Two Jackson Pollock Paintings Damaged in
Corral Canyon Fire
• Malibu Art Collector Explores
Possible Restoration •
What could potentially may be one
of the major art losses in years was made public this week when
it was announced that two Jackson Pollock paintings owned
by Malibu art collector Gene Ewing were seriously damaged
in last November’s Corral Canyon wildfire.
According to an announcement by her
attorneys, Ewing purchased the
paintings—“Drips on White” and “Drips
on Black”—in 1952 for $800 each when she was an
“18-year-old art student with an inheritance.”
She reportedly spotted the Pollock works at the Betty
Parsons Gallery in New York City and “knew she had
to have them.”
Ewing is quoted as saying it
“took her at least 20 more trips to get up the nerve to
make the purchase, since $800 was a lot of money in those
days.” She says she still has the original receipt from
the transaction. Ewing also had the paintings analyzed and
authenticated by an expert several years ago.
The paintings were reportedly never
shown in a museum or gallery. They, along with several other
valuable artworks and most of Ewing’s possessions, were
subjected to the full force of the post-Thanksgiving
Day firestorm.
The announcement holds out hope
that some restoration of the two Pollocks is possible,
indicating that “nearly one-third of each painting was
completely destroyed, and the rest of the paintings
were damaged by the heat and soot.”
The paintings were not insured because the
premiums would reportedly “have been
millions of dollars a year.” Ewing says she wants
“people to know that there were more than houses lost in
the Corral Canyon fire, there were valuable and
sentimental works of art that will never be
replaced.”
Ewing is one of the property owners
who have filed a claim against the State Parks Department (on
whose land the fire was started) through attorneys Devitt
& Chelberg for $350 million dollars.
She is also among those seeking a court
order requiring installation of a gate to close off access
to the notorious mountain partying spot where illegal bonfires
are often built.
Ewing, who formerly headed a clothing
empire named after her, recently survived a major battle with
cancer. She says she is now ready to return to the front line
on behalf of wildfire prevention, adding, “They say
you can’t beat City Hall, but if I beat cancer, I can
sure as hell try.”
PHOTOS
MAJOR LOSS—Shown photographed in a
former setting, Jackson Pollock’s “Drips on
Black” and “Drips on White” were severely
damaged in the Corral Canyon wildfire last Nov. 23. The
owner of the burned paintings is exploring the possibility of
restoring them with atomic oxygen restoration techniques and
other technology. The extent of the damage to “Drips on
Black” is evident in a recent photo of that artwork.
