Wrapper's Delight

February 14, 2024 2:01 PM

While both artists individually did their part to buck those incredible odds—several films have documented their dramatic scramble to secure permission and convince an often hostile public—it was their collaborative relationship and intuitive division of tasks according to their respective strengths that made each piece possible. from Destiny United Christo And Jeanne-Claude to Wrap the World [ArtNet]

Christo previously

posted by chavenet (19 comments total)

fantastic post title
posted by deadbilly at 2:12 PM on February 14 [8 favorites]

I always liked them. I got to see The Umbrellas and really enjoyed it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:13 PM on February 14 [4 favorites]

I wish they'd gotten to do their Over The River project. I would have traveled to see it. I wanted to see The Gates, even had a trip planned, but it didn't pan out.

I love his vision and how varied it could be even while playing with the same basics over and over. "What if... fabric....."
posted by hippybear at 2:16 PM on February 14 [3 favorites]

I'm sure I have mentioned it in one of those previously links. I was 15 when they came to Kansas City and wrapped the paths in a local city park, (Loose Park).

Created quite a kerfuffle. "That's not art, just a tripping hazard!" is the refrain I remember.

Wish I had gone over to see it.
posted by Windopaene at 2:26 PM on February 14 [3 favorites]

The work is sometimes beautiful, but I'm so disillusioned with the big ticket art world and the endless hagiography. The work is sometimes beautiful, and it also killed people, but that's not even a footnote.
posted by phooky at 2:50 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

To be honest my enjoyment of their work is hugely diminished by their use all that effing plastic. What happened to it after the artworks were uninstalled? It just makes me feel a bit queasy.
posted by misterbee at 3:11 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

Here's an article that describes what happened to the materials used in The Floating Piers. They try to recycle all of it.

Why Christo's Floating Piers had to be destroyed
posted by hippybear at 3:19 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

Here's an article about the L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE, WRAPPED. It does seem that Christo and Jean Claude planned from the beginning for the materials they were using to be recycled, they weren't just creating art to create trash.

What the end result of these recycling/upcycling projects actually are in real life, I don't know. But these art projects were designed from the beginning to not leave itself in a landfill.
posted by hippybear at 3:22 PM on February 14 [5 favorites]

I saw the installation in Central Park. It was a bit whimsical, then 10 minutes later I had forgotten all about it... JJ
posted by Czjewel at 3:44 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

I was growing up in Miami in the '80s when they did "Surrounded Islands" in Biscayne Bay. Very striking and memorable.

About 10 years ago, my uncle, who also lived in south Florida at the time of that piece, died. We found out that he had a whole trove of Christo-related stuff in his apartment, including signed photos and prints, art books, etc. He was not in any way someone you'd peg as an art collector -- he was a quiet guy who liked to work on cars and struggled with mental illness -- but apparently Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work struck a real chord with him. I have a few items from his collection on the shelf next to me right now.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:00 PM on February 14 [14 favorites]

When we visited the Arc de Triomphe, my teens had to have me explain the photographs of the Arc when it had been wrapped. I confirmed that, indeed, they wrapped the thing, and they looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

I can't tell if they thought I was kidding, or Christo was -- but either way they weren't fans.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:24 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

I missed The Gates, having moved to Australia from New York before it was installed, but some years later, on a trip to Germany, got to travel to Oberhausen for Big Air Package, where he'd wrapped the interior of what had been Europe's largest gasometer, which was awesome.
posted by lipservant at 6:56 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

I have to say, I have never seen the appeal of Christos' work. It definitely seems to really please some people and that is great, but it misses me completely
posted by The Manwich Horror at 7:38 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

I saw the Gates up close (that saffron!) and the Reichstag from less-close. After learning about how they used the planning for the art as part of the art I grew to love their work even more.
posted by migurski at 9:22 PM on February 14 [3 favorites]

I mean look at their sketches. These functioned as both consensus builders and fundraising sources.
posted by migurski at 9:26 PM on February 14 [6 favorites]

We made the trip down to Paris a couple of years ago to see the Arc wrapped. I mainly saw it as an excuse to go to Paris for the weekend, but the Arc itself was also stunning. The weather as absolutely miserable, and the silver/gray fabric they used almost seemed to blend into the sky at times. They were handing out little square samples of the fabric, I've got one hanging in the living room.
posted by Karmeliet at 12:41 AM on February 15 [5 favorites]

I'm not a big fan, but the documentary about them is really interesting.
posted by ovvl at 6:31 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

Was always fascinated by their work; very ambitious. Wish I had been able to see some of it, particularly The Gates and Surrounded Islands.
posted by TedW at 11:41 AM on February 15 [2 favorites]

Also, an alternative musical reference: wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, they call him the wrapper.
posted by TedW at 11:49 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]