Latest news with #Jeanne-Claude
DW
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
Berlin pays tribute to Christo's iconic 'Wrapped Reichstag' – DW – 06/06/2025
Thirty years ago, Germany's parliament building "disappeared" under silver fabric for two weeks. The work of art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude is now celebrated with a light installation. Anyone who was in Berlin in the summer of 1995 will probably remember it for the rest of their lives: how the Reichstag — the seat of the German parliament — disappeared. Not blown up, not demolished, but completely wrapped in silver fabric and tied up with thick ropes, almost like a gift. A crazy idea? Perhaps. But also one that made history. Behind this spectacular action was a pair of artists who have repeatedly surprised the world with their ephemeral mega works of art: Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Their vision of a wrapped Reichstag was big, bold — and took 23 years to plan. 2025: A special anniversary year 2025 is a real anniversary year for fans of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Not only is Berlin marking the 30th anniversary of the "Wrapped Reichstag" with a light installation projected onto the west façade of the Reichstag building from June 9 to 22, but other cities around the world are also paying tribute to the couple's works: Paris commemorates the wrapping of its Pont Neuf that happened 40 years ago, while New York marked the 20th anniversary of "The Gates," an installation in Central Park featuring thousands of gates on which fabric panels fluttered. And above all, both artists would have turned 90 this year: They were born on the same day, on June 13, 1935. Christo was born in Bulgaria and later fled from the communist East to Western Europe, first to Prague, then to Vienna, Geneva and finally Paris. There he met Jeanne-Claude in 1958 — she was French with roots in Morocco. The two became an unbeatable team. Christo was the artist, Jeanne-Claude the organizer — whereby both saw themselves as equal partners and later officially signed all projects together. After 23 years of planning, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's dream became a reality Image: 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, Photo: Wolfgang Volz Their specialty was huge, spectacular art installations in public spaces. They wrapped bridges, buildings or entire coastal strips, stretched gigantic curtains through valleys or erected kilometer-long fabric installations. None of it permanent, all self-financed, without advertisers or sponsors; the money for the projects was only generated through the sale of drawings, collages and designs. 'Wrapped Reichstag': A long wait for approval The idea of wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin was born back in 1971 — in the middle of the Cold War. At the time, the Reichstag stood right next to the Berlin Wall. It was a symbolic building, but was not actually used. The seat of government of the then Federal Republic of Germany was still in Bonn, and the Bundestag (the German parliament) only moved into the Reichstag building with its characteristic glass dome, remodeled by architect Norman Foster, in 1999. In 1978, Christo presented the model of the wrapped Reichstag at an exhibition in Zurich Image: Niklaus Stauss/akg/picture-alliance Christo and Jeanne-Claude were nevertheless fascinated by the building's symbolism and historical role. Time and again, this place has been the scene of significant moments in Germany's history, during the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Nazis' "Third Reich" and the Second World War, the division of Germany after the war and its eventual reunification. Christo and Jeanne-Claude wanted to make this building visible again by concealing it for a brief period. But a work of art like this required permission — and that took a long time coming. It was not until 1994, after more than 20 years of discussion, that the Bundestag finally gave its approval, following vigorous debate. And this paved the way to one of the most impressive art projects of the century. The then President of the Bundestag, Rita Süssmuth, supported the project Image: Jockel Finck/AP Photo/picture alliance Summer 1995: A silver dream in the middle of Berlin Finally, in June 1995, the Reichstag was completely wrapped in over 100,000 square meters of silver fabric and 16 kilometers of rope. The wrapping lasted several days and was followed around the world. The wrapped Reichstag appeared soft, shimmering, mysterious, like a work of art amid clouds. From June 24 to July 7, 1995, over 5 million people came to Berlin to witness this spectacle with their own eyes. It was like a huge public festival: People were lying on the grass, having picnics, taking photos and discussing it. Many people who experienced the work later said that they had never viewed the Reichstag as intensely as during these two weeks. A tourist magnet in the summer of 1995 Image: 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, Photo: Wolfgang Volz Why wrap it at all? Christo and Jeanne-Claude didn't set out to hide a building — quite the opposite. They wanted to give it a new experience. The wrapping removed everything superficial. You could no longer see the details, only the shape, the silhouette, the volume. And most importantly, this work of art was also ephemeral. After two weeks, the magic was over, the fabric was dismantled, and no trace remained. Only memories. For the artist couple, this ephemerality was a central part of their work. "The beauty lies in transience," they often said. You should enjoy the moment because you know it will soon be over. Although the Reichstag is a political symbol, the artwork itself was not intended to be political. Christo and Jeanne-Claude did not want to dictate an opinion. They wanted their art to be an open space for thoughts, feelings and interpretations. Nevertheless, many people saw the wrapping as a strong political symbol: for change, for reconciliation, for a new beginning. This had a special effect, especially in reunified Germany. From June 9 to 20, 2025 the artwork will be projected onto the west façade of the Reichstag in the evening Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance Jeanne-Claude died in 2009,Christo in 2020, but their art lives on — in photos, memories, exhibitions and now also in a special anniversary year. The wrapping of the Reichstag was not only a masterpiece of logistics and aesthetics, it was also a moment of collective fascination. It showed what art can achieve in public spaces. It can surprise, connect, challenge. And it can simply amaze people. Or, as Christo once said: "Our works belong to no one — and at the same time to everyone." This article was originally written in German.
Forbes
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
20th Anniversary Of ‘The Gates' Art Installation Celebrated In NYC
The 20th anniversary celebration in New York of the legendary public art installation in Central Park, The Gates, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, will end this Sunday, March 23. A person takes part in the Augmented Reality experience and art exhibition during a media preview for the 20th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates" in Central Park, New York, February 10, 2025. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The celebration includes an exhibition at The Shed in Hudson Yards and an augmented reality experience in Central Park powered by Bloomberg Connects. The artists' foundation said, 'Credited with revolutionizing New York City's relationship with participatory and community-based art and igniting dialogue about the importance of public art globally, The Gates captured the imagination of millions and helped revive a city that had been transformed by the tragedy of 9/11 four years earlier. Twenty-six years in the making, The Gates was on display for sixteen days in 2005. The work of art attracted over four million visitors to the Park and generated an estimated $254 million in economic activity across New York City.' 'Even after 20 years, the unforgettable visual memory of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates is still in the minds of the many people who experienced it in person or viewed it from afar,' said Vladimir Yavachev, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's director of projects. 'The Gates was responsible for sparking an important conversation about public art and its role in urban settings and society.' The original installation featured 7,503 saffron-colored gates adorned with free-flowing fabric that spanned 23 miles of pathways, The individual gates were 16 feet tall and varied in width from 5 feet 6 inches to 18 feet, depending on the different widths of the park's walkways. The vertical poles were secured by narrow steel base footings, 613 to 837 pounds each, positioned on top of the paved surfaces. Free hanging saffron-colored fabric panels, suspended from the horizontal top part of the gates, came down to approximately 7 feet above the ground. The gates were spaced at 12-foot intervals. Michael R. Bloomberg, 108th mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, 'Christo and Jeanne-Claude first proposed The Gates for Central Park in the 1970s, but the powers that be blocked it. After being elected mayor of New York just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, we worked closely with them to bring their vision to life. Millions of New Yorkers and visitors shared in the incredible experience of walking through a transformed landscape, just as the artists had imagined. Now Bloomberg Philanthropies is glad to help bring the spirit of their unforgettable work back to life – and celebrate the boldness and creativity that lifted our city's spirits and economy as we recovered from our darkest day.' The Gates exhibition at The Shed includes original artworks by Christo, such as drawings, scale models, and components from the 2005 Central Park installation; photographs and videos; an interactive, tabletop map of Central Park that facilitates an augmented reality exploration of The Gates and a selection of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's visionary proposals for New York City that were never realized. For the first time in the United States, these works are presented through Christo's drawings, scale models and projections, and offer a glimpse into the artists' creative processes for large-scale public art projects. Visitors to the Shed and those who cannot experience the exhibition in person can learn more about it on the Bloomberg Connects app, which features bespoke audio, video, and text content about both the exhibition and other works at The Shed. The celebration's AR experience, available between the east and west sides of Central Park near 72nd Street, virtually creates several hundred gates. In coordination with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the Central Park Conservancy, this experience is available during daylight park hours, with signage along the AR route. It is wheelchair-accessible along the paved pathways. 'The Gates was a memorable work of public art amplified by Central Park's iconic landscapes,' said Betsy Smith, President & CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. 'Thanks to our partners at Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, the public can once again experience this groundbreaking act of public art inside Central Park.' 'Public art has the power to transform not just spaces, but communities. Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates was a groundbreaking work for NYC Parks that reimagined the renowned Central Park and captured the hearts and imaginations of many,' said Sue Donoghue, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. 'It brought 4 million visitors to the park, and two decades later, it continues to remind us of the vital role public art plays in bringing people together, sparking conversations, and enriching our public spaces. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Gates with this new interactive exhibit, we are reminded of the incredible potential of art to connect us to nature, to each other, and to the urban environment around us.'
Miami Herald
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘It's a living work': ‘Surrounded Islands' endures at this Fort Lauderdale museum
Years of planning, designing, pleading, fundraising and negotiating came down to three crucial days. The artists only had three days to install a monumental artwork that would paint Miami in a new, pink light. On the first day, winds were high and the bright pink fabric ballooned as workers tried to unfurl it in Biscayne Bay. Everything had to go perfectly the next two days, all while TV news camera crews on boats and naysayers on land watched on. On May 7, 1983, artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude and their team got it done: 'Surrounded Islands,' 11 small islands perfectly outlined in hot pink. At the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, a small gallery dedicated to broadcast news coverage of the artwork installation plays on vintage televisions. Museum director Bonnie Clearwater laughed at an interview one boy gave to WTVJ: 'It seems like a waste of money. It's only up for two weeks.' Read more: These Miami islands turned pink, and the city reacted in all sorts of ways This weekend, NSU Art Museum opens its highly anticipated Christo and Jeanne-Claude 'Surrounded Islands' documentation exhibition months after the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation announced it gifted the museum an extensive archive of documents, photographs, preparatory drawings and other materials that trace the project's history and creation. That means NSU Art Museum is the permanent home of this iconic artwork or, more broadly, its legacy. Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, and her husband Christo, who died in 2020, were iconoclastic artists known for creating large-scale, ephemeral public artworks around the world, like wrapping Paris' Arc de Triomphe and Berlin's Reichstag building in fabric, installing saffron-colored gates in New York City's Central Park — and unfurling reams of pink fabric around man-made islands in Miami. The NSU Art Museum exhibition kicks off Sunday with a discussion on the artwork with Clearwater and Christo Foundation Board member Jonathan Fineberg. The show is likely to remain open as is for about a year. In the future, some iteration of the exhibition will always be on display, a spokesperson said. 'The museum's dedication to exploring topics that deeply connect with the South Florida community and its commitment to fostering meaningful discussions through scholarly research align with the ethos of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's art,' Karin J. Barkhorn, President of Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, said in a statement. 'We are particularly excited that the museum will permanently display key sections of this historic exhibition, ensuring that the legacy of Surrounded Islands continues to inspire awe for generations to come.' Decades after its installation, longtime South Floridians remember 'Surrounded Islands' fondly. It was a two-week spectacle that got Miamians to see their own city differently and, for once, brought positive international attention to a city dealing with a rough reputation. 'The project wasn't just this,' Clearwater said pointing to a diorama model of 'Surrounded Islands' displayed on tables. 'It was everything that went into making that project possible, including all the memories.' 'Our feeling is that it's not the past, because it's a living work,' she added. 'It's a work of your memories, the new memories that the kids are going to have when they're coming here.' The art of organization Along the curved wall of the museum's second floor, right where visitors finish climbing the main staircase, the show immediately starts with floor-to-ceiling projections of video footage of 'Surrounded Islands' from all angles: from the air, from a boat and even from below. '[The video] is on the island, and you dive under, you're under the pink, and at one point, the entire screen turns pink,' Clearwater said. 'You're completely immersed in it. We wanted to create a big visual impact.' Another projection screen shows behind-the-scenes footage of crew members pulling bands underwater to connect to anchors and painstakingly unfurling and connecting the fabric. Another massive wall is entirely covered in a mural-sized photograph of 'Surrounded Islands' with the Miami skyline in the background. Nearby, reams of pink fabric, the exact kind used for the artwork, pools in a section on the floor. 'We could wrap another island ourselves,' Clearwater joked. The story of the artwork played out through tons and tons of paperwork. Clearwater stopped to read the original piece of paper that started it all. Jan van der Marck, the founding director of the Center for Fine Arts, which eventually become the Perez Art Museum Miami, wrote a letter to Christo dated Jan. 27, 1981. Van der Marck was working on an ambitious project for the following year called the New World Festival. 'What are the chances of your giving us an approximation of what you will do and a formal acceptance by the time you come again, one month from today?' Van der Marck wrote. 'With greetings to Jeanne-Claude.' 'Surrounded Islands' would have been Christo and Jeanne-Claude's contribution to the festival, but they missed it by a year. Their lateness was understandable considering the amount of lawsuits, permits and push back the duo had to deal with to make their vision a reality. Much of the exhibition displays how much time, effort and careful engineering went into the artwork. Type A people would appreciate the art of organization. Walls display Christo's correspondence with Miami officials, hand drawn images of what 'Surrounded Islands' would look like, pink fabric samples and detailed schematics that laid out exactly how and where the fabric would be anchored and unfurled. 'I just think it's all so elegant to see,' Clearwater said. Those exact measurements proved to be incredible handy. Workers placed land anchors on each island about a month before the final install. Worried that someone may sabotage the anchors, Clearwater said, the team crushed some beer cans and left them there as camouflage. But since boaters often littered the spoil islands with beer cans anyway, the workers struggled to find the anchors when they came back. They had to follow the engineering map to find them. Christo was incredibly specific, even on details most people wouldn't notice. Clearwater pointed to how he drew the shadows that would appear underneath the pink fabric and onto the water. He even designed the 'booms,' the long items that helped keep the fabric afloat once unfurled, to be octagonal in order for their shadow to be just right. 'He wanted it to almost look as if it was made with pencil and that it would clearly define the contour [of the island] so that there was no mistaking that this was man made. This was deliberate,' Clearwater said. 'And thinking about how flat the landscape is in Miami and the water being so flat, the shadow would give it just the slightest bit of elevation.' Unsurprisingly, the color pink is everywhere. The original press release about the artwork was printed on pink paper. The marker Christo used to circle the islands on black-and-white images was pink. Even an old map of the Biscayne Bay area just so happened to be pink. But why pink? 'Because it was an unnatural color. It was not a color that was there in the bay. It was very clearly a man made intervention. And it also popped, it was very visible. You couldn't miss it,' Clearwater said. 'And besides, I can't tell you how many artists I've worked with who come to Miami and say, 'I'm gonna use pink.'' 'Dreamed bigger than big' A news report from the final day of the installation plays in one of the galleries. 'This work will dismantled in two weeks, but the image and the impact of the surrounding islands will last for years to come,' the reporter said. 'Reporting live from Pelican Harbor. Michael Putney, Channel 4 News. Putney was right. At the exhibition, visitors can share their stories about the artwork by recording themselves at a kiosk in the gallery space. 'Everyone has a Christo story,' Clearwater said. 'It'll be part of our oral history of the project.' Miami, its people, its politics and its culture has changed drastically in the decades since 'Surrounded Islands.' But nostalgia for the artwork endures. Visitors flocked to PAMM years ago when it showed a documentation exhibition on the artwork in 2018. The Fort Lauderdale iteration is likely to be just as popular. Christo and Jeanne-Claude were inspired by how the waterway connected Miami and its diverse neighborhoods. Anyone who lived, worked or traveled along Biscayne Bay could enjoy 'Surrounded Islands.' 'Someone dreamed bigger than big, and they made that dream a reality. It brought everybody together,' Clearwater said. 'That's part of our story. Everybody talked about it, everybody knew about it, everybody had an opinion on it, and it brought in so many people. How rarely these days do we have a shared experience that we could all be talking about at the same time?' Christo and Jeanne-Claude's determination to get their big, crazy artworks done, especially 'Surrounded Islands,' is inspirational, too, Clearwater said. 'It was a masterclass of how to get to yes,' she said. So, can something like this ever happen in Miami again? 'Yeah. Why not?' Clearwater said. 'It just takes one crazy person, one creative visionary.' If you go: What: Christo and Jeanne-Claude 'Surrounded Islands' Documentation Exhibition When: Opens Feb. 23 Where: NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, One East Las Olas Boulevard Info:
Euronews
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 'The Gates' revived in AR and Exhibition
In February 2005, Central Park was transformed into an orange-hued wonderland, as 7,503 gates with flowing fabric panels lined the park's walkways. The installation, which spanned 23 miles (37 kilometres), attracted an estimated four million visitors. Critics had mixed opinions on the work at the time, with some dismissing it as a "visual one-liner", while others saw it as a homage to the park's historical design. Despite this, 'The Gates' became an iconic moment in the city's art history. In Central Park, visitors can now step into an interactive augmented reality (AR) experience that lets them relive the feeling of walking beneath the orange fabric panels. Available through the Bloomberg Connects app, this immersive AR journey – developed by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, Dirt Empire, and Superbright – allows users to see digital replicas of the gates in real-time, synced with their surroundings. Users can scan signage along marked paths to unlock content about 'The Gates' and the artists' journey. Igal Nassima, founder of Superbright Studios, explains the magic of the AR experience: "When it's sunny, the fabric will appear bright and glowing, matching the sunlight's direction based on where you are in the park. This makes the digital Gates feel more in tune with the real-world surroundings." The interactive component highlights the artists' original goal to ensure that their works were never "redone" or permanently reconstructed. 'Christo and Jeanne-Claude never wanted to have their projects redone,' says Vladimir Yavachev, director of operations for the foundation. 'You can see it again with your phones.' Beyond the park itself, at The Shed in Manhattan, the exhibition 'Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City' explores the artists' legacy through drawings, models, and a scale model of Central Park. The exhibition also highlights 13 other unrealised proposals for New York from the 1960s, shedding light on the duo's ambitious vision and deep connection to the city. Patricia E. Harris of Bloomberg Philanthropies reflects on the lasting impact of 'The Gates', noting: 'It was a labour of love for the artists, and now, 20 years later, we have an opportunity to use technology to connect audiences with the artwork and celebrate its collaborative spirit with a new generation.' Pascal Roulin, curator of the exhibition, highlights the goal of reaching new audiences: 'We are presenting the story to a new generation that was not in New York in 2005 and might have no idea that it had happened.' Christo and Jeanne-Claude are celebrated for their monumental temporary art installations that transformed iconic landmarks. Among their other famous works are 'Wrapped Reichstag' (1995), which enveloped Berlin's parliament in shimmering fabric; and their posthumous work ' L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' (2021), which saw the historic monument draped in 25,000 square metres of material.
CBS News
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
'The Gates' return to NYC's Central Park 20 years later, but in a new form
NEW YORK - The Gates art installation in Central Park made quite a mark on New York City back in 2005. They're back 20 years later, but this time in augmented reality. The Gates was a site-specific work of art by the duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude. There were 7,503 gates along 23 miles of footpaths throughout the park. A panel of saffron colored fabric hung from each 16-foot-high gate for just 16 days in February 2005. It cost about $21 million at the time. The Gates in Central Park 2025 Now, there's a commemorative exhibit on display at The Shed in Hudson Yards and, starting Wednesday, there's the augmented reality experience in the park. Here's how it works. When you get to Central Park, open the Bloomberg Connects app on your phone, look for a display with a QR code and scan it. You will soon find yourself in the public art installation from 2005. "We have the photographs and we have the film footage. This is (a) more interactive and more (on site) record of how the project looked," said Vladimir Yavachev, the director of projects for Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The Gates in 2005 Those who worked on the original Gates project pointed out it's a significant part of the city's history after the 9/11 attacks. "The city was still recovering from that time and it was a really incredible moment to see everyone come out into the park to connect with one another," said Megan Sheekey of Bloomberg Associates. "In the newspapers during the project, which said it was so nice to see for the first time New Yorkers look up and enjoy, post 9/11," Yavachev told CBS News New York. Both hope New Yorkers of all ages are happy to see The Gates resurgence. "It was an incredibly meaningful project," Sheekey said. "For those of us that have nostalgia for the original project, it's a great celebration of that time but also for the next generation, I think it really is a testament to the power of public art."
