# How Does Christo (Environmental Artist) Make Money On Those Projects? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440 "2005-01-06T19:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440/1 "2005-01-06T19:55:03Z")
I see where Christo is going to hang miles of safran colored drapery through the paths in Central Park. Looks like it is going to be beautiful, but is it costing him over $1 million dollars per mile x 23 miles! He is paying for it himself, plus he is donating $3 million dollars to the NYC parks department. How does this art pay? I know when he “packed” the Reichstag in Berlin, later they sold little scraps of fabric for a few coins. But even if he sold every piece of drapery, $25 million is going to be a hell of a lot of scraps at a hefty price. Am I missing some factor in the financial viablity of such ventures? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440/2 "2005-01-06T20:09:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Christo & Jeanne-Claude pay the entire cost of the artworks themselves. They earn all of the money through the sale of the preparatory studies, early works from the 50s and 60s and original lithographs on other subjects. > > They do not accept grants or sponsorships of any kind. They do not accept donated labor (volunteer help). They do not accept money for things like posters, postcards, books, films, T-shirt and mugs or any other products at all. None. > > Art collectors who are interested in acquiring original preparatory works of art may contact Jok or Kaz by e-mail. Christo & Jeanne-Claude act as their own art dealers and present original preparatory work to collectors in their studio, by appointment. > > All monies for projects come from these art sales. [http://christojeanneclaude.net/faq.html#pay](http://christojeanneclaude.net/faq.html#pay) ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440/3 "2005-01-06T22:05:24Z")
Wow…I am impressed. That is a lot of money they spend on these projects, so they must be doing quite well with the rest of their art work! ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440/4 "2005-01-06T23:11:04Z")
> [@](#): > > They do not accept money for things like posters, postcards, books, films, T-shirt and mugs or any other products at all. None. Very interesting. The Met was selling posters of the “The Gates”, and I assumed they were fundraising. But no. I just checked their site: “Proceeds from the sale of this poster will benefit The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Nurture New York’s Nature.” Seems like a lost opportunity there. Posters are a poor man’s prints, not “selling out”. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-christo-environmental-artist-make-money-on-those-projects/283440/5 "2005-01-06T23:19:44Z")
“They do not accept money for posters…” I wonder if they accept money for the _rights_ to accept money for posters. Merchandising rights could be considered preprartory work, right?