|
ART ON FIRE Artist's Home Burns in Bizarre Art-Imitates-Life Incident
March 12th, 2000
Little did she know that years later her own sculptures would be caught in a similar predicament.
On the night of March 5th, 2000, the artist's home on Royal Street in New Orleans was badly damaged in a fire which began suspiciously in an adjoining building. It was only by the quick response of local fire fighters that dozens of frogs, skeletons, dancing bananas, wolves and monkeys were saved from the blaze, in addition to several large abstract pieces and dozens of paintings and prints. Much of Leyh's work of the last twenty years was kept in the house. Most of the larger sculptures were saved, but many smaller pieces were damaged by fire and water, and much of her work in progress was destroyed. No one was home at the time, and the wreckage was discovered the following morning by the artist's daughter Genevieve, who was living at the house and is now homeless.
The photos here, taken by the artist's son Blake Leyh, contrast the Puppet Theater sculpture with images taken at the house in New orleans after the fire.
The artist would like to have a benefit exhibition in the near future to raise funds to repair the damage. Many pieces, including "The National Puppet Theater of Cairo is Burning Down," are now for sale. The first post-fire sculpture sale was made recently to the New Orleans contractor repairing the roof of the building, who bought a large jazz funeral relief. |
 
 
 
 |
|
|
||