The Getty Challenge: a Perfect Storm of Quarantined Creativity

What do you get when human creativity and the internet collide? This time, it’s the Getty Challenge: a perfect storm of quarantined creativity that’s forced us to stop what we’re doing and marvel as we scroll.

We challenge you to recreate a work of art with objects (and people) in your home.

🥇 Choose your favorite artwork
🥈 Find three things lying around your house⠀
🥉 Recreate the artwork with those items

And share with us. pic.twitter.com/9BNq35HY2V

— Getty (@GettyMuseum) March 25, 2020

Our Favourites

We’ve already seen some masterpieces, as isolation proves an excellent catalyst for creativity. Many turned themselves into models and played dress-up:

Participating in the @gettymuseum con Retrato de Sir Francis Buller de Mather Brown. #tussenkunstenquarantaine pic.twitter.com/qPqOrQWCnl

— Ada Crow (@adacrow) March 31, 2020

@GettyMuseum
Getty Museum Challenge
Our entry "Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist" by Lucas Cranach the Younger – Gothenburg Museum of Art pic.twitter.com/E0GThPdObL

— Arewin (@Arewin1) March 30, 2020

hey @GettyMuseum how's this for the challenge? #gettymuseumchallenge #gettychallenge #Quarantine pic.twitter.com/FQgoLy5cOA

— Avagrace (@ava_gracef) April 3, 2020

Some shot for the stars and tried to recreate more abstract works, with some dazzling ingenuity:

Enjoyed taking on the recreating a famous art piece challenge during our quarantine. #gettychallenge #guernica pic.twitter.com/JRqQEZ9r4p

— Emily (@Informal_Noun) April 5, 2020

Others took to their pantries to see what ‘art supplies’ they could gather. Some did it with pizza.

Ok if you count pizza, veggie ham and cheese as three things lying around then… pic.twitter.com/mPHmYbmNVK

— Ruby Tuesday- ICOHM 🙌 (@Rubrovski) March 31, 2020

This one just did it with everything else in the kitchen and nailed it.

JJ Audubon Birds of America Flamingo made from food from our last grocery store run while sheltering in place pic.twitter.com/19XuSqf5LE

— kari phillips (@kariphi84953136) April 3, 2020

We could fill entire libraries with the recreations that people have submitted, but we’ll just let you browse Twitter at your leisure.

No Prompt Necessary

We’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that you can exercise your creativity in a very similar way without a prompt—enter Low Cost Cosplay. He’s one of the most worthy follows on the internet. This guy can dress up as anything, with anything. Don’t believe us? Here he is cosplaying a goldfish by sticking oranges to his face.

Low Cost Cosplay—also known as Anucha Saengchart—has been doing this for years, and has even made a career out of it. Still, his budget-conscious creativity has risen to hilarious new levels during the quarantine. Here he is recreating a famous scene from The Matrix, but presumably with about 0.001% of the budget.

Seriously, you should be following him. 

We’ll leave you with our favorite example, and one that’s close to our hearts. BSTRO’s superstar Creative Director, Antonio, and his very cooperative pup took on Johannes Vermeer in their own submission for the Getty Challenge.

We proudly present Hula: the girl without the pearl earring.

Stay safe, folks.