Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-1
Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-2
Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-3
Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-1Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-2Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado) - image-3

Lot 441 D

Christo - Valley curtain (Project for Colorado)

Auction 1014 - overview Cologne
24.05.2013, 11:00 - Contemporary Art
Estimate: 50.000 € - 60.000 €
Result: 61.000 € (incl. premium)

Pencil, fabric, staples, coloured chalk and enamel paint on card 71 x 56 cm, framed under glass. Signed and dated 'Christo 1972' lower left and along lower margin titled and inscribed 'VALLEY CURTAIN (PROJECT FOR COLORADO) VIEW FROM GRAND HOGBACK [...]'. - Minor traces of age.

“Do you know that I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished. Only the preparatory drawings and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character.” (Christo, quoted in Mark Getlein, Living with Art, New York 2008, p.290).
Christo produced this drawing as a study for the highly ambitious 'Valley Curtain' project which he completed on 10 August 1972, after over two years of preparation. The artist draped a giant orange curtain between two slopes among the Colorado Mountains. Set against the blue sky and the surrounding rugged nature, the curtain presented an effective highlight. It was the first of many subsequent projects which the artist realised in the United States. His first attempt to hang up such a curtain took place on 9 October 1971 and failed when the nylon fabric was torn to shreds by a storm. His second attempt involved the assistance of 35 construction workers and 65 further helpers. The nylon curtain was 18,600 square metres in size and was attached to a 40-metre steel cable with 27 ropes (see photo). However, as a storm was approaching, the spectacular landscape sculpture had to be dismantled again after only 28 hours. The persistence with which Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude pursued the realisation of this project was remarkable. It started with months of preparation, continued with laborious negotiations to obtain planning permission and funding for this huge project, and it also included the resumption of activities after the first failed attempt. This persistence illustrated a fundamental principle of the couple's creative process: They wanted to overcome something that seemed totally impossible and to realise a utopian vision. Billowing in the wind, the impressively conspicuous nylon curtain served as a means to stage an expression of transience which had a clear time limit while at the same time featuring a grandeur of design. The artist's words (quoted above) show that his preliminary studies played a central role in this monumental vanitas motif. The drawing shown here illustrates an advanced stage of project preparation. We are given a bird's eye view from the Grand Hogback into the Rifle Valley whose steep rocky walls are indicated by powerful lines and hatches, executed with a thick pencil. In some places the barrenness of the landscape is accentuated by the use of green crayon. Forming a collage, a piece of orange fabric was then stapled onto the cardboard to visualise the curtain between the rocky slopes. In a number of places Christo created highlights by adding white enamel. In particular, the white edge around the orange fabric served to accentuate the fabric, emphasising both its colour and its material. The detailed technical specifications on the sheet are reminiscent of architectural drawings, showing that this piece of work played a major visionary part in the specific execution of the project. We can therefore see that the project proceeded in three stages: planning, execution and documentation. This is clearly expressed in the drawing, making it a "legendary" and important part of the project. In fact, it shows that the project itself may well be one of the most beautiful works created by the two artists.

Certificate

With written confirmation from the Studio Christo, New York, via email dated 19.12.2012.

Provenance

Galerie Der Spiegel, Cologne; Private Collection, Germany