Christo's site-specific artworks were known for their whimsy and playfulness. But the real beauty of his art lay in his ability to navigate local bureaucracies—and reveal how ridiculous they can be.
"Christo's pieces are no mere "public art," like the typical sculpture deposited arbitrarily in the plaza of an office building or the median of a boulevard (often paid for as penance by a developer). And they aren't just place-based. They are based in, and rely upon, specific places that are unique and irreplaceable. And they don't just occupy those places. They borrow those places. They use and transform them, and then they give them back."
"These are questions most artists (like most people) deliberately avoid. Art is the opposite of bureaucracy. Artists retreat to their studios to avoid tedious questions such as these. But Christo embraced the tedium. He met it head-on, and he figured out how to triumph over it (and even Triomphe over it). He did so because, in addition to clearly loving the sport of it, he knew that the result would be worthwhile."
Read the full story: What Christo Taught Us About Land Use Policy
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University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
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