The Museum of Broken Relationships Will Visit NYC to Showcase Big-Apple Heartbreak

It's a two-day tribute to love lost.

A gingerbread cookie. Courtesy of the Museum of Broken Relationships/Ana Opalić.

After making homes for itself in Zagreb, Croatia and Los Angeles, the Museum of Broken Relationships is coming to New York City. The two-day pop-up, cleverly christened “The EX-hibition,” will feature artifacts documenting failed relationships, ranging from the sentimental to the spiteful.

Each object has been donated by real New Yorkers—including a few famous ones, according to Time Out New York. If you’ve ever had particularly juicy relationship drama, now’s your chance to share it with the world: just tweet the tale with the hashtag #MessageMyEx, and the pop-up show will incorporate your story into the exhibition.

Originally opened in Zagreb in 2006 by former couple Olinka Vištica (a film producer) and Dražen Grubišić (a sculptor), the Museum of Broken Relationships opened its first permanent stateside location celebrating love lost in Los Angeles in June of 2016. In New York, you can expect to see, among other artifacts, a toaster stolen by a woman who wanted to deprive her ex of toast, and a couple’s initials immortalized in concrete long after their love has faded.

A jar of pickles at the Museum of Broken Relationships. Courtesy of the Museum of Broken Relationships.

A jar of pickles at the Museum of Broken Relationships. Courtesy of the Museum of Broken Relationships.

The upcoming exhibition is being organized by the Bravo television network on the occasion of the premiere of its original docu-series A Night With My Ex, in which each episode locks a pair of former lovers in a room for one night, joined only by the cameras—the crew remains outside, preventing the producers from manufacturing the drama.

Aimed at giving former couples the chance “to hash out their unresolved issues,” the show promises “startling confessions, wild hook ups, and shocking resolutions.” The first episode airs Tuesday, July 18, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

An Ex Axe. Courtesy of the Museum of Broken Relationships/Ana Opalić.

An Ex Axe. Courtesy of the Museum of Broken Relationships/Ana Opalić.

This isn’t the Museum of Broken Relationships’s first brush with television stardom, as it was also the setting for a memorably awkward group date during an episode of the most recent season of The Bachelor, starring Nick Viall.

“Bravo and Museum of Broken Relationships Present: The EX-hibition” is on view at Flatiron Plaza North, West 23rd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Sunday, July 16, 1 p.m.–8 p.m., and Monday, July 17, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics