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20+ People Who Discovered Their Art History Doppelgängers at Museums

Museum Doppelganger

Photo: Davidurbon

Some people believe that everyone has a twin. And maybe that’s true—if you need proof, just visit an art or history museum! People around the world are finding themselves in the collections of renowned institutions and are snapping pictures with their artsy doubles. The resemblances are often uncanny; it’s as if these folks sat for the painting or sculpture themselves.

Museum doppelgängers exists throughout the ages. They’re commonly in Renaissance-era paintings and pieces of pop art, but the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City is going back even further. Their project called My 2000-Year-Old Double will soon pair people’s portraits with a corresponding ancient Greco-Roman or Egyptian sculpture. Using facial-recognition software, they will make matches for 60 sets of artwork/twins. The results will be revealed in October of 2018.

In the meantime, check out who has already discovered their double. And the next time you’re taking in some culture, be on the lookout for your perfect likeness.

Your twin could be anywhere—even in a painting from the Renaissance.

These ordinary people were just perusing the artworks and found their museum doppelganger.

Museum Doppelganger

Photo: datman510

Museum Doppelganger

Photo: Davidurbon

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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