27 - Christo (Bulgarian-American, 1935-2020)

Christo (Bulgarian-American, 1935-2020) Running Fence - 1973-76 Project for Sonoma County and Marin County, State of California Part 1: Black and white photocopy on paper, 30 x 62 cm Part 2: Black and white photograph (glossy), 26,5 x 35,6 cm Part 3: Black and white photograph (matte), 40 x 61 cm Part 4: Black and white photocopy on paper, 26,5 x 40,5 cm Part 5: Black and white photocopy on paper, 26,5 x 40,5 cm Part 6: Nylon fabric and black crayon on cut-out paper, 46 x 71 cm, signed and dated lower right Provenance: Serge De Bloe, Brussels The Robert and Suzanne Pannier Collection, Bruges Literature: Werner Spies, Christo. The Running Fence, Editions du Chêne, Paris, 1977 Running Fence: 5,5 meters high, 39,4 kilometers long, extending east-west near Freeway 101, north of San Francisco, on the private properties of 59 ranchers, following the rolling hills and dropping down to the Pacific Ocean at Bodega Bay. The Running Fence was completed on September 10, 1976. The art project consisted of 42 months of collaborative efforts, the ranchers’ participation, eighteen public hearings, three sessions at the Superior Courts of California, the drafting of a 450-page Environmental Impact Report and the temporary use of the hills, the sky and the ocean. All expenses for the temporary work of art were paid by Christo and Jeanne-Claude through the sale of studies, preparatory drawings and collages, scale models and original lithographs. The artists did not accept sponsorship of any kind. Running Fence was made of 200,000 square meters of heavy woven white nylon fabric, hung from a steel cable strung between 2,050 steel poles embedded 91 centimeters into the ground, using no concrete and braced laterally with guy wires (145 kilometers miles of steel cable) and 14,000 earth anchors. The top and bottom edges of the 2,050 fabric panels were secured to the upper and lower cables by 350,000 hooks. All parts of Running Fence's structure were designed for complete removal, and no visible evidence of Running Fence remains on the hills of Sonoma and Marin Counties. As it had been agreed with the ranchers and with county, state, and federal agencies, the removal of Running Fence started 14 days after its completion, and all materials were given to the ranchers. Running Fence crossed fourteen roads and the town of Valley Ford, leaving passage for cars, cattle, and wildlife. It was designed to be viewed by following 64 kilometers (40 miles) of public roads, in Sonoma and Marin Counties. (www.christojeanneclaude.net)