Rembrandt's "Lucretia"

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts will place high-quality reproductions of four of its paintings outside Minneapolis stores and businesses during May. Museum docents will be on site sharing anecdotes and answering questions about the art from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. each Saturday, weather permitting.

The project is part of the MIA's 100th birthday celebration. The reproductions will appear about May 1 and will be moved to new sites at the middle of the month. The first round will feature the following pictures at these locations:

Rembrandt's "Lucretia" at Bobby and Steve's Auto World. As there are several Bobby and Steve's in Minneapolis, the promise of a "Lucretia" sighting is perhaps an enticement to visit them all in hopes of spying her. One of the MIA's most famous pictures, "Lucretia" depicts a Roman noblewoman committing suicide to salvage her honor after having been raped.

Monet's "Grainstack, Sun in the Mist," at U.S. Bank, 2420 Hennepin Av. in Uptown. Shimmering with sunny pinks at sundown, the picture features a huge muffin-shaped stack of wheat in a French meadow.

Van Gogh's "Olive Trees," at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown MInneapolis. A typically turbulent Van Gogh image, "Olive Trees" shows gnarled and twisted trees sweltering in the midday sun.

Chaim Soutine's "Carcass of Beef," at Kramarczuk's Deli, 215 E. Hennepin in Northeast Minneapolis. One of the more inspired pairings of art and enterprise, this places the Russian-born artist's expressively brutal image of a flayed carcass at a meatmarket famous for delicious sausage and other Eastern European delicacies linked to its founder's Ukrainian heritage.

The reproductions will be moved later to the Wedge Table, Loring Park, the Stone Arch Bridge and the Strip Club Meat & Fish. Check out other MIA birthday surprises at the museum's birthday website.