The Gates in Central Park by Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Photos

By Jackie Craven, About.com Guide

The Gates in Central Park was one of many art installations by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. During a partnership that spanned fifty years, they created many other enormous creative environments, including:

• The Surrounded Islands. The artists surrounded several islands in Biscayne Bay, Florida with floating pink fabric.
• The Pont Neuf Wrapped. The artists wrapped the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris with silky fabric.
• The Umbrellas. The artists dotted two landscapes with 3,100 enormous cloth umbrellas. Gold umbrellas were placed in a valley in Ibaraki, Japan. Blue umbrellas were placed in a valley in California.

If these grand installations seem just a bit too grandiose, you might enjoy viewing a light-hearted spoof of the Central Park Gates, created by Geoff Hargadon in his Massachusetts home. Hargadon calls his miniature installation The Somerville Gates.

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The Central Park Gates: Were they art, architecture... or trash? You tell us!