Momart is a British company specialising in the storage, transportation, and installation of works of art. A major proportion of their business is maintaining (often delicate) artworks in a secure, climate-controlled environment. The company maintains two warehouse facilities adapted for this task. Momart's clients include the Saatchi Gallery, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Buckingham Palace.

The 2004 warehouse fire

In the evening of 24 May 2004 fire broke out in Momart's storage warehouse in Leyton, east London. The blaze, which continued to smoulder for nearly a day, destroyed almost all of the artworks stored within. As well as works from other collections, over 100 items from the Saatchi collection of so-called Britart were lost. Charles Saatchi later commented "Many of these pieces are great personal favourites and irreplaceable in British art." Some of the artists themselves were, however, more reticent; Tracey Emin admitted "I'm upset, but I'm also upset about those whose wedding got bombed [in Iraq, on May 19], and people being dug out from mud in the Dominican Republic."

Other collectors who lost art treasures included the author, Shirley Conran and the artist, Gillian Ayres.

Art industry insiders noted that the insurance value of the works lost in the fire, particularly the "Britart" works in Saachi's collection, would be many times their initial purchase price, and that a comparable rise could be expected in the market values of the remaining (and future) works by artists whose works were lost. One art insurance specialist valued the lost work at £50m. Some have speculated that the fire was started deliberately in order to obtain the insurance money.

Critics attacked young British artist Stuart Semple and his agent Uri Geller for trying to cash in on a tragedy, after salvaging remains from the fire and creating a new artwork. Causing a major legal debate concerning the ownership of the remains from the fire.

At Christmas, 2004, Momart commissioned the Chapman Brothers to design their Christmas corporate gift. They produced a spoof Momart zippo lighter.

"We didn't have to think very hard. Our work burns, the company comes to us: there's a trajectory. What else could we do, but come up with the idea of a Zippo lighter with the word Momart on it?" -Dinos Chapman.

Works known lost in fire

• Patrick Caulfield
  • Hedone's
• Helen Chadwick
  • Cyclops Cameo
  • Opal
  • 8 other works
• Jake and Dinos Chapman
  • Hell
• Michael Craig-Martin
  • Mood Change One
• Dexter Dalwood
  • Che Guevara's Mountain Hideaway
• Tracey Emin
  • Everyone I have ever slept with 1963-95
  • The Hut
  • The Last Thing I Said Is Don't Leave Me Here
• Damien Hirst
  • several paintings
  • unknown other works
  • (also works by other artists, owned by Hirst)
• Craigie Horsfield
  • Carrer Muntaner, Barcelona
• Gary Hume
  • Dolphin Painting No1
• Sarah Lucas
  • Down Below
• Martin Maloney
  • Sony Levi
  • (plus at least 19 other works)
• Tim Noble and Sue Webster
  • Miss Understood and Mr Meanor
• Chris Ofili
  • Afrobluff
• Richard Patterson
  • Motocrosser II
• Gavin Turk
  • Floater
• Rachel Whiteread
  • unknown

External links

• New art rises from wreckage of warehouse (telegraph)
• BBC story on warehouse fire
• Independent newspaper story on warehouse fire
• Warehouse was burgled before fire (BBC story)
• Momart website
• Comments about insurance aspect
• Spoof Momart Zippo is hottest present of year- article in The Guardian, December 23, 2004.