Jane Fonda Partners with Gagosian for Second Art Benefit Against Toxic Drilling: ‘I’ll Be Fighting the Oil Companies Until the Day I Die’

Actor and activist Jane Fonda has once again partnered with Gagosian gallery to present a second exhibition aimed at protecting neighborhoods from toxic oil drilling.

In April, Fonda, Gagosian, and Christie’s partnered on a two-part benefit that was aimed at combatting a voter referendum on the California law SB1137, which was signed into law in 2022 and prevents new oil wells from being within 3,200 feet of communities across the state.

“It’s the biggest setback in the country,” Fonda told ARTnews in a phone interview. “It was a huge victory. It took millions and millions of dollars, and years and years of activism.

The benefit, which included an exhibition and a star-studded opening reception, raised more than $14 million. Earlier this month, the California Independent Petroleum Association announced that it would withdraw the referendum.

“I think that scared off the oil companies,” Fonda said. “It’s not over yet because the oil companies are working on ways to try to advance their agenda. The proceeds from the exhibit are going to protecting frontline communities from Big Oil’s next attempts at pollution because they’re going to trying.”

Despite this major victory, Fonda said she has no plans to slow down her activism against Big Oil and protecting Californians. “I’ll be fighting the oil companies until the day I die,” she said. “They’re doing this all around the country. It’s happening in Colorado, it’s happening in Pennsylvania, it’s happening in the state of Washington. It’s happening all over the country. And if we couldn’t beat them in California, it was going to be hard to beat them anywhere else.”

When Fonda was planning the first art benefit, she asked a friend, the artist Ed Ruscha, for advice and if he would contribute a work. In addition to Ruscha, the first benefit exhibition included work by Christina Quarles, Joey Terrill, Charles Gaines, and Jonas Wood.

“I’d never done [an art auction] before, and if I had any idea how hard it was, I wouldn’t have done it,” she said, adding that Ruscha’s help “gave me the courage to keep going. If he said ‘no,’ I probably would have ended it right there.”

The new exhibition, which runs through August 30 at Gagosian’s Beverly Hills location, features pieces by Jackie Amézquita, Andrea Bowers, Shepard Fairey, Nan Goldin, Lonnie Holley, Jessie Homer French, Alex Israel, and more.

In a statement, Larry Gagosian, the gallery’s founder and a longtime friend of Fonda, said, “It has been an honor to partner with her on this crucial issue impacting my home state of California—from the launch event in April to the upcoming exhibition to raise funds to support this effort into the future. I am incredibly grateful for the artists’ generosity in helping us ensure a safe and healthy California for generations to come.”

Fonda added, “We still have reasons to have to raise money to fight big oil. They’ve got the deepest pockets in the world, so it’s not easy.”