Museums Bet Paintings on Super Bowl

Two museums are making Super Bowl XLV a little more interesting. Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art and the Milwaukee Art Museum are betting two comparable French impressionist paintings on the big game. If the Steelers prevail, Milwaukee will give up Gustave Caillebotte's Boating on the Yerres, whereas if the Packers win, the Carnegie will send off Renoir's Bathers with a Crab. The stakes aren't that high, though: The loser gets its pricey painting back in 3 months, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“I'm confident we will be enjoying the Renoir from the Carnegie Museum of Art very soon,” the director of the Milwaukee said. “I look forward to displaying it where the public can enjoy it and be reminded of the superiority of the Green Bay Packers.” The Carnegie's head honcho responded, “In Pittsburgh, we believe trash talk is bad form. We let the excellence of our football team, and our collection, speak for itself."
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