a film review
Across the international art community Christo is a maverick. Known primarily for his monumental, temporary installations, the artist’s sculptures and installations have appeared in landscapes around the world for over 50 years. Christo first came to prominence in the United States during the mid-1970s, when his project that was titled Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972–1976 had encountered several obstacles with local residents and government officials.
Nearly two decades earlier the artist had escaped Communist Bulgaria. In 1958 Christo arrived in Paris where he met his future wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude. From that point, Christo started to prolifically pursue his ideas for wrapped objects and buildings in diverse locations such as Cologne (Germany), Paris (France), Eindhoven (the Netherlands) and Spoleto (Italy).
By 1970, Christo’s awe-inspiring art had appeared in a handful of American cities such as Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Chicago. However none of this, nor the extensive growth of his career, would have been possible without Jeanne-Claude. Together they were known as Christo-and-Jeanne-Claude to the point that no one has seen Christo at work by himself — since Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009 — until this film titled Walking on Water (2019).
