Christo and the Value of Thinking Big / Thank you Uncle Maurice!

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, the celebrated environmental artist known to the public only by his first name, passed away on May 31. 

Long before The Gates in Central Park, there were the Surrounded Islands in Biscayne Bay, the wrapping of the Pont Neuf and the Reichstag, the draping of the Grand Canyon, and many more amazing works of large-scale outdoor art going back decades. Back in 1976 I was fortunate enough to accompany my uncle, Maurice Tuchman, then-curator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for a close-up viewing of “Running Fence.” Christo, with the help of engineers and a local construction crew, was in the midst of creating a 24-mile long “fence” made of white nylon held in place by steel posts and cables that snaked across Sonoma and Marin counties.

While pretty amazing up close to a young Stanford engineering student at the time, it was even more impressive from the air, as the white fence meandered purposefully through hills and valleys before landing poetically in the Pacific. Running Fence left a lasting impression on many people – including myself – as an amazing achievement in the way it combined art and engineering in such dramatic fashion. The project was incredibly impressive in so many ways: just think, for example, about how many landowners Christo needed to persuade (59!) and all the permits he needed to obtain. 

A few photos from the air back in 1976 taken by that same impressionable young Stanford student have always stayed with me. And not just for the aesthetics. Running Fence also taught me fairly early in life that big and audacious achievements are not only possible but can be spectacular when beautifully executed at scale.

Thank you Uncle Maurice!

For those interested in learning more, an interesting article published on June 6 can be found at: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/lebaron-christos-death-revives-memories-of-1976-and-the-north-bays-runn/