As many appraisers know, many galleries in NYC were impacted by hurricane Sandy. With the flooding of the Chelsea art district, there has been an increased need for art restoration.
Bloomberg reports on the flooding and conservation and restoration services.
Source: BloombergThe Long Island City facility of Gloria Velandia Art Conservation has seen a steady arrival of damaged artworks ever since Hurricane Sandy flooded Chelsea’s art district in New York.
Casualties included pieces by Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Lucio Fontana and Joel Shapiro, according to Chief Financial Officer Steve Ludmer, whose company lists on its website clients including major Chelsea galleries Pace, David Zwirner, Gladstone and Gagosian.
“It’s been nonstop,” he said. “Over the weekend we’ve assessed over 300 works of art.”
With basements and ground floor spaces filled with contaminated water, art conservation has been the top priority for galleries and artists.
Some dealers have set up on-site conservation laboratories. About 200 people attended a free emergency panel on conserving artworks damaged by flooding at the Museum of Modern Art last weekend.
“I would say thousands of artworks were affected,” said Christiane Fischer, president and chief executive officer of AXA Art for the Americas, which insures inventory at galleries, museums and private collections. “In its extent it’s completely unprecedented.”
Donning Gumboots
Unable to reach clients by phone, Fischer and her staff made a list of 300 critical locations in Chelsea and downtown Manhattan. Donning gumboots, they set off in teams of two to assess the situation.
“The losses are severe,” Fischer said, on a conference call on Nov. 3. “First payments will be made as early as next week, especially when it’s the case of total losses.”
After the flood left behind wet canvases and a giant hole in the wall at 303 Gallery, owner Lisa Spellman quickly converted an elevated space nearby into a temporary conservation studio.
No comments:
Post a Comment