As fires raged across Los Angeles this week, due to the ongoing Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires, numerous artists, collectors, and arts professionals have reported losing their homes and art collections in the affected areas. While it is still too early to truly assess the damage, art insurers and conservators told ARTnews that they expect it to be extensive.

“This is going to be substantial and possibly one of the most impactful art losses ever in America,” Simon de Burgh Codrington, fine arts insurance specialist and managing director at Risk Strategies, told ARTnews in a phone interview. The devastating losses, de Burgh Codrington added, are expected “to be much more impactful than Sandy was to the art world.”

Similarly, Christopher Wise, vice president of Risk Strategies, told ARTnews, “There are huge amounts of fine art value under threat at the current moment. Many, many billions of fine art.”

While Risk Strategies insures “many collectors, museums, galleries, artists, and warehouses throughout Los Angeles,” according to Wise, many have already moved artworks into safer locations following evacuation offers. Still, he said, the “destruction is devastating.”

“Our hearts break to hear of the scale of the losses,” Wise said. “We have also been actively reaching out to try and help … As the fires continue to expand and new areas are affected, we continue to communicate and act vigilantly on behalf of our clients.

In a late-term legislative move, President Joe Biden signed the EXPLORE Act, whose name is short for the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act. The law reforms existing rules that restrict film and photography in national parks.

A part of the law, the FILM Act, will also address long-running concerns about burdensome permit requirements for filmmakers and photographers seeking to take footage in the parks.

Under the old standards, permits were mandatory and could be denied for various reasons that some detractors saw as inconsistent. The process was challenged in a lawsuit in December 2024 by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the National Press Photographers Association, and videographers Alexander Rienzie and Connor Burkesmith. The groups claimed the government’s restriction as unlawful, arguing the procedure violated First Amendment rights.

The new law takes away permit requirements for small groups carrying out photography on national park land. Fewer than six people are now allowed to shoot footage of the parks, provided they abide by regulations by avoiding disruptions to the habitats native to these lands. Sets and staging equipment are still not permitted under the new law, which stipulated that commercial producers with larger-scale operations still require permits.

In a statement, FIRE Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere approved of the permit reform, saying, “This new law allows filmmakers to share the beauty and stories of our national parks without facing jail or fines for how they use the footage.”

The Supreme Court on Friday heard oral arguments on the future of TikTok—whether to let the platform go dark on January 19 according to a bipartisan law passed by Congress, or to intervene and spare the platform.

The case pits the First Amendment free speech rights of TikTok and its users against the government’s assertions that the platform poses a national security risk. With bipartisan support, Congress passed a law that will essentially ban TikTok in the United States on January 19 unless ByteDance, the Chinese-based company that owns TikTok, divests the platform.

Genuflecting to national security over fundamental rights has led to some of the court’s most regrettable decisions.

The Supreme Court does not generally like to second-guess the federal government when it comes to national security concerns, and is therefore likely to ultimately uphold the law. While the justices did express doubts about some of the government’s national security rationale, it’s unclear if there are strong enough to delay the law from taking effect, or to overturn it as an unconstitutional infringement on the right to free speech.

Los Angeles has been hit with its worst-ever wildfires, which continue to blaze, already claiming at least ten lives and devastating air quality—just as a spate of mask bans have been enacted or proposed around the country, including in LA itself.

Since authorities began issuing evacuation orders across the area, Joaquín Beltrán, a community organizer and software engineer, has been visiting centers to hand out masks. Beltrán still takes Covid-19 seriously, as do organizers with Mask Bloc LA, a mutual aid group that Beltrán linked up with, which has also been visiting evacuation shelters to hand out N95 and KN95 masks.

Personally handed out well over 1,000 respirators here at the Pasadena Convention Center to every person awake. @PasadenaGov @lapublichealth @RedCross, the people want to be protected from hazardous wildfire smoke. Please set up a system and supply respirators immediately. pic.twitter.com/C6OFzytjpr

For people involved in Covid mask organizing, handing out masks serves two purposes: protection from harmful wildfire smog and against infectious diseases. I spoke to Beltrán about his experience working to keep his community safe, even as this dual-purpose public health tool has become an increasingly villainized symbol of the culture wars.

After several Sally Mann photographs were removed from a show at Texas’s Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth amid controversy, the institution has finally responded, issuing a brief statement on the matter.

The Mann photographs were removed after some locals and politicians claimed that these images were “child porn.” The Dallas Express, which published several articles reporting on locals’ concerns, previously reported that there was a police investigation surrounding the works as evidence for alleged child abuse, but the museum had not responded to inquiries about it until now.

Mann has regularly faced controversy about her depictions of children. She became known for photographing her home in Lexington, Virginia; some of her shots have featured her own children in the nude. These photographs do not depict sexual activity.

“An inquiry has been made concerning four artworks in the temporary exhibition Diaries of Home. These have been widely published and exhibited for more than 30 years in leading cultural institutions across the country and around the world,” a spokesperson for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth told ARTnews in an email. The spokesperson said the museum was unable to comment further.

“Diaries of Home” features the work of 13 women and nonbinary artists who, according to the museum’s website, “explore the multilayered concepts of family, community, and home.” The website includes a warning that the show features “mature themes that may be sensitive for some viewers.” Glasstire reported news of the removal of five Mann works and their accompanying wall texts this week.

In Los Angeles this week, museums burned to the ground, many artists’ homes were lost, and a number of artworks were endangered. And with four fires currently blazing, members of the city’s art scene have banded together to raise money for artists and art workers impacted by all the destruction.

On Thursday, a GoFundMe effort was launched by artists Andrea Bowers and Kathryn Andrews, Various Small Fires senior director Ariel Pittman, Vielmetter Los Angeles associate director Olivia Gauthier, and arts professional Julia V. Hendrickson. As of publication time, the fund had already raised more than $23,000.

“Over the last few days,” they wrote in their GoFundMe’s description, “we have watched as neighborhoods that are home to many of Los Angeles’ artists, gallerists, and cultural workers burn to the ground in an unprecedented Santa Ana wind and fire event. Many members of our personal communities, and our broader creative communities, have lost everything. The ramifications of that impact are varied: some people will be able to rebuild, while others may not have the same access to insurance coverage or other resources.”

Dealers Matthew Marks and Jessica Silverman have already donated $2,000 each. Artist Dyani White Hawk, curators Rujeko Hockley and Amy Sadao, and art adviser Benjamin Godsill have also donated to the fund, which has a goal of $500,000.

Andrews lost her home this week to the fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which also claimed her collection works by Rashid Johnson, Charles Long, and Jim Shaw. She previously told ARTnews, “It’s not just the loss of stuff, you know, it’s the loss of nature, it’s the loss of a community, it’s the loss of dreams. It has a very intense impact.”

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The Headlines

DEALER KAVI GUPTA’S LEGAL TROUBLES. Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta, who has championed many artists featured in major international exhibitions, is facing lawsuits and claims of mismanagement, reports Brian Boucher for Artnet News. Artist Jeffrey Gibson, who represented the US at the Venice Biennale, filed a suit against Gupta’s gallery in 2023 alleging unpaid sales proceeds to the tune of nearly $640,000. The gallery responded at the time that those funds were spent on production expenses, per their contract with the artist. Then, dealer Thomas McCormick also sued Gupta in June 2024, alleging the misuse of funds from a refinanced loan on their co-owned building at Gupta’s main location on West Washington Blvd, in addition to falling behind on rent. Gupta’s lawyer has denied those allegations. But several people familiar with the gallery’s operations told Artnet News anonymously that the gallery and Gupta’s troubles go far deeper and the alleged practices far more widespread than previously known.

IN MEMORIAM. The artist Raquel Rabinovich, known for her land art and monochromatic paintings, has died at age 95. Born in Buenos Aires in 1929, she studied in Europe before moving to the US, where Rabinovich became an active member of the Hudson Valley artistic and Buddhist communities, reports Hyperallergic and Artnet News. “To me, when I see something—say, the world around me, art, or people—I realize that’s not all there is,” she said in 2021. “There is something behind, something beyond. Because it’s not obvious or visible, I feel inclined to explore it and discover what is there.” Her work is in collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art. Yet observers say she has not received deserved recognition. “She leaves behind a rich legacy as a visual artist built over more than seven decades of rigorous practice,” stated the Raquel Rabinovich Art Trust, which also announced her death after a short battle with cancer.

The Digest

The National Museum in Damascus has reopened in Syria, following the fall of President Bashar Assad. The museum, which houses ancient archaeological artifacts, closed a month ago as a preventative measure against looting during the rebel takeover of the city. “Thank God, we did not suffer any serious damage, but there was more fear than damage,” said Rima Khawan, chief curator of the museum. [The Associated Press]

For the final weekend of the National Gallery in London’s blockbuster Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibit, visitors will get to soak in the Post-Impressionist’s paintings all night long. The museum will be open 24 hours, with the extra time slot starting from 9pm on Jan. 17 until 10 a.m. on Jan. 18. What could be more romantic? [The Guardian]

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

A Big List of 2025 Books By Women of Color

Electric Literature rounded up 48 books by women of color to look forward to in this fresh, new year. Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma is appearing everywhere and is on my reading list. I scrolled down for books publishing later in the year since those aren’t getting as much hype in these early months and a couple standouts for me include Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn, a satire about trans athletes, and Zeal by Morgan Jerkins, which is a multi-generational look at the legacy of slavery and has a banger blurb from Kiese Laymon. It’s easier to face down what’s gearing up to be a hard year knowing great books by great authors are coming to bring us some joy and remind us of our humanity.

S&S Launches Audio-First Imprint

Simon & Schuster is launching an audio-first imprint, Simon Maverick, with Jason Pinter (formerly of Polis Books) as VP and editorial director. The plan for the imprint is to mostly work with self-published authors to mostly produce original audiobooks. There are a lot of mostlys here because it sounds like this isn’t an all or nothing scheme when it comes to audio or authors–Pinter is staying open to opportunities printing works under the Maverick banner and working with books by S&S authors under other divisions. It’s not hard to see this as a business model where the focus on self-published works and audio formats allows S&S to quickly surface and mass produce unrepresented works in successful genres (ahem, romantasy) that come with a built-in readership ready and willing to hear their favorite story in audio format and capture fans who might not know of X author but have a big appetite for the genre. And if an audiobook takes off, Simon Maverick would be set up with a framework to quickly pivot to print. The imprint is already planning to publish at least 50 titles this year.

Donald Trump’s criminal case ended with a sputter on Friday morning as a New York City judge sentenced him to no jail time and discharged his case. While the incoming president received no actual punishment for his 34 convictions for concealing hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, the sentencing did formalize his status as a felon—a first for any American president. Trump did not have to be present in court for the sentencing, but appeared by video from Mar-a-Lago, sitting next to his attorney.

“This defendant… has placed officers of the court in harm’s way.”

During the brief hearing, prosecutors said they agreed with the plan to not give Trump any jail time, but insisted he must be categorized as a felon. Joshua Steinglass of the Manhattan district attorney’s office told Judge Juan Merchan that a probation report produced for the sentencing described Trump as seeing himself above the law and refusing to take responsibility for his actions.

Steinglass argued that Trump, who appeared to either sleep or pretended to sleep for much of the trial, and who used his social media to direct vitriol at prosecutors, witnesses, and Merchan and his family, should not be allowed to walk away from his convictions without any formal recognition of his wrongdoing,