Celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude with an augmented reality experience in Central Park NYC and an immersive exhibition at The Shed
February 12, 2025
Twenty years ago, visitors to Central Park were greeted by 23 miles of fluttering saffron-colored fabric “gates” that transformed its familiar paths into a vibrant river of color flowing through the trees. Created by the artistic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates emphasized the network of walkways and flow of people through the park as they went about their daily lives in the city.
Partners in art and in life, Christo and Jeanne-Claude were born on the same day: June 13, 1935. They met in Paris in 1958 when Christo was commissioned to paint a portrait of Jeanne-Claude’s mother. From early wrapped objects to large-scale installations, their art transcended the traditional bounds of painting, sculpture, and architecture. The duo is best known for their monumental environmental interventions, which temporarily transformed their sites’ physical form and visual appearance.
Alongside The Gates, some of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s most ambitious works involved enclosing monuments or landforms in fabric, such as L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961–2021) in Paris, Wrapped Reichstag (1971–95) in Berlin, and Surrounded Islands (1980–83) in Miami. Twenty-six years in the making, The Gates was realized in February 2005 and attracted over four million visitors during the sixteen days it was on display. Following the devastation of 9/11 just a few years earlier, the work emphasized joy and beauty in a testament to the city’s resilience.
This year, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s pioneering art installation is brought to life for a new generation. Between February 12 and March 23, 2025, Central Park visitors can experience an interactive, augmented reality experience of The Gates, accessible through the Bloomberg Connects app. The innovative technology will provide a portal into where they once stood, virtually recreating several hundred gates along marked paths from East 72nd Street and 5th Avenue to Cherry Hill. This unique experience was created in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and complements an anniversary exhibition at The Shed, New York.
The exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City at The Shed celebrates the couple’s artistic journey and commitment to the city they called home from 1964 until their deaths. Visitors can learn more about The Gates project through original drawings and scale models by Christo, archival documentation, and a virtual model of the Central Park installation. You can also explore their visionary proposals for New York City that, although unrealized, reveal their innovative spirit and commitment to public art projects.
New York City profoundly influenced Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s creative process, inspiring them to increase the scope of their outdoor projects, which in turn expanded ideas of what art in public spaces could achieve. “The Gates was responsible for sparking an important conversation about public art and its role in urban settings and society,” explains Vladimir Yavachev, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s nephew and project director.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s legacy lives on through a thriving culture of publicly accessible art experiences across New York City – many of them accessible on Bloomberg Connects. The Gates was realized in 2005 under Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, which supported over 500 temporary public art projects and made the city the country’s largest funder of arts and culture. From Times Square Arts to the Public Art Fund, to MTA Arts & Design and NYC Health + Hospitals, New York now has one of the most vibrant public art programs in the world.
Credited with revolutionizing New York City’s relationship with public art in the community, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work has had a transformative impact internationally. A landmark year, 2025, is the 90th anniversary of the duo’s birth, with an exciting series of commemorative events and activities worldwide. You can learn more about these by visiting Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s guide on Bloomberg Connects.
The Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City exhibition at The Shed and the Bloomberg Connects AR experience are on view through March 23, 2025.