Beginning with their 1967 proposal to cover a rocky segment of the Australian coast in fabric and rope, and continuing through the saffron-colored gates project on view this month in Central Park, the husband-and-wife team of Christo and Jeanne-Claude have created large-scale public artworks that transform natural and manmade landscapes. These monumental undertakings involve extensive coordination of contractors, lawyers, engineering teams, and scores of workers, yet are usually dismantled after only two or three weeks. Christo and Jeanne-Claude have enlisted filmmakers to document several of their most famous projects, from first sketches to realized object. The resulting collection of films offers a passionate testimony to the visual wonder of these otherwise ephemeral creations.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, and Leigh Goldstein, Executive Assistant, Exhibitions, Department of Film and Media.