Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Gates of Central Park Vintage Photographic Print

Description: Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Gates of Central Park Vintage Photographic Print, 2005 During installation the fabric was wrapped around the horizontal pole of each gate, ready to be unfurled at the opening ceremony, at 8.30 am on Saturday 12 February 2005. It was a glorious weekend and it is estimated that in the first two days, 700,000 people came to experience The Gates. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who designed the park in 1858, called them gates, as Christo and Jeanne-Claude have noted--Merchants' Gate, Scholars' Gate, Engineers' Gate, and so forth--as though to invite in all the trades and professions of New York (at least the more respectable ones), those who had so miraculously put the city together, to gather in one secure place, creating a kind of paradise for them. These are not really conventional gates, of course, just entrances, though, in the plans of their creators, perhaps, not as democratic and egalitarian as they have since become. Now, during this brief time in 2005, preceded by 26 years of proposals and drawings by the artists (the latter by Christo), there are thousands of gates through which to pass, each representing a renewal, a change, a difference, moving toward constant renewal and change and difference. They comprise a journey, of course, one that passes through the natural world (or an arrangement of the natural world that cannot help but be the natural world), through time and history, through the lives and struggles of people who have been and are ranged around and inside this long, narrow rectangle. The Gates is a procession of 7,532 sixteen-foot-high frames from which hang rectangles of heavy nylon fabric, all saffron-colored and stationed at regular intervals (and some irregular, in respect for overhanging branches) along 23 miles of walkways through the 800 or so acres of Central Park. "It makes me feel like a picture. Like I'm in a picture," said Ina Angkasa to Jennifer Snow of the Village Voice. To which her mother, Grace Angkasa, added, "It does feel like we're inside the art! To be here so many times without it, now it seems like it's framing the park. It's framing the trees and the people going in and out of the color. It's exciting to be inside a color. . . ." Christo, who wrapped the Reichstag and installed The Gates in Central Park. Christo and Jeanne-Claude became known for wrapping public buildings and landmarks, such as the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985 and the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995. “Like classical sculpture, all our wrapped projects are not solid buildings; they are moving with the wind, they are breathing,” Christo said in an interview. “The fabric is very sensual and inviting; it’s like a skin.” The couple’s installations over the years have taken many forms, including punctuating New York’s Central Park with more than 7,500 fabric draped gates, simultaneously erecting thousands of umbrellas through two valleys in Japan and California, floating pink polypropylene around 11 islands in Florida’s Key Biscayne, and creating a buoyant yellow walkway for the public across Lake Iseo in Italy. Measures approx 76cm x 51cmPayment within 3 working days, returns only accepted if the item is not as described. Combined postage offered where applicable. For auction items please wait for an updated invoice before payment. If purchasing more than one 'Buy it Now' item please use the basket and request the total amount and invoice at checkout. I sell vintage items and accurately describe the cosmetic condition, please use this information in conjunction with the photos to satisfy yourself of the condition of this item. If the item is required to work in any way I will give a separate description of the performance in this area to the best of my ability. Should you have any questions please contact me before bidding or buying. All items will be packaged securely. Please check out our Instagram account for highlights of up and coming additions to our eBay store. PCD5

Price: 60 GBP

Location: Taunton

End Time: 2024-12-08T09:41:47.000Z

Shipping Cost: 43.06 GBP