Jeanne-Claude passed away following a brain aneurysm in Christo: 'I am an artist who is totally irrational'. After her death, Christo dedicated himself to completing their concepts. For 16 days, golden pathways appeared on the lake, supported by , polyethylene cubes. Like many of their works, it was a popular success. Some , people turned up to walk on water during the first five days. In , Christo unveiled "The London Mastaba," a floating installation on the Serpentine Lake in London made of more than 7, oil barrels.
It was the artist's first major public, outdoor work in the United Kingdom. His next work was to appear in Paris, in September -- the long-awaited wrapping of one of the world's most famous war memorials, the Arc de Triomphe. The statement announcing his death also indicated the Paris project would go ahead: "Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. His work was funded mainly by selling preparatory drawings — he always refused any sponsorship.
And we needed to be, otherwise these projects would never have been realised. But we have always been very good at getting banks to supply lines of credit. There were no cranes or machinery, just people descending in a kind of aerial ballet. It was and huge crowds came to watch. Then, when it was finished, they came up to stroke the fabric.
The work, called Mastaba, delighted and baffled viewers. This article is more than 1 year old. Bulgarian creator of large-scale public artworks worked in collaboration with wife Jeanne-Claude.
No sponsors, no patrons. Instead, Christo and Jeanne-Claude strove to fund the entire conception, however expensive, of their installations. They liked to compare their creations to rainbows: beautiful, yet elusive and volatile. No one could buy these works, no one could own them, commercialise or sell tickets to see them.
And despite their transience, these pieces would take years of preparation: of authorisations, permits, plans, materials and the installation itself. Once covered, even the most familiar objects become something else. Only the sleek architectural form of the imposing monument remained — its very essence. Wrapping also changes our relationship to the concealed object and opens our eyes to what is right in front of us.
It lets us take a fresh look at things. Often artists find understanding their audience takes too much time, and to the detriment of their work. Conversely, the couple thought that public interaction constituted an integral part of their creativity and that the artistic experience also involved sharing knowledge. During their exhibition The Gates , they hired and trained over a hundred people to reply to any questions passers-by might ask upon seeing the work. Furthermore, they often lectured at museums, universities and colleges across the world.
For two weeks, the work could be admired from the sea, sky or land.
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