# the works of Christo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486 "2005-01-07T00:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/1 "2005-01-07T00:44:09Z")
I’m going to New York City in February to see Christo’s latest project, [The Gates.](http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/tg.html) 23 miles! 7500 gates! I’ve seen two previous Christo projects. In 1978 I saw the [Wrapped Walkways](http://christojeanneclaude.net/ww.html) at Loose Park in Kansas City. When this work was announced, I was skeptical; I thought it sounded like a stupid idea by some nutty artist. Seeing it made me a Christo fan for life. It was exquisite. There was a bit of a problem in that the walkways that were wrapped were popular hiking and running trails. You could still use them while they were wrapped, but they were slippery. In 1994, I saw [The Umbrellas](http://christojeanneclaude.net/umFiles/umUSA.html) along Highway 5 north of L.A. It was breath-takingly glorious. There were about 1700 saffron umbrellas placed among the mountains. That was a lot of umbrellas! I can’t begin to imagine the scope of 7500 gates. I read somewhere that the cost of The Gates is $15 million, all raised privately by Christo. The Gates will be in place for only 16 days. Anyone else seen a Christo project? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/2 "2005-01-07T01:47:32Z")
The remarkable documentary team the Maysles Brothers made a series of films about Christo: _Christo’s Valley Curtain, Running Fence, Islands, Christo in Paris_ and _Umbrellas_. That’s the closest I’ve been to seeing one of his installations (all quite remarkable, though I imagine there’s a definite “you have to be there” quality). ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/3 "2005-01-08T16:31:20Z")
Thanks, **ArchiveGuy**. I’ve added [the Christo DVD](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001OGUWW/qid=1105202081/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-8863244-6992045?v=glance&s=dvd) to my [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) wish list, as well as a DVD about artist [Andy Goldsworth](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002JL9N6/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/002-8863244-6992045?v=glance&s=dvd&st=*). So much art, so little time. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/4 "2005-01-08T16:48:39Z")
This is a bump of sorts. My recent update caused this thread to totally disappear from the forum. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/5 "2005-01-08T17:17:51Z")
We had to go see an exhibit of Christo’s work when I was in grade school. I’ll just say I don’t really appreciate the “art” of a stick wrapped with gauze and leave it at that. (I did get an “A” on my paper: “Christo the Creepy Crumb” though!) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/6 "2005-01-11T20:18:21Z")
> [@laina\_f](#): > > Thanks, **ArchiveGuy**. I’ve added [the Christo DVD](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001OGUWW/qid=1105202081/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-8863244-6992045?v=glance&s=dvd) to my [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) wish list, as well as a DVD about artist [Andy Goldsworth](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002JL9N6/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/002-8863244-6992045?v=glance&s=dvd&st=*). So much art, so little time. I’m glad you brought up **Rivers & Tides** because I almost did. Another terrific movie about a man whose art is painstaking, incredibly beautiful, but shockingly temporal. Why not round off the list with the [best documentary on an artist ever made](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007ELEI/qid=1105475105/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-2259333-6212814?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846)? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-works-of-christo/283486/7 "2005-01-11T21:46:44Z")
I saw Umbrellas on I-5 too. It was neat, but for me kind of overshadowed by the deaths caused setting up his works in the past–though I suppose accidents can happen at any time.