[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 29227]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JEANNE-CLAUDE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 2, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor my 
friend Jeanne-Claude, who passed away November 18 at the age of 74. In 
partnership with her husband Christo, she created some of the most 
exciting art projects of our time. The couple is known for large-scale 
temporary environmental works of stunning beauty that transform our 
perceptions of building and landscapes, while creating community 
dialogue.
  I was fortunate to meet the couple in connection with The Running 
Fence, one of their most spectacular projects that snaked through 24 
miles of my district in California's Sonoma and Marin Counties. 
Installed in 1976, The Running Fence featured over two million square 
feet of billowing nylon across the golden brown hills of 59 ranches to 
the Pacific Ocean. The sheer logistics of the endeavor became part of 
the artistic process as Jeanne-Claude and Christo brought disparate 
members of the local community together over four-and-a-half years of 
planning and prodding to bring it to fruition.
  The pair returned to Sonoma County in September for a reunion event 
where I saw that Jeanne-Claude exhibited the same flamboyant, warm 
style that won her friends and supporters for the project 33 years ago. 
The reunion laid the groundwork for an upcoming Smithsonian exhibition 
on The Running Fence that will serve as a tribute to her partnership 
with Christo on this remarkable collaboration.
  Born in Morocco, Jeanne-Claude met Christo, a Bulgarian refugee who 
shared her birth date, in Paris in 1958. At that time, Christo was 
wrapping small objects, and they soon began collaborating on wrapping 
larger outdoor installations which led to the most famous--Paris's Pont 
Neuf (1975-1985) and Berlin's Reichstag (1971-1995). Many other 
projects included natural settings such as a Surrounded Islands in 
Biscayne Bay, Florida; Valley Curtain in Rifle, Colorado; The Umbrellas 
on hillsides in both California and Japan; and The Gates in Central 
Park, New York.
  Sponsorships were never accepted for these and other installations 
which were financed through sales of plans, models, drawings, photos, 
and other documents. The works were always a team effort, with the 
resulting objects signed with the joint name, ``Christo and Jeanne-
Claude.''
  In addition to her husband, Jeanne-Claude is survived by their son, 
poet Cyril Christo, and a grandson.
  Madam Speaker, Christo will be carrying on the couple's work, and I 
am sure that memories of Jeanne-Claude's vibrancy and love will be a 
comfort to him during this time. Marin and Sonoma residents will 
remember her glitzy red hair and her wit and charm, but it is her 
friendship that we will cherish the most.

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