MORRISON MONDAYS!
By BILL MORRISON
We live in a timeline in which there are lots of made-up holidays and observances for every day of the year, and though many of them are ridiculous and contrived, I really like one of the observances for today, November 9. It’s National Go to an Art Museum Day!
I think as a society we tend to take art museums for granted. So, a day that reminds us that they exist, and urges us to visit and support them because they contain incredible artworks that we can see in person? That’s a worthwhile thing.
I once drew a cover for a Simpsons poster book, pretentiously titled The Simpsons Masterpiece Gallery, that I think serves nicely as an image to promote this special day. It’s also an homage to Norman Rockwell’s painting for the January 13, 1962, edition of The Saturday Evening Post, titled “The Connoisseur.”)
The oversize book is out of print, but for Simpsons fans in need of wall décor, it’s well worth the hunt. It’s full of Bongo Comics covers and other splashy art, presented without logos or any kind of trade dress, and suitable for framing.
To further inspire a visit to your local art museum, I’ll share a story from my art school days.
I attended college at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, which is now the College for Creative Studies, where I’m currently an adjunct professor. The Detroit Institute of Arts, a world-class museum that contains important works, such as “Self Portrait With Straw Hat” by Vincent Van Gogh, “The Wedding Dance” by Pieter Bruegel, and several Diego Rivera murals, is located very conveniently right across the street from the school. As a young art student, the close proximity of the museum to the school made it possible for me to visit the DIA at will.
One day, while roaming the museum galleries on my lunch hour, I saw a large group of people circled around a very tall man who was speaking and gesturing toward a painting. The man was obviously conducting a guided tour, but he didn’t seem like a typical tour guide. I had the sense that he was an art historian of some sort who had brought a group to the museum to show them around and talk about some of the notable pieces in the collection.
As I moved closer to the group, I realized that I recognized the tall man. His voice was very familiar and unmistakable, and I could now see and identify his face. The man was Vincent Price!
I wondered why a celebrity of the caliber of Mr. Price was giving a private, guided museum tour in Detroit. That seemed odd to me. But I later learned that he was an avid art collector and historian, and loved to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts whenever he had the opportunity.
So, visit your local art museum today, or at least put it on your schedule. You’re liable to discover some awe-inspiring artwork, and you never know who you may run into there!
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Eisner winner BILL MORRISON has been working in comics and publishing since 1993 when he co-founded Bongo Entertainment with Matt Groening, Cindy Vance and Steve Vance. At Bongo, and later as Executive Editor of Mad Magazine, he parodied the comics images he loved as a kid every chance he got. Not much has changed.
Bill is on Instagram (@atomicbattery) and Facebook (Bill Morrison/Atomic Battery Studios), and regularly takes commissions and sells published art through 4C Comics.
November 9, 2026
Vincent Price made a great guest appearance on the radio drama Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar around 1957. He played himself – as an avid art collector who has a very valuable painting stolen, and he insists on helping with the investigation. Throughout his knowledge of art is played up and it was clear that they were using his real life interest to create a fun episode.