Remembering the Gates in Central Park

Not long ago, my friend (and prize-winning author) Nicholas Basbanes posted on Facebook  a stunning long-distance photograph  of the Gates, a work of art which had taken 20 years for the artist Christo to bring to fruition in New York's Central Park in 2005.

Christo

Seeing the line of orange fabric "gates" trooping across the landscape with the Fifth Avenue Manhattan skyline behind them, in Nick's photograph, set me to hunting for the photos I took of the Gates on the last day of the exhibition in February 2005.  And I found them! One is above.

What are the gates,  you ask?  According to Wikipedia, the Gates  were "a  work of art by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude, known jointly as Christos and Jeanne-Claude.The artists installed 7,503 vinyl 'gates' along 23 miles of pathways in Central Park.  From each gate hung a panel of deep saffron colored nylon  fabric. The exhibit ran from February 12, 2005 through February 27, 2005. All told, 7503 individual gates were installed." 

And on the last day, as I was taking photos, the saffron panels contrasted beautifully with the new-fallen snow.

Nick Basbanes' photograph gave a panoramic look at the Gates, but I found I was focusing more on the interaction of the people and the art.  In fact, whenever I go to a museum or art exhibit, I always end up photographing the people reacting to the art, rather than just the art itself.  (see my last year's post about "People Peering at Picasso")

Look at the fun that people of all ages are having interacting with the Gates, above. (This was before the age of selfies, remember.)

But the photo that somehow got me choked up was this one below of a well-dressed older couple, undoubtedly New Yorkers, enjoying the show just as much as the children running between the posts.  The Gates was, in my opinion, New York public art at its best.

And here's Nick Basbanes' wonderful photograph (below) that set me hunting to find mine after all these years.  Thanks Nick!

By the way, Christo has just revealed his latest art project, "The Floating Piers", connecting two small islands in Northern Italy for 16 days, starting June 18.  I don't think I'll make it there, but at least I have my memories of the Gates, from 11 years ago.

People Peering at Picasso

 "Bull's Head"

On October 16, with my sister-in-law Robin, I went to see the Museum of Modern Art's exhibit of Picasso's Sculpture (which is there until February 7, 2016.) 

The thing I like about Picasso is that he viewed the world around him with the mischievous, magical, and humorous eyes of a child.  I remember a delightful series of photographs of Picasso picking up a fish skeleton from his plate and playing with it, enjoying the sculptural qualities of the remains of his lunch.

 

"Woman in the Garden"

I'd never paid much attention to Picasso's sculpture before, but spending a couple of hours at this show is certain to make you smile and to view the objects you find in the trash in a new light.  The head of a bull at top is a piece Picasso crafted out of a bicycle seat and handlebars.  Wonder how much more that sculpture is worth now than the bicycle it came from?

 "Head of a Woman"

Picasso was forever stealing things from the trash or from the house to use in his sculpture--spoons, forks, tree branches, a watering can, stones and bones, a burner from a stove,  newspapers, gloves, tin plates, even absinthe spoons.  Up till the MOMA show I had never seen an absinthe spoon!

 "Head of a Woman"

I took lots of photos (no flash allowed) and when I looked at them later, I realized that my favorites were the ones that showed people in the crowd reacting to the sculpture.  Everyone was taking Picasso's humorous creations very seriously.  Whenever I go to an exhibition I usually spend as much time watching  the reactions of the viewers as I do looking at the art. 

 "Head of a Warrior"

This woman is scratching her head over "Goat Skull and Bottle".

 This lady with the red purse is intently studying "Woman with a Baby Carriage"

 

 and "She-Goat"

Vase, Bull, Owl and Owl and nice reflections

And a cluster of skinny women.

Go see it if you're in New York before Feb. 7!