Bad Breakups Put Together For Exhibits

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You might think the kitsch and clamor of Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame would clash with a space described as an “abstract conceptual art piece,” but it makes sense for the owners of the Museum of Broken Relationships.

Slated to open June 4 in the old Frederick’s of Hollywood lingerie building – a block east of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue – the museum features totems from relationships past. Everything on display is donated anonymously and comes with a placard featuring a description from the donor of the item’s relevance to a bygone lover, partner, or meaningful connection, according to the museum’s director, Alexis Hyde.

The project is wholly funded by attorney and art collector John Quinn, the downtown L.A. rainmaker and founding partner of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

Quinn licensed the Museum of Broken Relationships name from two Croatian artists who established their project’s first permanent home in Zagreb in 2010. Regular admission at the Hollywood attraction will cost $18.

“It’s unlike anything else I’ve seen,” Quinn said of his initial attraction to the project. “People are baring their deepest regrets – some stories are funny and some are tragic – but it’s fascinating to experience, in a way, other people’s memories.” Though he was initially wary of setting up the project on Hollywood, Quinn said he’s come full circle in the year it’s taken to bring it to fruition.

“I was a little concerned at first about the location, but I got over that,” he said. “Part of the message is that this project is a universal experience.”

– Henry Meier

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