Artists don't retire, they die. That's all. When they stop to be able to create art, they die.
Jeanne-Claude, September 30 2009.
New York said goodbye to Jeanne-Claude today. Her memorial was celebrated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art several months after her death on November 20, 2009.
Together with her husband Christo, Jeanne-Claude was a major force in the world of large-scale environmental art. New York was their adopted home, having come from Bulgaria by way of Paris. Though Christo provided the creative input in their world-renowned pieces, Jeanne-Claude was the one who made his work come to life with her perseverance and persuasive powers. Their work included such well-known installations as the Gates at Central Park NY, wrapping the Ponte Neuf in Paris, the wrapped Reichstag in Berlin, il Muro Torto in Rome, and the running fence in California.
We interviewed Christo and Jeanne-Claude in May 2009, in their NYC loft. The transcript of the interview can be found at: http://axesmundi.blogspot.com/2008/06/work-of-joy-and-beauty-christo-and.html
We also took a video of the Gates, from a different kinetic experience (from roller skates) :
Jeanne-Claude was eulogized by Mayor Bloomberg, Paul Goldberger, and Philippe de Montebello among others. Throughout the eulogies, the sense of humor and vitality which characterized Jeanne-Claude was evident in the crowd. She will be missed.