Four Store Fronts Corner, 1964 - 1965

Basel 2016
Four Store Fronts Corner

Annely Juda Fine Art

Installation
galvanized metal, clear and colored plexiglass, masonite canvas, brown paper, and electric light
248.0 x 785.0 x 400.0 （厘米）
97.6 x 309.1 x 157.5 （吋）
The life-sized Store Fronts that were done after Christo and Jeanne-Claude emigrated to New York in 1964 recall the dimensions of New York architecture which no doubt made an impression on the couple who had lived in Paris six years prior. Made out of architectural elements found in scrap heaps and the remnants of demolished buildings, the first Store Fronts have a patina that exudes the charm of the old and used. The sculpture, however, is little more than a pretence. The display windows of the suggested stores are draped with fabric or wrapping paper and the doors are securely locked, heralding the later veils and wrappings for which Christo would become known. Christo built this Four Store Fronts Corner for his first personal exhibition in the United States, at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1966. The work filled the large exhibition room at the gallery, and as such, visitors were unable to view the entire sculpture at once. The essence of time spent walking along the sculpture played a significant role for the artist. It was not exhibited again until 2001 at the exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Early Works 1958–1969 at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.