NYC VIBE Remembers The Legendary Artist Christo

NYC VIBE mourns the recent passing of Christo, the Bulgarian conceptual artist who stunned the world with ambitious large-scale environmental installations throughout his career. In addition to the successes of landmark installations across Colorado, Paris, Berlin, Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude were thrust into the international spotlight with their most acclaimed work - “The Gates.”

“The Gates,” an outdoor art installation that spanned 23 miles of Central Park’s pathways for two weeks in February 2005, consisted of a series of steel frame archways supporting panels of billowing orange fabric. The project had been decades in the making for Christo, who had begun sketching an early iteration of the concept in 1979. Christo was revered for his boundless charm and determination, awing many with his aptitude for navigating the necessary political channels, lobbying countless public officials, and rallying support for his cause. He saw it all as part of his art- negotiating, engaging in public dialogue, and discovering a fully-realized collaborative process as a result. The project was ultimately a smashing success- the beautiful orange curtained pathways acted as an aesthetic oasis in contrast to the desolate winter landscape it occupied.

From the NYC VIBE video vault, we revisit our conversations with Christo at the 2018 Performa Gala,which aims to celebrate the role of performance in art. That night the guests were honoring the careers of Christo and the late Jeanne-Claude, highlighting the profound impact of their work, which is still remembered and respected by the artistic community today.