Christo dies

May 31, 2020
From CNN the sad announcement that Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, 84, has died. 

My love of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work goes back for many years. My correspondences with them were infrequent, but always personal and supportive.  One of my pieces of art is in their collection, to my humble pride. 
For folks who were in Southern California in the eighties, you may recall The Umbrellas dotting the landscape up along the I-5 Freeway.. Videos of The Running Fence and The Rifle Gap Curtain are available and for anyone who doubts the power of Art, they are a must see.  We see lives changed.

Credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images/Serpentine Galleries

The artists never accepted volunteers. Every person who worked on any of their many installations was paid.  The installations were financed from the sale of Christo's preparatory  works of art that sold to museums as well as to collectors. They donated artwork to be sold to benefit institutions like Pepperdine University where I bought my lithograph of The Umbrellas.

The CNN article below is fairly thorough. If you are outside the art world and have not been exposed to these installations, take a moment. Find the videos. Come back to the analog world and send a note of appreciation and condolences to the artists' son, 
 Cyril Christo 
48 Howard Street
NYC, NY 10013 USA

I am a fan.  Unabashedly so..  and sad for this passing. Make art now!!!  That's most likely what both Jeanne-Claude and Christo would say if asked for advice. Make Art now. Yes.

Michael Sheehan
May 31, 2020 
Please copy and paste the link below or do a search for CNN Christo dies at 84.




https://www.cnn.com/style/article/christo-artist-dead/index.html?fbclid=IwAR26PqJcJAq9ZS9neywb5OJaMeZoRCmyP2xFtlwwmeMZAKNGdXiAUocHwKE