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Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Park Ave & 33rd St.
2 Columbus Circle
Give Christo the duct tape
Christo wraps New York

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raincoaster
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
I loved their work, even when it was uncool to do so (it's always been uncool to love art whose purpose is to bring joy, non?) but I am compelled to bring the snark.

"That's a wrap."

Okay, pile on.
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agrodolce
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
Jeanne-Claude was responsible for causing millions of smiles in the coldest month of the year in NYC.

Her vibrancy will be cherished.

I feel bad for Christo. They truly were in love in every aspect of life together. She even set me up on a date with a friend of hers...she wanted everyone to find love.
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Atilla the Bun promoted this comment Edited by agrodolce at 11/19/09 3:35 PM agrodolce was starred agrodolce was unstarred

BabyJewn
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
My baby was born just a few minutes after they unfurled "The Gates" that morning in The Park, and not only was it beautiful in general to see them there, in the dead of winter, but I will never forget being a new mother, holding my baby and staring out from my hospital window at all that glorious orange. I will never forget how hopeful it all made me feel. RIP, Jean-Claude--you were divine...
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iplaudius
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
I’ll never forget their umbrellas in the mountains along the stretch of I-5 known as the Grapevine, in Southern California. The color was stunning, as though strange prehistoric flowers had awoken in the mountains, a golden and long belated springtime. They made me appreciate the geography of the area, the dramatic rises and falls, the chiaroscuro faces. I’ll never look at it the same way again.

What a brilliant woman, what a brilliant couple! She will be missed.
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werewolf
11/19/09

@iplaudius: lovely sentiment. thanks for sharing . . .
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esmemurphy
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
I loved the film Christo's Valley Curtain, and thought Jeanne-Claude was the shit. I loved their work and got the feeling their relationship was incredibly symbiotic. Very sad that she's gone.
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GORDONGARTRELLE
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
Wave your hands in the air for a titan of wrap.
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eleusiswalks
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
Aw, man. They were such a bold, mad, brilliant couple. RIP.
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rachelcollyer
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
Um, hello?
"Jeanne-Claude, wife of artist Christo"?!

Their work was collaborative, and it's a pity you've belittled her contributions by introducing her first and foremost and her husband's wife.
Sick, Hamilton.
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MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@rachelcollyer: Check it out: it's fixed. Good catch, and good for HamNo for responding immediately.
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PamBeesley
11/19/09

@MissNormaDesmond: I think she meant that Jeanne- Claude should have been introduced as his parter in art and his wife. Not as the wife of an artist. As an artist herself.

And I totally agree.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Edited by PamBeesley at 11/19/09 1:56 PM PamBeesley was starred PamBeesley was unstarred

MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@PamBeesley: The headline of the post has been changed from what she quoted to what it now reads. Since the headline now clearly proclaims her to have been an artist herself first, how many times does the piece need to reiterate that before we're sure justice has been done?

[Edited to add] I definitely got rachelcollyer's point and agreed with it, by the way, lest I be misunderstood. The fact remains that for better or worse, Jeanne-Claude wasn't really known independent of the work she did with her husband, who's the member of the couple most people are familiar with.
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Edited by MissNormaDesmond at 11/19/09 2:05 PM MissNormaDesmond was starred MissNormaDesmond was unstarred

PamBeesley
11/19/09

@MissNormaDesmond: The article still says she was the wife of an artist. So I guess it needs to be reiterated a few more times. Thanks.
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MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@PamBeesley: After declaring her in the head to have been an artist, in the body of the post it says she was Christo's wife and artistic collaborator. It's a two-sentence post. If you want to be outraged, I suppose that's your privilege, but somehow it doesn't rise to that level for me.
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PamBeesley
11/19/09

@MissNormaDesmond: i am far from outraged.
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Hamilton Nolan
11/19/09

@MissNormaDesmond: The headline said "Artist and Wife of Christo," from the beginning. Calm, calm.
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MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@Hamilton Nolan: Well, then, I'm totally confused. Does this mean that the body of the post was changed, or that what was quoted in rachelcollyer's comment wasn't accurate? Because I don't see that phrase anywhere.
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MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@PamBeesley: Fair enough. The original comment was pretty irate, I was assuming you were coming from the same place.
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Botswana Meat Commission FC
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo

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Btwbfdimho
11/19/09

@Botswana Meat Commission FC: Can I add a balloon flying over there?
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kafkask
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
yeah, yeah... big deal. Somewhere, some old lady who hung curtains a few time croaked, as well. Let's shed a tear over her, too, not just this rich talentless twaddle.
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MissNormaDesmond
11/19/09

@kafkask: Compassion isn't a zero-sum game.
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SmoothLeather
11/19/09

@kafkask: The difference is that this "old lady who hung curtains a few times" brought a lot of beauty to New York and joy to New Yorkers. Unlike most contemporary art (which is often unappreciated today), "The Gates" was widely considered to be a wonderful, gorgeous addition to Central Park in the winter. You're allowed to have your opinion, but I suspect you probably don't appreciate modern iterations of art in general.
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DahlELama
11/19/09

In reply to Jeanne-Claude, Artist and Wife of Christo
This makes me immeasurably sad. There's something so incredible about a couple who not only share a home and family but also an artistic vision, especially when said artistic vision is so wonderfully out-of-the-ordinary. I always imagine those kinds of couples dying together in their sleep, facing each other, fingers intertwined.
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mfnher
11/19/09

@DahlELama: Did you see the Independent Lens episode about Herb and Dorothy Vogel? It featured Jeanne-Claude and Christo. I loved the story about how Herb and Dorothy wanted to purchase some of their art, but they couldn't afford it. They ended up babysitting Jeanne-Claude and Christo's cat as a compromise. Jeanne-Claude and Christo came off as fantastic people.
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DahlELama
11/19/09

@mfnher: I didn't, but that sounds so sweet, I'll have to check it out.
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Baroness
11/19/09

@DahlELama: I agree, it was an inspiring partnership, and sort of a rare one. It was only in the 90's that their projects were properly billed to the both of them. I remember learning about Christo in art school and she was never mentioned. I'm glad she received her due while she lived. RIP.
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themediatrix
11/19/09

@Baroness: This is similar to the Oldenburg & Van Bruggen situation. Strong collaborators, each artists in their own right, but claes is the one we heard of most.
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Kid Twist
01/22/09

In reply to Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Park Ave & 33rd St.
I still say it was orange, not "saffron."
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MincnglyWhrdL'mer
01/22/09

In reply to Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Park Ave & 33rd St.
... I'll just leave it at "good for them that they're able to support their projects outside of the established arts funding systems (by selling drawings, etc.), because they would not find that support within those systems"

and now, some internet parodies ...

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Miss D
01/22/09

In reply to Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Park Ave & 33rd St.
Oooh, they once made me so mad at a charity lecture.

My friend and I had volunteered to run the slide projector (yes, it was that long ago) and Jeanne-Claude said, "We don't like zee auto-focus, pas d'auto-focus!"

When the lecture started, she whipped around from the stage and zapped us in the eyes with the laser pointer and hissed "FOCUS!!" -- for every single slide!

Then people around us started hissing "USE THE AUTO-FOCUS!" like we were idiots.

This went on for 1.5 hours. Kicky!
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Steverino Begins
01/22/09

@Miss D: That was actually a performance art piece about the inability of society to focus after 9/11.
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bytememehard
01/22/09

In reply to Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Park Ave & 33rd St.
I loved the Gates and wish they were up again to cheer me this long dismal winter.
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