Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Ocean Gallery of Ocean City, Maryland: I don't know art, but I know what I like

Click this photo to enlarge it... this you gotta see
Plenty of free Batmobile parking
Born to be wild: Supermodel Cindy Rich and Ocean Gallery's Joseph KroArt Jr.

Ocean City, Maryland is a lovely seaside community with a wide, long boardwalk that runs past gift shops, ice cream stands, and nice motels. There's lots of sun and sand and one really great eccentric roadside attraction: Ocean Gallery. It's founder, Mr. Joseph Leonard KroArt Jr., brings new meaning to the word eccentric. According to his website, he built the gallery single-handedly and it took 17 years to build and 32 years to complete. He refers to himself as The P.T. Barnum of Fine Art!!! (the exclamation points are his, not mine) and he's created a mecca for fine art, cheap art, and all kinds of bric-a-brac in between. The building is a work of art unto itself and is considered by some (Mr. KroArt, at least) the most recognizable landmark in Ocean City. The facade of the building is comprised of pieces of buildings from all over the world and the inside is stuffed floor to ceiling with all kinds of artistic, well... stuff. Super models have been known to make appearances here, as well as politicians, and Mr. Kro-Art has a car collection including a Dodge hopped up to look like the Batmobile. If you like your art emporiums eccentric, this is the place to be. Here's their website: http://www.oceangallery.com/Default.htm

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