​​An Austrian Art Gallery Has Devoted an Entire Exhibit to 'The Simpsons'

There was once a time when The Simpsons was considered to be so crass and uncultured that the show was publicly derided by America’s First Family, and the mere sight of Bart Simpson on a T-shirt was cause for scandal.

But that’s all changed now. The show has been accepted as a keystone of contemporary culture, and one of the greatest comedic works of all-time. And there’s perhaps no greater sign of just how well-respected the show is now than the fact that there’s currently a Simpsons-themed exhibit in a legit European art gallery. 

The Karikaturmuseum Krems is the “first and only museum for political caricature, satire and critical cartoon art in Austria.” And to celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Simpsons, it’s presenting a special exhibition entitled “Here Comes Bart! Simpsons Cartoon Art from the William Heeter and Kristi Correa Collection.” This marks the first time that the production art has been shown outside of the U.S.

As the curator explained to the media, “Generations have grown up with animated films that were drawn by hand. With our exhibition, we are offering art lovers and animation fans an insight into a world that once lit up television screens and can now be admired as cultural heritage.”

The exhibit features “over 150 hand-painted cels, storyboards and production slides” from the first 13 seasons of the show. So now art lovers will be able to studiously observe the artistic merits of hand-painted masterpieces depicting Homer tossing Patty and Selma out of his house, Frank Grimes losing his shit and Krusty the Clown getting wasted in Tijuana. 

This makes a lot of sense, not just because The Simpsons is an important artistic achievement worthy of our respect and admiration, but because the series has showcased a number of visual arts in the past, including guest stars like Jasper Johns and Shepard Fairey, as well as legendary conceptual artist John Baldessari.

And according to ArtNet, The Simpsons has been surprisingly accurate in its portrayal of the art world, such as when it illustrated the hypocrisy of fine art appraisals and interrogated the commodification of street art.

Weirdly, the museum is also presenting “Homer’s Radioactive Tour,” which will provide guided tours of the local Zwentendorf nuclear power plant, which “has never been put into operation” allowing to be fully Simpson-ized, complete with barrels of glowing green waste and a life-sized recreation of Homer’s station in Section 7G. 

Incidentally, this inactive nuclear plant, which is now hosting hordes of adult animation fans, cost “about a billion euros” to build in the 1970s. 

The exhibition is on until June 29, 2025, so there’s lots of time to book a flight and travel to Europe purely to gawk at some doodles that only exist because Matt Groening had to pay off his gambling debts.

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