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Thursday, June 10, 2010 – The Work of Art

A work in progress on Hollywood Boulevard – the artist not around at the moment –

And this is floating above the artist –

In 2004, when Hollywood Boulevard was still pretty seedy, and a dangerous place, the nonprofit Hollywood Beautification Team initiated a project funded by the Hollywood Historic Trust to paint monochrome celebrity portraits on the roll-down doors of the shops on the boulevard. The artists who did the paintings later charged they were not fully paid, and then were forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement to get what they were owed - they weren't allowed to talk about it – take your damned money and shut up.

No one was happy. It was a mess. The next year the Business Improvement District folks decided everyone should just go with the open security grates, so only a few of these doors remain, fading fast – no one takes care of them at all. No respect, I tell you – no respect! But Jimmy Dorsey still looks pretty good.

All anyone seems to preserve is all the old Art Deco architecture, like this sort of detail at the old Max Factor Building on Highland, now the Hollywood Museum –

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All text and photos unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik

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