Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art

Culture-hounds take heart: Halloween doesn’t have to be all Honey Boo Boos and internet memes

Van-Gogh-Costume-575.jpg
Image courtesy of James Birkbeck

As Woody Allen said, “Life doesn’t imitate art, it imitates bad television.” And it seems there’s no day of the year when that’s more true than Halloween. But culture-hounds take heart: Halloween doesn’t have to be all reality TV stars and internet memes. Here are seven timeless costume ideas inspired by great works of art.

Self-Portrait, Vincent van Gogh:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of James Birkbeck
Self-Portrait, 1889; Vincent van Gogh; Musee d’Orsay, Paris
Self-Portrait, 1889; Vincent van Gogh; Musee d’Orsay, Paris Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Whistler’s Mother, James McNeill Whistler:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Tony Brannon
Whistler’s Mother (Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1), 1871, James McNeill Whistler.
Whistler’s Mother (Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1), 1871, James McNeill Whistler. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Logan Brumm
Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665, Johannes Vermeer.
Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665, Johannes Vermeer. Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Roy Lichtenstein:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Tony Aceves

Son of Man, Rene Magritte:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Nate Vandermeulen

Flower Chucker, Banksy:

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Jason McDowell
Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art
Image courtesy of Flickr user Jonas K

Ecce Homo, Elias Garcia Martinez:

Post-botched restoration attempt.

Costume by Reddit user Spinjump
Costume by Reddit user Spinjump  Image courtesy of Reddit user OhioUPilot12. H/T Huffington Post

More from Smithsonian.com:

The Witches of Halloween Past
The History of Trick or Treating Is Weirder Than You Thought

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