Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Umbrellas Japan/USA 1984–1991, 1998
Hardcover in slipcase, 39 x 34,7 cm, 9,27 kg, 1422 pages
Edition of 2500
Book numbered and signed by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Wolfgang Volz
9783822874776
Copyright The Artist
Photo: TASCHEN
The first and only of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects to span two continents simultaneously, and one of their most spectacular and memorable creations: 1,340 six-meter-tall blue umbrellas were assembled and...
The first and only of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects to span two continents simultaneously, and one of their most spectacular and memorable creations: 1,340 six-meter-tall blue umbrellas were assembled and erected in Ibaraki, Japan, and 1,760 yellow umbrellas in California, USA. After months of grueling process, the two countries united as the forest of umbrellas were opened simultaneously on both continents. The blue symbolized the plenitude of water in the Japanese terrain, and the yellow represented the heat of the American valley. For Christo the umbrellas were “freestanding, dynamic modules... which reflected the availability of the land in each valley, creating an invitational, inner space.”
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–1991 was the most ambitious and expensive project they have ever undertaken. This comprehensive project book documents the art work from conception to completion:
* Many preparatory drawings and collages created by Christo before the completion
* Original documents of the permits negotiations with representatives of government agencies, 17 in Japan and 27 in the USA, the 459 rice farmers in Ibaraki and 26 ranchers in California
* The engineering process of the umbrella superstructure, through manufacturing, and the installation of The Umbrellas Entries from Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s diary
* The book includes two 24 x 24 cm samples of the original fabric used for the blue and yellow umbrellas
* The book is entirely designed by Christo
The umbrellas were removed after two weeks, but the memories of this unrepeatable and transient endeavor have been collected in this official book of documentation. Thousands of photographs, plans, sketches, notes and a retrospective text provide the core source material, covering every stage of the project from inception to aftermath. A very special edition indeed.
The artists: Christo and Jeanne-Claude began their collaboration in 1961, and lived in New York City since 1964. Jeanne-Claude died in 2009; Christo died in 2020. Their large-scale projects include Wrapped Coast, Australia, 1968–69; Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970–72; Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972–76; Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Florida, 1980–83; The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975–85; The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91; Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971–95; Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997–98; The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979–2005; The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014–16, The London Mastaba, Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park, 2016–18, and L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961–2021.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–1991 was the most ambitious and expensive project they have ever undertaken. This comprehensive project book documents the art work from conception to completion:
* Many preparatory drawings and collages created by Christo before the completion
* Original documents of the permits negotiations with representatives of government agencies, 17 in Japan and 27 in the USA, the 459 rice farmers in Ibaraki and 26 ranchers in California
* The engineering process of the umbrella superstructure, through manufacturing, and the installation of The Umbrellas Entries from Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s diary
* The book includes two 24 x 24 cm samples of the original fabric used for the blue and yellow umbrellas
* The book is entirely designed by Christo
The umbrellas were removed after two weeks, but the memories of this unrepeatable and transient endeavor have been collected in this official book of documentation. Thousands of photographs, plans, sketches, notes and a retrospective text provide the core source material, covering every stage of the project from inception to aftermath. A very special edition indeed.
The artists: Christo and Jeanne-Claude began their collaboration in 1961, and lived in New York City since 1964. Jeanne-Claude died in 2009; Christo died in 2020. Their large-scale projects include Wrapped Coast, Australia, 1968–69; Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970–72; Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972–76; Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Florida, 1980–83; The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975–85; The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91; Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971–95; Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997–98; The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979–2005; The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014–16, The London Mastaba, Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park, 2016–18, and L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961–2021.