Visual Art Jan 17, 2013 at 3:07 pm

Masterpiece: The Art Auction Game by Parker Brothers

Jen Graves
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Comments

1
Have fun, it's an awesome board game. Used to play all the time as a kid and bought my own on ebay. All artworks are (or were) owned by the Art Institute of Chicago.
emma's bee on January 17, 2013 at 3:15 PM Report this
2
You need to get Cienna Madrid all up in there, for sure.
Mittens Schrodinger on January 17, 2013 at 3:15 PM Report this
3
Wow. I had that game as a kid and absolutely loved it (although I had forgotten all about it until this moment). As I recall, there was one painting, of a woman and a child in a garden, that we all fought to own (maybe a Monet?). I'm jealous and may have to go looking on Ebay.
alexandria on January 17, 2013 at 3:18 PM Report this
4
I used to play this all the time as well. Where do you think I learned to wear an ascot?
Fnarf on January 17, 2013 at 3:18 PM Report this
5
@1, I played it too - such a classy feeling to be a ten-year-old nosepicker wheeling and dealing art.
gloomy gus on January 17, 2013 at 3:19 PM Report this
6
Mudede played Monopoly? I wonder if he knows that Monopoly is theft!
treacle on January 17, 2013 at 3:26 PM Report this
7
I'm amazed that four out of five commenters on this thread have played this game. I never heard of it before this morning.

If any of you seasoned art speculators have any hot tips for strategy: pconstant@thestranger.com.
Paul Constant on January 17, 2013 at 3:30 PM Report this
8
Both my GF and I played this as kids as well. And her childhood game is sitting in my closet at this very moment. Played it as an adult for the first time about a year ago and had a blast. Much hilarity ensued.
fool4surf on January 17, 2013 at 3:35 PM Report this
9
@7, we are old. And I am older than @1, who played the 1976 edition; mine was from 1970, and had different paintings, from the National Gallery in London.

Any of you board game dorks ever play "Twixt" or "Contigo" or "Quinto" or any of the other 3M Bookshelf Series?
Fnarf on January 17, 2013 at 3:46 PM Report this
10
@1, I didn't remember them being Art Institute works. Wiki to the rescue: the version I played was the earlier 1970, in which the works were all from the National Gallery in London. Wiki also has this gem detail:
In 1999, while playing Masterpiece, a man from Indiana noticed that the cheap painting he used to cover a hole in his wall bore a striking resemblance to a painting by Martin Johnson Heade featured in the game. It was later discovered that this was a previously unknown work by Heade, Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth, and it was purchased by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for $1.25 million in 1999.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece…
gloomy gus on January 17, 2013 at 3:48 PM Report this
11
The traditional role of business executives has been to manage, to produce, to sell, to create jobs, to make profits, to improve the standard of living, to be community leaders, to serve on charitable and educational boards, and generally to be good citizens. They have performed these tasks very well indeed.

But they have shown little stomach for hard-nose contest with their critics.
tim koch on January 17, 2013 at 3:49 PM Report this
12
We had this game (among many) when I was growing up. A lot of fun as I recall but I haven't played in years.
westello on January 17, 2013 at 3:49 PM Report this
13
@7 - Yes. I still have a copy of Twixt, and could probably acquire one of the others without a lot of trouble. But then I still have my ancient copies of TUF and TUF-ABET.

And I had the 1976 version of Masterpiece as a kid - played it to death with family members and friends at any opportunity.
palamedes on January 17, 2013 at 3:51 PM Report this
14
My family must have had the 1976 version as well. It was fun to go to the Art Institute as a young adult and find the paintings from the game.

My sister and I were not allowed to play when we were very young. The game was too grown-up apparently -- though really it's a simple game. By the time we were old enough, the rest of the family had lost interest so we just played against each other and she kicked my ass most of the time.
kitsapien on January 17, 2013 at 3:53 PM Report this
15
Sorry, meant @9.
palamedes on January 17, 2013 at 3:53 PM Report this
16
Oooooh, I think I have that in my closet, next to my old Clue game and Chutes and Ladders. Loved playing that as a kid.
SeattleKim on January 17, 2013 at 3:54 PM Report this
17
My family played this game, too. Definitely the Chicago version - it included "American Gothic," which puzzled me as to why it was considered a "masterpiece" at the time. Yes, I was a six year old art critic.
Matt from Denver on January 17, 2013 at 3:56 PM Report this
18

Never heard of it...the same way you looked blankly at the Etch A Sketch in the lunch room no doubt, comrade.

Quick. Who won the world's series in 1998?

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on January 17, 2013 at 4:01 PM Report this
19
I played the '76 edition. It's still in my parent's house, but it hasn't been touched in years.

My favorite 70's board game - though distinctly lower brow - was "The Sinking of the Titanic." The game play had two stages: running around the ship as it sinks rescuing passengers, and then the lifeboat phase. We wore that game out.
Free Lunch on January 17, 2013 at 4:04 PM Report this
20
I used to love this game. Probably the same 1976 edition. Not sure if it was the Canadian edition, though.
Will in Seattle on January 17, 2013 at 4:07 PM Report this
21
I love that game so much that I tracked one down not long ago and it's in our games closet. Since it takes at least three players, we generally don't have enough people to play, but I'm glad I have it.
FranFW on January 17, 2013 at 4:36 PM Report this
22
You're lucky I'm not there: I would go so Milicent Friendly on your asses, you wouldn't know what hit you.
Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In on January 17, 2013 at 4:40 PM Report this
23
You see, Jen, if you want comments on your posts, this is how you do it. Don't post about art.
ian on January 17, 2013 at 4:46 PM Report this
24
I used to play this game with my cousins. I inherited it and moved it with me dozens of times until so many cards were lost that it was impossible to play. Has it been re-released? That would be rad.
johnnycache on January 17, 2013 at 5:01 PM Report this
25
If it's a "worthless forgery", shouldn't you be able to sue the hell out of the auction house for misrepresentation?
COMTE on January 17, 2013 at 5:20 PM Report this
26
When do we find out who murdered the blackmailer?
Rev. Adam McKinney on January 17, 2013 at 5:26 PM Report this
27
I wanna play.
Christopher Frizzelle on January 17, 2013 at 5:39 PM Stranger Staff
28
@5 and 9: I didn't realize there was an earlier version. Weird though. The one I picked up on ebay is dated 1970, but still has all the works I remember from TAIC. We used to run around the museum on field trips looking for our favorite paintings.

I had a huge crush on Velazquez's John the Baptist.
emma's bee on January 17, 2013 at 5:39 PM Report this
29
Sadly, the Mona Lisa in the Louvre was never that good in real life. Not in the 70s or circa 1997-2002.

I've always been underwhelmed by it.
Will in Seattle on January 17, 2013 at 5:42 PM Report this
30
@29, you are a sad, sad little worm of a man.
Fnarf on January 17, 2013 at 6:04 PM Report this
31
SCORE. I vote Emily Nokes should play.
Anna Anna Anna on January 17, 2013 at 6:14 PM Report this
32
@28: Was that John the Baptist or Juan de Pareja? This dishy fellow?
TVDinner on January 17, 2013 at 6:15 PM Report this
33
@ 29, is there a Mona Lisa in the Hermitage, too? Maybe one in the Vancouver Art Gallery? Maybe those will impress you more than the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.
Matt from Denver on January 17, 2013 at 6:34 PM Report this
34
A friend of mine from grad school gave this to me a few years ago, because we were both going to school for art history and it made sense. She went to the trouble of hunting it down on eBay. One of the best birthday gifts I've ever received.
ERIN! on January 17, 2013 at 6:36 PM Report this
35
I think there should be a staff vs commenters game.
Cynic Romantic on January 17, 2013 at 6:37 PM Report this
36
@32: no, this guy. http://www.carolsutton.net/breda/velazqu… Quite the hottie to 11-year-old me.
emma's bee on January 17, 2013 at 6:45 PM Report this
37
@36: Hubba hubba! (I'm more of a Pareja girl, myself.)
TVDinner on January 17, 2013 at 7:16 PM Report this
38
If you have an open spot, I'm all over that game. Hells yes.
MacCrocodile on January 17, 2013 at 7:36 PM Report this
39
Mudede has to be Dietrich von Oberlitzer. For Dominic Holden, it's a tough call between Count Francois and V. Elton Whitehall, but I don't want to impose gender roles.

Note to strategists: It's all about the poker face. Bluff on the forgeries.
seanrobinson on January 17, 2013 at 11:14 PM Report this
40
I had the 1970 version. I never knew there were other versions! I'm going to Ebay them all and combine them!
ratzkywatzky on January 18, 2013 at 7:45 AM Report this
41
Still have this from my childhood...and it's even more fun (at least as an adult) if you add a house rule that everyone has to role-play their character. (For yet more fun, add another that the characters have to be randomly drawn at the beginning of the game.)

DonServo on January 18, 2013 at 8:08 PM Report this
42
This is the best thread ever.
clashfan on January 19, 2013 at 11:12 AM Report this

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