In the weeks following the outbreak of the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires in Greater Los Angeles in January, media reports often emphasised that it would be impossible to replace much of the property destroyed by the blazes. Even in cases where insurers honour policyholders’ loss claims, it is said that no amount of money can remedy the incineration of sentimental and one-of-a-kind objects, including works of art. But at least a few artists are doing everything in their power to show that this rule has exceptions.
Among them is the acclaimed photographer Martin Schoeller. Best known for his ultra-close-up portraits of subjects ranging from Holocaust survivors to international celebrities, Schoeller tells The Art Newspaper that his studio will replace any editions lost or damaged in the fires. Once a collector provides proof that their edition and its corresponding authenticity label have been damaged or destroyed, Schoeller only asks that they pay the studio’s cost of reprinting. (The reprinted work is a replacement in the studio’s records, so it does not expand the size of the edition or become a new artist’s proof.)
Schoeller says that, as of 22 January, only one collecting couple had approached him about replacing their pieces damaged by wildfire: the reality-television stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who lost their home in the Palisades fire. Pratt messaged Schoeller last month to see if he could replace the two portraits he had made of the couple some years earlier, according to the artist.
There was never any question as to whether Schoeller would accept, because the proposition is not new to him. He says his studio has replaced around a dozen lost, damaged or destroyed works in the past 20 years, adding that his offer to Pratt and Montag “will be extended to anyone else” who suffers a similar loss now or in the future.
“Things happen in life we can’t control, like fires, theft, natural disasters,” Schoeller says. “As long as I live, I will make sure my collectors are covered.”
Promise of new work
When The Art Newspaper spoke to Schoeller, he had not heard of any other artists making similar offers, but he has at least one ally. Cynthia Daignault, whose 21st-century take on history painting has been featured in the 2021 New Museum Triennial among other shows and institutions, posted on Instagram on 9 January that she knew at least four of her paintings had already been “lost in the fires”. She implored “any friend or collector who lost any of [her] artwork” to contact her, promising to replace the destroyed pieces with new works once the owners were “settled and ready”.
It is unclear whether Daignault intends to re-create the damaged pieces or if she plans to provide wholly new works. Her gallery in Los Angeles, Night Gallery, declined to comment on the offer, citing the sensitivity of the situation and the “need to respect the privacy of our clients and friends who have been affected” by the fires.
Although the Instagram post in question has since been deleted, Daignault wrote in the caption, “I can do this at least. I also look forward to donating works, money and ime to artists and families affected by the fires. Especially those with children. I cannot imagine. Please call on me when it’s time.”
The arts community has sought to support the fires’ victims in numerous ways already. Perhaps Daignault’s and Schoeller’s offers will inspire more artists to replace the supposedly irreplaceable.
