Christo + Jeanne-Claude // The Gates

February 2005 marked the ephemeral installation of a monumental work of art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in New York City’s Central Park. First conceived in 1979, rejected by New York City government in 1981, and finally approved in 2003, The Gates consisted of 7,503 16-foot-high vinyl gates with saffron-colored fabric panels on 23 miles of the park’s walkways. Seen from the buildings surrounding the park, this incredible work of art looked like a flowing saffron river, while those walking through them experienced the ambience of a fluid golden ceiling.

This special Collector’s Edition documents the entire project from conception to realization. Designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, with texts by Jonathan Henery and photographs by exclusive photographer Wolfgang Volz, it is a lasting and stunning souvenir of this remarkable work of art. Each copy comes with a 24 x 24 cm piece of the project’s original fabric and features over 100 preparatory drawings and collages, as well as 900 important documents, engineering drawings, technical data, maps, and 1,441 photographs from 1979 to 2005.