A series of uncontrollable wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area starting Tuesday amid high winds and bone-dry conditions. The fire ignited in the Pacific Palisades and quickly engulfed neighboring Malibu, spreading with alarming speed, defying all efforts to contain the blaze. Social media was awash with videos of apocalyptic skies and burning horizons, showing the chaos as nearly 200,000 residents were forced to evacuate. Among those on high alert is the iconic Getty Villa, perched on the Pacific Ocean with its irreplaceable treasures hanging in the balance.
Video circulating online Tuesday afternoon showed flames coming dangerously close to bushes surrounding the Getty Museum. However, officials assured the public that the building and its collection of 44,000 precious artifacts dating back to 6,500 BC remain safe. Still, lingering questions remain about the impact of temperature swings and smoky air on artifacts, even as museum directors confirmed that air-handling systems had isolated artifacts. Meanwhile, the fire also destroyed other cultural and historical landmarks, including the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, the Palisade Theater, the Pearson Theater and the Palisade Library Branch, which were reportedly reduced to ashes .
In just 48 hours, the relentless fires swept through Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, the Sepulveda Basin, and Sylmar, leaving behind scenes of devastation. As of the time of publication, 10 people have died and the scale of destruction is staggering: more than 10,000 buildings have been destroyed, tens of thousands of residents have been displaced, and countless businesses, galleries and cultural venues have closed.
One of the victims was Alto Beta, an art gallery in Altadena that debuted a few days ago an exhibition of new work by Los Angeles artist Mary-Anna Pomonis. Days later, the gallery was engulfed in fire. Unfortunately, all the pieces were lost in the fire, a somber video posted on Instagram confirmed. Altadena also witnessed the near-total destruction of Zorthian Ranch, an arts community center founded by Armenian-American artist Jirayr Zorthian. According to the latest information on a GoFundMe page shared by a manager, 95 percent of the property has been destroyed. (ARTNews reports that many artists are already raising funds for future reconstruction efforts.)
How Los Angeles museums and galleries respond to emergencies
By Thursday, the wildfire tragedy had brought the Los Angeles art scene to a standstill, with all galleries closing and indefinitely or postponing openings. Night Gallery, which was due to host Cathleen Clarke’s first solo exhibition this weekend, has postponed its opening to January 15, but the gallery remains closed until further notice. Regen Projects has rescheduled the opening of Doug Aitken’s new exhibition to January 18, while the Gagosian Beverly Hills location has postponed Alex Israel’s latest exhibition but is not scheduled to Set a new date. Los Angeles’ Vielmetter has postponed its scheduled Jan. 8 opening of Nate Lewis’s first solo show and the first solo shows of Kyle Dunn and Kim Dacres. The gallery will post daily updates on its decision to remain closed as the fire spreads. Sean Kelly Gallery released a statement confirming it would remain closed “in solidarity with our colleagues, loved ones and all those affected.”
Major museums in Los Angeles are following suit. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) has closed its Grand Avenue and Geffen Contemporary venues over the weekend, joining The Broad, Hammer Museum and LACMA in suspending operations. UCLA’s Fowler Museum has also postponed the opening of an upcoming exhibition with a very timely theme: “Fire Affinity: Native Ecology and Art of Southern California,” which will explore how California’s indigenous people relate to this fiery natural landscape. The challenges posed can coexist sustainably.
The frequency of wildfires has increased dramatically in recent years, but they are usually limited to the dry hills of Southern California. This time, however, fueled by high Santa Ana winds and a chronic lack of rainfall, the fires grew out of control and spread into Los Angeles itself, sparking the most destructive wildfire in the city’s history. The disaster is a dire warning of the effects of climate change, although some public figures continue to downplay that view, instead criticizing recent political decisions by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Bass has faced growing backlash for being outside Ghana when the fires broke out, and her long silence during the crisis has intensified criticism.
A fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening the affluent community and the city’s iconic buildings, with social media quickly awash with images and videos purportedly showing the Los Angeles landmark engulfed in flames. However, many of these visuals turned out to be generated by artificial intelligence, sparking debate about how such technology perpetuates fake news and undermines the credibility of documents during a crisis of such severity.
The challenges of insuring art in a chaotic climate
Areas affected by wildfires include some of Los Angeles’ most affluent neighborhoods, home to luxury villas and mansions that often double as repositories for rare art collections. These properties are now threatened by the spread of flames and deteriorating air quality, further adding to the damage. According to Bloomberg, as of yesterday (January 9), insurance companies’ fire losses were estimated at $20 billion, and JPMorgan warned that this number could be higher if the fires continue to spread. Many companies have stopped issuing new policies in California as the risk of wildfires and other natural disasters surges due to state regulations prohibiting insurers from raising home insurance rates.
The Observer asked Anne Rappa, head of fine art practice at Marsh McLennan Agency, to gain insight into how art collectors and insurance companies are dealing with this increasingly common disaster. “The focus in a disaster is the safety of life – people, not objects,” Lapa stressed. “The key is to plan ahead, which includes risk considerations, mitigation measures and potential evacuations.” Her cautious advice underscores the importance of being prepared in an era when such devastating events are no longer unpredictable or unprecedented.
As climate change leads to an increase in natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, collectors should reconsider insuring their art collections and, more importantly, develop crisis plans. “While many people, including myself, dread days like this, proactive asset protection can prevent the losses caused by reactive measures in times of crisis,” Rappa said.
Most “all risks” art policies provide protection against physical loss or damage caused by disasters such as fire, but they also have exclusions. These typically include nuclear hazards, government action, war or military conflict, contamination or deterioration and damage by birds, vermin, rodents or insects, as well as wear, loss of use and damage incurred during repair, restoration, retouching or framing. .
“With the increase in natural events related to extreme weather, insurance companies have and will continue to require more information to cover high-value art collections, and this is not limited to disaster-prone geographic areas,” Rappa noted. The increased scrutiny reflects the increasing overall risks faced by collectors.
Determining a policy’s coverage depends on the assessment method specific to the policyholder and the specific situation. Valuations will vary greatly depending on whether the insured is a museum operating under the “museum fine art form,” a private owner who includes his art on a home insurance policy, or a gallery using the “art dealer/gallery inventory form.” For museums, appraisals typically reflect “fair market” or “current value,” which is based on the price that a willing buyer and seller would agree on in the open market. These nuanced valuation standards emphasize the importance of understanding the specific terms and protections of an art insurance policy.
See also: Extreme weather makes art insurance riskier
For galleries, the valuation of an artwork is usually the gallery sale price minus 20% or the cost plus 30%. If a work is consigned by a private collector or other art dealer, insurance will assess the consignment value plus 10% to account for the gallery’s efforts in displaying and marketing the work. For sold works awaiting delivery, the estimate includes the selling price plus associated fees.
“For art collectors, the first goal is always to understand what you own, to articulate what you own, and to understand the value of what you own,” Lapa said. “It’s important to build relationships with trusted resources and work with agents who understand fine art risks such as hazard mitigation, response and adjustment to art loss.”
While the Los Angeles wildfires were a horrific and unprecedented disaster, they also hold hard lessons for art collectors and institutions as weather-related disasters become more frequent and horrific. Education is very important, Lapa added. “All of us, including those in the insurance industry, learn a lot after every disaster. This information and advice can be applied to the next event. For example, we learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy on September 11 knowledge that we will apply as advice in the future. After a tragedy, it is when people other than those affected are most receptive to advice.
