As the World Series heads back to Los Angeles for game 6 and, if needed, game 7, the rival fanbases of the Dodgers and the Astros have taken to social media to have a pleasant discussion about the merits and disadvantages of rooting for each time. Just kidding, it’s been rude as hell, and certain racist gestures by players hasn’t helped calm things down. In the thicket of combative behavior on Twitter, however, there are two shining bright lights: art museums.
Yes, the best trash talk, for both its creativity and general civility, has come from two museums in the opposing cities: the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The two institutions have not only been going back and forth since game 1 with rhyming disses, using the hashtag #WorldSeriesArtThrowdown, but they’ve been punctuating their barbs with pieces of art from their respective collections.
As the Astros are currently leading 3-2 in the Series, it’s fair to say that the MFAH has the upper hand so far, but the Fall Classis moving towards Dodger Stadium starting on Tuesday, which gives LACMA home-field advantage heading into the final two games. In the meantime, no work of art is off limits, so we’ve collected our favorite creative jabs here. From Rembrandt to Houdon, the art speaks louder than words.