Bored Office Workers Re-Create Art Masterpieces — It’s Hilarious

The things you can do with a smartphone when your boss isn't looking!

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Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665) by Johannes Vermeer and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
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Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665) by Johannes Vermeer and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Girl with the Pearl Earring (1665) by Johannes Vermeer and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Mona Lisa (1503-1517), by Leonardo da Vinci and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Mona Lisa (1503-1517), by Leonardo da Vinci and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
The Son of Man (1964), by Rene Magritte and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
The Son of Man (1964), by René Magritte and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632), by Rembrandt and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632), by Rembrandt and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Thinking About Death (1943), by Frida Kahlo and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Thinking About Death (1943), by Frida Kahlo and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
i>Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801-05), by Jacques-Louis David and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801-05), by Jacques-Louis David and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Lady and the Unicorn: Sight (c. 1500)Photo via: Fools Do Art
Lady and the Unicorn: Sight (c. 1500)
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Portrait of a Man in a Turban (1433), by Jan van Eyck and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Portrait of a Man in a Turban (1433), by Jan van Eyck and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Blonde Beauty (1950’s), by Walt Otto and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Blonde Beauty (1950’s), by Walt Otto and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene After the Resurrection (1835), by Alexander Ivanov and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene After the Resurrection (1835), by Alexander Ivanov and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art
Timoclea uccide il capitano di Alessandro Magno (1659) by Elisabetta Sirani and Fools Do ArtPhoto via: Fools Do Art
Timoclea uccide il capitano di Alessandro Magno (1659), by Elisabetta Sirani and Fools Do Art
Photo via: Fools Do Art

Francesco Fragomeni and Chris Limbrick got bored at work one day, and instead of going through yet another round on their Facebook and Twitter feeds, they decided to get creative.

The result is the Fools Do Art project, in which they recreate famous masterpieces following two rules. The first one is that they can only work with the materials and props they have at hand in their office, the HQ of the online content management company Squarespace in New York. The second rule is that all editing must be done on a smartphone.

Constraint has spurred Fragomeni and Limbrick’s imagination. Thus, towels become headpieces, a tatty table becomes a marble altar, white plastic sheets become tunics and cocktails dresses … and their hilarious recreations have become more and more elaborate as the weeks went by.

The duo occasionally enlists some of their co-workers, who stand in as extras when Fragomeni and Limbrick tackle group compositions, such as their brilliant recreation of Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632).

Fools Do Art is an ongoing endeavor, with new scenes being concocted as you read these lines. They began documenting and sharing their project on a Tumblr on November 3, with their most recent update taking place only two days ago.

See some highlights from Fools Do Art project in the slideshow above.

For more hilarious recreations see “Batman, Superman, and the Hulk Get the Old Master Touch” and “Wolverine, Princess Leia, and Other Superheroes Get the Old Master Touch, Part II


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