Smithsonian American Art Museum
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the "Running Fence"
April 2, 2010 – September 26, 2010
On view are nearly 50 preparatory drawings and collages, along with photographs, film, and components, that document the creation and installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's epic project the Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972–76, a white fabric and steel-pole fence, 24 1/2 miles long and 18 feet high, that ran across the properties of 59 ranchers in Sonoma and Marin Counties north of San Francisco. The project attracted far wider public involvement than any previous work of art, including 18 public hearings, three sessions in the Superior Court of California, and the first environmental impact report ever done for a work of art. Paid for entirely by the artists, the Running Fence existed for only two weeks and survives today as a memory and through the artwork and documentation of the artists.
Films The 'Running Fence' Revisited (2010, 45 min), Running Fence with commentary (2004, 58 min), and Running Fence (1978, 58 min) (3 films run continuously back to back)
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