As wildfires in Los Angeles edge toward 50 percent containment, the city is beginning to take stock of the devastation that has unfolded over the past week—180,000 people forced to evacuate, twenty-four lives lost and entire communities left in ruins. In response, the city’s major museums swiftly launched a $12 million emergency relief fund to support artists and cultural workers affected by the disaster. The L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation—a San Francisco-based nonprofit focused on financial security for artists—has already seen a flood of contributions. The Getty led the charge with a $9 million donation, forming the backbone of the fund alongside the Mohn Art Collective (a collaboration between the Hammer, LACMA and MOCA). The momentum didn’t stop there; major private foundations and institutions across the U.S. and beyond—including the Mellon Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Qatar Museums and the Ford Foundation—have quickly followed suit, pushing the fund’s total ever higher.
“L.A. is a vibrant arts culture—we don’t want it to be bottomed out, we don’t want artists who have lost stuff to get up and leave, and we also don’t want people to forget about them,” said Katherine E. Fleming, chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, in a statement. The urgency of the situation has also spurred action from the commercial sector, with heavyweight galleries like Hauser & Wirth and Gagosian announcing their own contributions to the relief effort.
Meanwhile, Frieze has joined in, though uncertainty still clouds the fate of its Los Angeles edition, which is scheduled to take place in just two weeks. With people dead and many survivors losing everything and displaced, the question remains: is it callous—too outright surreal—to carry on with an art fair under these circumstances? Even if organizers push forward, who, realistically, would be in the mood to buy art? And given that Santa Monica, the fair’s venue, sits on the edge of this apocalyptic landscape, would collectors from outside L.A. even be willing to make the trip?
While Frieze’s America director Christine Messineo remains notably silent, the boutique satellite fair Felix has taken a more outspoken stance. During an online conference organized by Gallery Association Los Angeles, Felix confirmed that it will proceed as planned—as did Chris Sharp, founder of both the eponymous gallery and a newly launched, small-scale alternative fair, Santa Monica Post Office. The three-day event, set to take place right next to Frieze’s location at Santa Monica Airport, aims to provide an additional platform for galleries in the midst of the crisis.
“I believe that the L.A. art community has demonstrated itself to be incredibly organized and resilient. Now more than ever, it needs to come together and show up for itself. Postponing or canceling the upcoming art week and the related fairs would only aggravate the economic hardship created by the fires,” Sharp told Observer. “In addition to donating to the numerous fundraisers, the art community at large could and should, most importantly, show up for L.A. and actively support it in these difficult times.” Messineo, meanwhile, was reportedly present on the call but chose not to make any public statement.
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“We are committed to moving forward with Felix Art Fair and look forward to welcoming the art community to Los Angeles this coming February,” the fair announced in an Instagram post today. “As residents, we understand the deep impact of last week’s wildfires. The decision to move forward with the fair is based on dozens of conversations with artists, galleries, collectors, curators and institutions—both inside and outside of Southern California.” The post also underscored the fair’s role in “amplifying the voices of the local and international artists and galleries that make up our cultural fabric,” while emphasizing Los Angeles’ resilience as a key cultural and economic catalyst for the art world. “The community has quickly banded together as we raise funds and offer help where help is needed while maintaining normalcy in unaffected areas. With this same energy and resolve, we are deeply committed to maintaining the health and stability of the arts ecosystem.”
Felix Art Fair’s 2025 edition is expected to host sixty-four exhibitors at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which, in an ironic twist, has spent the past week offering temporary accommodations to evacuees displaced by the fires.
Major galleries like David Kordansky and Lisson have voiced their support for Felix’s decision, joined by several local dealers who believe pressing forward with the city’s art week is not only vital to the industry but also a symbolic stand against further disruption to L.A.’s cultural fabric. Echoing this sentiment, Nicodim Gallery director ben lee, in a comment to Artnet, likened the moment to post-9/11 New York when the Yankees played on, proving that the city was still open for business. Speaking to Observer, he added, “Most of the art community here is back to work already, even those who have lost everything. Los Angeles continues to be one of the best places to be in the world, especially in winter. No one is helping anyone by staying away. Let’s be together and showcase our artists in this beautiful city.”
There’s an undeniable push to return to normalcy and keep the business of art moving, but concerns remain. Reconstruction will take time, and air quality issues may not be resolved in a matter of weeks. Dealers Observer spoke with at openings in New York this week—many of whom had planned to exhibit at Frieze next month—were far more skeptical. For them, going ahead with a major commercial fair in the wake of such widespread loss isn’t just a question of sensitivity; it’s a financial risk. If collectors opt out, the event could be a fiasco, deepening the struggles of galleries already emerging from a grueling year.
Regardless of Frieze’s final decision, Felix Art Fair, Santa Monica Post Office and numerous local galleries seem determined to move forward, ensuring that L.A. will still have its art week. Whether Frieze follows suit—and how it might structure the fair to balance success with respect for the affected communities—remains to be seen.
Article Updated 5pm ET – Frieze also decides to go ahead.
In an email sent in the afternoon of January 17 the fair said “After careful consideration and extensive conversations with galleries, partners, and city-wide stakeholders, we can confirm that the sixth edition of Frieze Los Angeles will go ahead from February 20-23, 2025.”
