Christo's Gates

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:29 pm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Feb12.html

The 7,500 fabric "gates" unfurled Saturday in Central Park, courtesy of local artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, are charming bits of civic ornament. They're drawing New Yorkers out in crowds to stroll among and under them, and should continue to do so for the two weeks that they're up.
....
$21 million before it's done. (But then, that's only one-fifth what has been paid for a mediocre Picasso, so maybe that return is about right.)
<snipped>

The poll question is: was the money well spent?
It was all privately raised by the artist.

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:39 pm

I don't like any of the choices in the survey. I saw the exhibit on TV, but it isn't possible to make a decision on a 20" screen. I do believe that that much saffron, all in on place, is a bit over done. I am a green guy, myself!

Miwokhill · Post by **Miwokhill** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:19 am

My first impression with Christo's works as well as alot of modern art is that it's a bit ridiculous. However if I actually go and view and experience the work my opinion usually changes and it brings out some emotion or thoughts. Even just viewing it and saying 'wow' sometimes. I remember Christo's 'fence' that ran over most of Sonoma County for 20 or more miles and that's what I thought when I saw that.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 3:23 am

I couldn't view the washington post article without registering, but these gates did make it into a small Metro article here last week. They kept it to the facts: "American", "£10,000", and "two weeks". Made us sound a bit more ridiculous than usual, I'm afraid...

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 9:46 am

I'm as big a fan of the arts as anyone, but Christo's stuff seems to me to be pretentious, like it's as much about the bigness and the buzz as it is about the art.

But it sure is a pretty sight in February. And if it lifts the hearts of New Yorkers, how can I argue?

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:32 pm

FJohnSharp wrote:I'm as big a fan of the arts as anyone, but Christo's stuff seems to me to be pretentious, like it's as much about the bigness and the buzz as it is about the art.

But it sure is a pretty sight in February. And if it lifts the hearts of New Yorkers, how can I argue?

Plus, when you consider that they we able to pay the many millions of dollars that the gates cost out of their own pocket by selling his art work - you've gotta admire that marketing strategy. I heard today on TV that his working drawings of the gates are selling for as much as $250,000 a piece!

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:47 pm

I don't know.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 3:59 am

It seems very intrusive to regular users of the park.

Still, as long as we have daft artists and people stupid enough to fund them, we'll have stuff like this.

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:34 am

Martin Milner wrote:It seems very intrusive to regular users of the park.

Still, as long as we have daft artists and people stupid enough to fund them, we'll have stuff like this.

I don't think so. From what I've seen on TV, and read about, it seems that most regular park users are enjoying strolling beneath them.

I like them, personally. They don't try to make any sort of statement about anything, the $$ is all from the artist himself, they are only their for a couple of weeks and they didn't destroy anything by putting them up.

All the Best, Tom

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:19 am

Not having seen the Gates in person, I'm not going to vote in the survey. I did, however, come across an interesting satellite photo of the exhibit. Check out http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsro ... g_id=16823.

Cheers,
John

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:49 am

TomB wrote:
Martin Milner wrote:It seems very intrusive to regular users of the park.

Still, as long as we have daft artists and people stupid enough to fund them, we'll have stuff like this.

I don't think so. From what I've seen on TV, and read about, it seems that most regular park users are enjoying strolling beneath them.

I like them, personally. They don't try to make any sort of statement about anything, the $$ is all from the artist himself, they are only their for a couple of weeks and they didn't destroy anything by putting them up.

All the Best, Tom

I'm with Tom on this one,and as he pointed out,the Artist financed the work himself so the taxpayers have no cause to complain.
I would love to be strolling through these gates listening to the drapes fluttering in the breeze and soaking in all the shades of sunlight reflected off the drapes. Lovely.

Art for Arts sake.

Slan,
D.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:07 am

I don't want to have to go all the way to New York to see it. Is there anything like it, closer, I could examine and comment on?

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 4:27 am

Well, you could buy a bit of Gate:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 7301735309

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 1:20 pm

I like Christo's stuff.

Hard to say exactly how he knows what he's doing, but his works create contrast against ordinary scenes in such a way that the scenes become novel. They get people to look at buildings, trees, rolling hills, etc., as unexpected new objects, creating a sense of wonder in the midst of things that had been seen as familiar before.

Best wishes,
Jerry

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 3:22 pm

Christo's work has always tickled the pathways of my mind ever since Running Fence in 1976. I flew out to California to spend three days walking part of the fence, shot ten rolls of film in doing so.

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/rf.html

I like the Gates but not as much as the Running Fence.

MarkB

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