Los Angeles galleries and museums are announcing precautionary closures as wildfires spread across southern California. Since Tuesday afternoon, four wildfires have ignited around L.A. County amid low rainfall, low humidity, and strong winds, leading to the evacuation of over 30,000 people. By Wednesday afternoon, the four fires—Palisades, Eaton, Woodley, and Hurst—had spread over 1,200 acres, claiming more than 1,000 homes and businesses and at least two lives.
Several galleries across Los Angeles have closed out of precaution and due to the severe weather warnings. Gagosian announced it will postpone its upcoming opening of Alex Israel’s “Noir” at its Beverly Hills location. Other galleries that announced closures via Instagram include Sean Kelly Gallery, Various Small Fires, Night Gallery, and Chris Sharp Gallery, among others. Several L.A. museums have also announced temporary closures, including the Hammer Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), The Broad, and the Getty Center and Villa.
These announcements come as the fire has spread to the vegetation around The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. However, the museum building and its staff were not harmed, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Getty. The Getty collection has been safeguarded due to measures like on-site water storage, immediate deployment of irrigation, and state-of-the-art air handling systems to seal off galleries and library archives from smoke. The Getty Villa will remain closed until January 13th.
“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year,” Katherine E. Fleming, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement. “Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe.”
Modeled after the ancient Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy, The Getty Villa is renowned for its extensive collection of antiquities from ancient Greece and Rome. It features important sculptures, vases, jewelry, frescoes, and mosaics that span from 6,500 B.C.E. to 400 C.E.
The Getty Villa is located along the Pacific Coast Highway, roughly 10 miles from the Getty Museum. Its proximity to the ocean makes it particularly vulnerable to the seasonal Santa Ana winds, which have fueled the ongoing wildfires.
Several other Palisades-based arts and culture institutions are at risk of damage amid the raging wildfires. Some venues include Villa Aurora, the Thomas Mann House, and the Eames House, designed by Charles and Ray Eames.
“We are grateful for the tireless work of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies to keep the Villa and its staff safe, as well as for the on-site presence of fire trucks throughout the day,” Fleming said.
Concerns about the Getty Museum’s protection plans were similarly stirred during the California wildfires in October 2019. This fire came within a half-mile of the Getty Museum. At the time, officials for the center assured the public of the measures taken to protect the collection against fire and smoke damage.
from Artsy News https://ift.tt/3QXtiaL
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