Christo (who passed away earlier this year) and his wife and artistic collaborator Jeanne-Claude were the king and queen of vast, eye-popping environmental installations. Their aspirations were simple: “We wish to create works of art, works of joy and of beauty,” Jeanne-Claude said. “As with every true work of art, it has absolutely no purpose whatsoever…” This magical piece involved draping a tangerine-hued curtain, made from 18,600 square metres of woven nylon, between two Colorado mountain slopes in 1972. A gale forced the duo to dismantle it just twenty-eight hours after its completion, but it was undeniably beautiful while it lasted.
