I recently got asked if I had a list of meme sites relating to museums and art history. Shockingly I didn’t, so I compiled one. I explore the impact that memes and digital re-appropriation have on museum practice within my PhD thesis – so this is a list more than a full blog post.

A List of Museum Memes

Ugly Renaissance Babies

http://uglyrenaissancebabies.tumblr.com/

Beyonce Art History

http://beyoncearthistory.tumblr.com/

Nipples at The Met

http://www.nipplesatthemet.com/

Babes at the Museum (I personally hate this one!)

http://babesatthemuseum.tumblr.com/

Museum Hey Girl (a Ryan Gosling based site)

http://museumheygirl.tumblr.com/

Art History Memes

http://arthistorymemes.tumblr.com/

Pepper Spray Cop Works His Way through Art History (A Washington Post Article with lots of examples)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/pepper-spray-cop-works-his-way-through-art-history/2011/11/21/gIQA4XBmhN_blog.html

Here are some additions to my original post:

@BlaireMoskowitz suggested:

Fat Cat Art (Cat additions to famous paintings) http://fatcatart.ru/gallery-2/?lang=en

How to Sound Like an Art History Expert (With Jay-Z Lyrics) http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/06/jay-z-art-history/i-just-wanna-love-you

@KatieOman suggested:

Ryan Gosling Arts Administrator http://ryangoslingartsadmin.tumblr.com/

@CharlotteFrost suggested:

#emjoiart history (which I love!) http://hyperallergic.com/64988/emoji-art-history/

The new aesthetic http://new-aesthetic.tumblr.com/

The Gif Connoisseur http://thegifconnoisseur.tumblr.com/

Digital Folklore http://digitalfolklore.org/

@Leigh_Silver (creator of Beyonce Art History)

Bitchface: The Masterworks http://bitchfaceart.tumblr.com/

@Anne6fy pointed out:

Art history’s best beards http://pinterest.com/frickcollection/art-historys-best-facial-hair/

The scariest babies in renaissance paintings http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/07/the-scariest-babies-in-renaissance-paintings/

Art Appropriation http://www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/sets/72157603408678631/with/2493066577/

The biggest bromances in art history http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/07/bromances-in-art-history/

@Graeme_Watson

The Northern Irish Gallery of Art http://nigalleryofart.tumblr.com/

Articles and Context

@bergfulton suggested I add this great article by @suzecairns

i can has mewseum (Or, Should Your Museum Acquire A LoLCat?)

http://museumgeek.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/i-can-has-mewseum-or-should-your-museum-acquire-a-lolcat/

I also came across ‘Art Fun’ a great series of ‘official’ museum memes from The Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This Presentation by Georgina Goodlander, Web and Social Media Manager at Smithsonian American Art Museum explains more about these memes http://www.slideshare.net/georginab

More?

A quick google image search for ‘Art History Memes’ turns up hundreds more

If you have any more that you think I should add to my list then leave a comment below or tweet me @OonaghTweets