very simple

Christo’s massive, 23-mile art installation is starting to get installed in time for it’s February 12 opening. The first work of Christo that I ever saw was when I was in Berlin in 1996 – while the long-defunct Reichstag was getting a new roof, he had wrapped the entire building in fabric rather than force Berliners to look at some ugly scaffolding. I always thought that, at least conceptually, that was a fabulous idea.

According to an article that appeared in the Times a few weeks ago that I can’t seem to find right now, Christo first developed this project more than two decades ago, and has been trying to get it installed ever since. Not only that, it’s not costing the city a dime – Christo and his wife have raised all the money for both the installation and related security themselves as a condition to getting permission to put up the fabric. And the city is thrilled, because this thing is apparently going to attract a whole lot of artsy tourists (hotels around the park have been filling up) during a period of the year when the city is ordinarily dead to tourists.

Public art is truly one of the wonderful benefits of living in this city.

Tags: art, new york city