6. Momart Fire: Masterpieces Lost Forever – 2004
In May 2004 a fire destroyed the Momart warehouse in east London which destroyed more than 50 works by abstract painter Patrick Heron and works by other artists.The fire destroyed a vast swath of British art spanning the past half century, it soon became clear that the damage was not only limited to pieces owned by the modern art collector Charles Saatchi but went much further. Apart from the Herons, works by Gillian Ayres, Patrick Caulfield, the Chapman brothers, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Barry Flanagan, Chris Ofili and Paula Rego were all in ashes.