When Superstorm Sandy slammed into New York City lastOctober, much of abstract painter Ronnie Landfield's life's worklay submerged under 28 inches of water in his Manhattan studio,where he had lived and worked since 1969.

(Landfield's “The Deluge” shown at left)

Landfield has restored the vast majority of his paintings. Theywere sprayed with Lysol and alcohol then dried and treated byconservation experts over many months.

His rent stabilized six-story building has been less fortunate.It was deemed uninhabitable as a result of flooding and Landfieldwill be kicked out of his studio in a month.

“I've never intended to retire. I was going to paint till Idied,” said Landfield, who estimates he lost several milliondollars worth of art, if only a small fraction of his collection.“But I'm suddenly, for the moment, in forced retirement.”

Like no other storm in modern memory, Sandy devastated New Yorkafter making landfall on Oct. 29, 2012. Power was knocked out fordays across lower Manhattan and mass transit ground to a halt. Thehistoric storm killed at least 159 people, and damaged or destroyedmore than 650,000 homes.

The Superstorm also dealt a heavy blow to the New York artworld. Insured losses alone total between $400 million and $500million, according to Jonathan Crystal, an executive at the Crystal& Co insurance brokerage.

Industry insiders say the total could be far higher afterfactoring in uninsured art, works still being restored andgalleries that have not requested insurance payments.

Axa Art, a top art insurer, said it has paid out about $40million dollars for thousands of damaged works.

Such was its impact on the New York art world specifically thatmany joked bitterly that the primary evacuation zone, known as“Zone A,” was short for “Zone Art.”

A FORCED RETIREMENT

In the fashionable Chelsea art district, on the western edge ofManhattan island with large industrial spaces ideal for showcasingart, scores of works were damaged. Studios in art hubs along theBrooklyn waterfront were laid to waste by surges of dirtywater.

“It's one of the most traumatic things I've ever experienced,”said Richard Desroche, a co-owner of CRG Gallery in Chelsea, whichrepresents American and European artists.

On the morning after the storm, Desroche returned to the galleryto find the tide line five feet high on the wall and a “significantnumber of artworks” destroyed beyond repair.

Computers had to be replaced and the gallery's walls andflooring torn out. Three days later, mold began to form.

Around Chelsea, where work can be seen from modern artists likeChris Ofili and Anish Kapoor as well as old masters like EllsworthKelly and Willem de Kooning, owners of a dozen galleries declinedto speak to a reporter about the storm.

Still, many now agree it could have been worse. A free workshoporganized by the Museum of Modern Art allowed impacted artists tocollect urgent advice from leading art conservators. Nearly all ofthe Chelsea galleries re-opened by January, and only a handful shutdown.

John Cahill, a New York art law attorney, said he heard farfewer complaints from galleries about getting compensated byinsurance companies than he did from home owners.

“It's like how you get better treatment at Tiffany's thanMacy's. These are high net-worth people,” said Cahill, who hasworked with galleries hit by Sandy.

In the case of Landfield, his proximity to the Hudson Riverturned out to be a blessing, since the water that invaded hisstudio was relatively clean. Ready access to dry space – at awarehouse in Brooklyn, in a vacant apartment upstairs – allowed himto spread out hundreds of his paintings and avoid more damage.

“My gosh, I never saw so many paintings by one artist in onelocation,” said painting conservator David Goist, who flew in fromNorth Carolina to advise Landfield and other artists.

“You know, I've been here 45 years. I paint a lot,” Landfieldsaid as he sat in his packed-up studio across from a dozencardboard boxes stacked with different sized paintjars. “It's the end of an era in my life, and hopefullythe beginning of a new era.”