20 years ago, New York’s Central Park turned orange with a now legendary installation titled ‘The Gates’. The site-specific installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude featured 7,503 gates spanning 23 miles throughout the park, and attracted over four million visitors. Now, to mark its 20th anniversary, this saffron-coloured art returns, but this time on your phone.
‘The Gates’ returns in all its saffron glory to Central Park
Christo and Jeanne-Claude at The Gates, New York City, February 2005
With the help of augmented reality, ‘The Gates’ by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude makes its digital return to Central Park where visitors can view its billowing saffron fabric on their smartphones, located between East 72nd Street and Cherry Hill.
The original art installation made its debut on 12 February 2005, and lined Central Park’s footpaths with over 7000 16-foot-tall orange gates. The somewhat simple concept captivated the public with its warming colour palette during New York's darker months – and darker times in history – after the 9/11 attacks.
The bright orange fabric which caught the wind and created a balloon-like tunnel, sparked joy and happiness within the icy park, and acted as a symbol of hope to many. Now, throughout the park there are various kiosks with QR-codes which allow visitors to scan with their phones and see ‘The Gates’ as it was 20 years ago.
To further celebrate the installation’s anniversary, the Shed at Hudson Yards will display a retrospective titled ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City’ which focuses on the design process and installation of ‘The Gates’, which also included photographs, drawings and earlier design concepts.
‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City’ is on display at The Shed until 23 March 2025 theshed.org christojeanneclaude.net
-
A striking new cinema glows inside Madrid’s Reina Sofia MuseumBarcelona-based studio Bach reimagines a historic auditorium as a crimson-and-blue dreamscape
-
How an Austin home went from 'Texan Tuscan' to a lush, layered escape inspired by the AlhambraThe intellectually curious owners of this Texas home commissioned an eclectic interior – a true ‘cabinet of curiosities’ layered with trinkets and curios
-
Should your home have a patron goddess? This dramatic Minneapolis apartment doesInspired by the Celtic deity Brigid, interior designer Victoria Sass infused this Twin Cities aerie with flame-licked themes
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
Inside a Courtney Love-inspired art exhibition in New YorkLiza Jo Eilers looks to the glory days of Hole at an exhibition at Grimm New York
-
Apple unveils its next-gen camera in a powerful new photography exhibitionThe new iPhone 17 Pro Max takes centre stage in a New York exhibition where artists Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu explore the theme of joy
