Very sad news about Christo. I first heard him speak at the Carpeneter Center for the Visual Arts in early 1977 when he showed images of Valley Curtain, one of his early projects in the Rocky Mountains, and Running Fence, a big project creating a 40 kilometre fabric fence through the countryside of Marin and Sonoma Counties. They were both projects of great and elemental beauty and simplicity, supplemented by his characteristically elaborate conceptual drawing; and I have followed his career ever since as he went on to wrap the Reichstag and the Pont-Neuf and his umbrellas in California. He came and talked at the RA in 2014 and was impressively and authentically still full of projects and ideas.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
My cousin’s late husband Al Maysles made films about most, if not all of Christo’s projects – certainly Running Fence. Maybe they’ll be shown again now.
Very beautiful they were too. Charles
There was a memorable essay on Running Fence in The New Yorker way back then
I believe he was one of the greatest artists of our era, with his wife Jeanne Claude and I was lucky enough to see and report on Running Fence. He was generous, open, original, made art of great beauty which involved at times almost endless legal processes, enormous communities, revived factories, (which made the materials he used) and was open to all, from northern California to Paris to London and on…..
Dear Marina, You were lucky ! A wonderful project – and the umbrellas in California, too. Charles
I loved that Running Fence film. The film and the actuality were so cleverly intertwined it gave the majority of us, who couldn’t go to California, a glimpse into Christo’s extraordinary vision and gave him a sort of “Heroic” status which he maintained despite becoming accepted and endorsed by the Establishment.
Yes, my feeling too. Charles
strange I was just reading Calvin Tompkins essay about “Earth Artists” and Christo and Valley Curtain this weekend. I was impressed not just with the project but Christo’s very polite manners dealing with so many issues but remaining calm and approachable .
Sounds like a book I should read as he’s such a good writer. Charles