celebrating an artist's right to fail," she replied.
"Charlie and Sheba"
"Charlie and Sheba" by Anonymous, oil on canvas. Purchased at a Boston thrift store.
"Tears of a Clown"
"Tears of a Clown" by M. Hood, oil on canvas. Purchased at a Boston thrift store, June 2011.
"Worried Guy"
"Worried Guy" by Anonymous, oil on canvas with wire, staples and paper.
Rescued from the trash in Seattle, Wash., by Rosalie Gale.
"Sunday on the Pot With George"
"Sunday on the Pot With George" by John Gedraitis, acrylic on canvas. Donated by Jim Schulman.
"Safe at Home"
"Safe at Home" by Anonymous, oil on canvas. Anonymous donation.
And what exactly is that mythical beast guarding home plate?
"Eyes See You"
"Eyes See You" by F.W. Covington, watercolor and marker on illustration board. Donated by David G. Berger and Holly Maxson, June 2011.
"A Mariachi in Tiananmen Square"
"A Mariachi in Tiananmen Square," by Anonymous, oil on canvas. Purchased at a Boston, Mass., thrift shop by Michael Frank in January 2004.
"Man in a Puffy Disco Hat"
"Man in a Puffy Disco Hat" by Anonymous. A six-foot-by-six-foot mixed media piece (airbrushed acrylic on canvas, non-working neon tubes). Salvaged from a Boston loading dock after a tip from a UPS driver in March 2010.
Two neon lights are inoperable; a third is missing. When found, it had already been vandalized -- a mustache drawn with a ballpoint pen.
"Inside the Egg"
"A L'interieur De L'oeuf (Inside the Egg)" by a Haitian artist (name unknown), oil on canvas. Donated by Susan Tompkins-Hunt, January 2007.
"Woman Riding Crustacean"
"Woman Riding Crustacean" by Anonymous, oil on canvas. Found in the 1980s in Greenwich Village, donated in May 2008 by Linda L. Carrubba.
Watch Bill Geist's visit to the Museum of Bad Art
For more info:
Museum of Bad Art, Somerville, Mass.
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Somerville Theatre, Somerville, Mass.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan