Wrapped Up In Conceptual Art
The complete life and work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, in a book designed by Christo Christo and Jeanne-Claude shy away from definitions of their work, but when pressed will admit that they make "temporary large-scale environmental works that incorporate elements of painting, sculpture, architecture and urban planning." They are probably best-known for wrapping landmarks, monuments and topographical features in colored fabrics. For Valley Curtain, 12,780 sq meters of orange cloth were suspended across a valley in Colorado; with Surrounded Islands, eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay were surrounded by luminous pink floating polypropylene-fabric. This book gives a complete overview of the life and work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, from earliest family photos to plans for future projects. It features hundreds of previously unpublished photographs, drawings and plans for realized works, an incisive and detailed history spanning the entire oeuvre, and in-depth interviews, in a lavish 700-page edition designed by Christo. "Nobody discusses a painting before it has been painted. Our projects are discussed and argued about, pro and con, before they are realized." —Christo Limited Edition of 1,000 copies, numbered and signed by Christo
About the artist: Christo and Jeanne-Claude have worked in collaboration since 1961, and lived in New York City since 1964. Their large-scale projects include Wrapped Coast, Australia, 1968-69, Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-72, Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Florida, 1980-83, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85, The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91, Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95, Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997-98 and The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005. Jeanne-Claude died in 2009.
About the photographer: Wolfgang Volz has worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude as the exclusive photographer of their works since 1971. He was also project director (with Roland Specker) for Wrapped Reichstag and (with Josy Kraft) for Wrapped Trees, and was in charge of The Wall, 13,000 Oil Barrels, 1999. His close collaboration has resulted in many books and more than 300 exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. He lives and works in Düsseldorf and Stockholm.
About the author: Paul Goldberger is the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of The New Yorker, where since 1997 he has written the "Sky Line" column, and the author of several books, most recently Up From Zero (2004). He lectures widely on architecture, design, historic preservation and cities, and has taught at both Yale School of Architecture and the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
