Los Angeles wildfires devastate local arts scene

Fires in Los Angeles are causing widespread destruction to the local arts and culture scene.

Since an initial outbreak on 7 January, multiple fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and scorched more than 60 square miles.

The blazes have caused scores of arts spaces to close temporarily and cancel scheduled events, while other institutions have taken measures to evacuate artworks and artefacts.

Numerous artists, collectors and industry workers have reported losing their homes and art collections. According to a report from Vanity Fair published on Friday (10 January) more than 40 artists and arts professionals had lost their homes in the fires, but it added that the full number could be in the hundreds. 

In addition, at least 100,000 scores by the pioneering 20th century Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg have been destroyed. The sheet music was kept at his family’s music production company – which burnt down in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood last week.

While no original manuscripts were lost, the music owned by Belmont Music Publishing had been the main collection of scores rented out to orchestras and musicians.

Institutions lost

Some arts institutions have been burned to the ground. A museum dedicated to actor Will Rogers was destroyed, as well as the Bunny Museum, a space dedicated to rabbits with a 50,000-plus piece collection, located in Altadena, California.

A social media post from the museum said: “Saved only a few bunny items. Saved the cats and bunnies. The museum was the last building to burn around us”.

Performing arts venue Theatre Palisades, built in 1976 and dedicated to community arts, has also been lost to the fires. A statement on the theatre’s website says all its operations are suspended until further notice.

Other institutions destroyed by the fires include the Alto Beta gallery, which opened a new exhibition just the week prior. Meanwhile, community art centre The Zorthian Ranch was 95% lost to one of the fires, according to a Gofundme page set up by Julia Zorthian, artist and manager of the ranch. 

Close encounters

Towards the start of the week, one of the fires reached the Getty Villa, the sister venue of the Getty Center, which is one of LA’s most famous arts institutions. The villa’s building was spared, with the fires only reaching vegetation within the campus.

The Getty Center, built in 1997 using fire-resistant stone and concrete, has previously claimed to be the safest place for art during a fire.

Katherine Fleming, president and chief executive of the J Paul Getty Trust, released a statement over the weekend informing there were no plans to evacuate artwork as officials consider them “already in the safest place possible”.

Other institutions have also remained unscathed. A fire which broke out last week near Runyon Canyon, now contained, had threatened landmarks including the Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre and The Hollywood Bowl. 

Further impact

The Los Angeles region is currently facing near-hurricane force winds, raising concerns the blazes currently burning – classified as two large and two small fires – could lead to further damage.

The long-term impact on the arts and culture scene is yet to be determined. But Simon de Burgh Codrington, a fine arts insurance specialist and managing director at Risk Strategies, told American arts magazine ARTnews the fires are going to be “possibly one of the most impactful art losses ever in America”.

Grace Artesky, a business development manager at HUB International, told the magazine the area has “an exceedingly high aggregation” of fine art.

“There is no doubt that insurance companies are bracing themselves for massive fine art claims, but the implications for the broader art ecosystem are unprecedented,” Aretsky said.

New York-based arts magazine Hyperallergic has published a comprehensive list of resources, including fundraisers, mutual aid drives and emergency grants, to support artists impacted by the fires.