3. Introduction
• “The whole project, all $21 million of it, was, of, by
and for themselves, Jeanne-Claude and Christo.”
-Jeanne-Claude
• Engaged the population of New York City as few
works have in recent memory
• Possibly Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s most public
work to date
5. Christo
• Born on June 13, 1935
• Studied art in Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia and
Austria
• Met Jeanne-Claude in
Paris in 1958
• Best known for his
“wrapped” works of art
• Seventeen of his proposed
38 projects have been
realized to date
6. Jeanne-Claude
• Shares Christo’s
birthday
• Grew up in both France
and Switzerland
• Holds a Baccalaureate
degree from the
University of Tunis in
Latin and Philosophy
7. Common Misconceptions
• The artist is not Christo; it is Christo and Jeanne-
Claude
• Jeanne-Claude does not create the preparatory
drawings for any of their artworks; this is solely
Christo’s work
• Although they are perhaps most well-known for their
“wrapped” works, Christo and Jeanne-Claude are
not “wrapping” artists
9. Wrapped Works
• Wrapped Coast [1968-1969]
• Pont Neuf Wrapped [1975-1985]
• Wrapped Reichstag [1971-1995]
• Wrapped Trees [1997-1998]
10. Non-Wrapped Works
• Running Fence [1976-1978]
• Surrounded Islands [1980-1983]
• The Umbrellas [1984-1991]
11. Environmental Art
•Jeanne-Claude and Christo reject the term
“Conceptual”
•Their works are realized and are therefore not
conceptual
•Their works are not land art
•The works do not leave a permanent trace on the
landscape and are therefore not land art
•The always take place in settings where the human
element is visible and never in deserted places
12. “We believe that
labels are
important, but
mostly for bottles
of wine.”
[Christo and Jeanne-Claude]
13. Early New York Concepts
• Christo and Jeanne-Claude initially imagined
wrapping a New York City building
• Such buildings as the Museum of Modern Art and the
Whitney Museum were considered
14. Looking Downward
• When the projects for the Museum of Modern Art and the
Whitney Museum did not work out, the artists turned
their attention to the sidewalks of New York
• They initially considered wrapping a stretch of sidewalk,
but it was eventually deemed too impractical
• Central Park was eventually chosen because it is a space
specifically designed for recreational walking
• Christo sought to “activate the most banal spaces
between your feet and the first branches of the trees”
• The artists attempted to enliven a neglected spatial
dimension
16. Central Park
• Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
and Calvert Vaux in 1858
• Juxtaposes the humanity that
surrounds it
• Greensward Plan
• Although it appears natural, every
aspect of Central Park is planned
• Provided escape from nineteenth-century
life
• Nature provides psychological and
physical benefits
• Open entrances symbolize the park’s
egalitarian nature
• Gate of the Artists, Gate of the Boys,
Gate of the Girls and Gate of the
Immigrants
18. The Gates
• The structures emulate
both the naturalism of
the park and the
modernity of the city
• Extremely site-specific
• First conceived of in
1979
• The project originally
called for only 1,000
gates
• The final design
included 7,503 gates
ranging from 8 to 16
feet in width
• Prototype gates were
constructed in
Washington state
19. The Fabric
• Produced in Germany
• 7,503 individual drapes
• 116,389 miles of extruded,
saffron nylon thread
• 1,067,330 square feet of
rip-stop fabric
• Each drape cut at the same
length to produce visual
uniformity
• One million individual
swatches given away to
visitors
20. Why Saffron?
• The Gates are saffron, not
orange
• Chosen for its specific tonal
quality
• Mercurial hues and
saturation
• Interplays well with sunlight
• Contrasts with the seasonal
colors of the park
• Visual statement created
from contrast
• Visible from a distance
21. The Frames
• 15,006 steel footers (615-837
lbs each) were cast from 5,290
U.S. tons of steel
• 60 miles of extruded vinyl
tubing
• 165,132 self-locking bolts and
nuts
• Over 15,000 corner
reinforcements, leveling plates
and corner sleeves
• Steel footers eliminate the
problem of digging holes for
the gates
• Designed to have minimal
impact on the environment
23. Dealing with “The Man”
• Realization of The Gates took over 20 years
• Forty-one meetings with different interest groups to
obtain approval
• First reviewed by the Parks Department in 1981 and
rejected on the basis of Central Park’s condition
• Met with five different community boards,
commissioner of Central Park and the Central Park
Conservancy
• Mayor Bloomberg’s inauguration helps their cause
• Seen as beneficial after the September 11th attacks
24. Art in the Public Realm
• Brought positive events and energy back to the city
• Provided an opportunity to “spruce up” Central Park
• Began a public dialogue on art
• Became a topic of discussion on many television
programs
25.
26. New York Times Poll
• 54% said they disliked/hated The Gates
• 57% said The Gates was good for the
city
• 48.6% said Christo and Jeanne-Claude
had chosen the right color
27. Staffing The Gates
• Installation required the cooperation of over 600 workers
• 300 additional workers were brought in after installation to
monitor the work
• Over half of those who worked on The Gates were residents of
New York City
• Monitors untangled the drapes and handed-out swatches of
saffron fabric
• Workers formed a communal bond through their common goal
28. Personal Impact of The Gates
• Fail to make a significant impact from a distance
• Demands audience participation to be effective
• Walking through The Gates was the only was to truly
experience the effect they produced
• Aura of the work drew visitors from one panel to the
next
• The color seemed to produced a celebratory,
jubilant atmosphere
• Created a powerful lasting impression on those who
experienced the work
29. The Bourriaud Theory
• Emancipation of
individuals no longer
important
• Emancipation of
experience is of utmost
importance
• Relational art creates a
special perceptual
space that invites the
viewer to engage with
the artwork
30. The Importance of Proximity
• Closeness forces the viewer
to react to the artwork
• Helps the viewers create a
dialogue between
themselves and the work
• Visitors become a part of
the work
• Participants’ thoughts and
reactions create meaning
and significance for the
work
• “You need to walk through
The Gates to truly
experience them”
31. Conclusion
• Unique in Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s oeuvre
because of its relational element
• Asks the viewer for his/her interpretation
• Freedom and equality as memorable qualities
• Affected people on a visceral, personal level
• Vulnerable to the participant’s reaction
• Enormous act of generosity on the artists’ part
32. “When they ask us how we can have so much
patience, I always answer, it’s not a matter
of patience, it’s a matter of passion.”
[Christo]
