christo & jeanne-claude's 'the gates' celebrated after 20 years with retrospective and AR

A 20th Anniversary Tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude

In February 2005, over seven thousand saffron-colored ‘gates’ marched throughout New York City‘s Central Park. It was a monumental public art exhibition by the iconic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude, at last brought to decades after it was first proposed. The Gates landed at a time when the city was still recovering from the September 11th attacks, and brought over four million visitors to Manhattan during its sixteen-day run — — more than triple the usual number. With its scale and vibrancy, The Gates became a beloved chapter in the city’s history.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s installation. To celebrate this groundbreaking project, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, The Shed, Central Park Conservancy, NYC Parks, and Bloomberg Philanthropies have collaborated on a multifaceted retrospective that includes a comprehensive exhibition at The Shed and an augmented reality (AR) experience in Central Park. The event allows New Yorkers and visitors to re-experience The Gates in-place, and to see the original drawings, models, and schematics preserved by the Foundation. designboom attended the exhibition ahead of its opening to learn of the activation’s history, and tested out the augmented-reality experience in Central Park. 

The Gates, Augmented Reality experience, Bloomberg Connects | image by designboom

the legacy of the gates in central park

Originally conceived in the 1970s but only realized decades later, The Gates consisted of 7,503 saffron-colored gates spanning twenty-three miles of pathways in New York’s Central Park. The monumental project reimagined the landscape, inviting visitors to engage with the environment in an unprecedented way. Vibrant fabric panels flowed freely from the gates, framing the park’s iconic pathways and creating a dynamic visual experience that shifted with the wind and light.

‘Even after twenty years, the unforgettable visual memory of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates is still in the minds of the many people who experienced it in person or viewed it from afar,’ said Vladimir Yavachev, the artists’ nephew and director of projects for the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. ‘The Gates sparked an important conversation about public art and its role in urban settings and society.’

The Gates, Augmented Reality experience | image courtesy Bloomberg Connects

a retrospective exhibition at the shed

The exhibition, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, running from February 12th to March 23rd, 2025 at The Shed, explores the artists’ creative process and their ambitious public art projects. Visitors can explore original drawings, scale models, and components from The Gates installation, along with immersive photographs and videos.

An interactive tabletop map of Central Park, developed by Dirt Empire and Superbright, allows attendees to virtually navigate the pathways of The Gates, offering a new dimension to the retrospective. The exhibition also showcases never-before-realized projects for New York City, revealing Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s visionary concepts that remained on paper.

Max Hodges, CEO of The Shed, highlighted the exhibition’s significance: ‘The Gates was massive in scale and spectacle. It issued a broad invitation to all of NYC to encounter and experience art. This exhibition allows audiences to reflect on the work and find meaning for it in today’s world.’

The Shed, exhibition entrance | image by designboom

Augmented Reality: Bringing The Gates Back to Life

In a groundbreaking integration of art and technology, visitors to Central Park can now experience a reimagining of The Gates through an augmented reality activation available on the Bloomberg Connects app. Developed in collaboration with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, Dirt Empire, and Superbright, the AR experience recreates hundreds of saffron gates between the east and west sides of the park near 72nd Street.

‘The AR experience achieves the highest levels of technical complexity and realism,’ noted Yavachev. Signage along the route and wheelchair-accessible pathways ensure that the experience remains inclusive and engaging for all parkgoers.

Patty Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, reflected: ‘The boldness and creativity of The Gates lifted our city’s spirits and economy as we recovered from our darkest day. It’s inspiring to see that legacy brought back to life through this exhibition and AR experience.’

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image by designboom

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image by designboom

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image by designboom

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image courtesy The Shed

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image courtesy The Shed

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image by designboom

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, The Shed | image by designboom

Vladimir Yavachev, the artists' nephew and director of projects for the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation

project info:

exhibition: Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City

artist: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

location: The Shed & Central Park

organizers: The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, The Shed, Central Park Conservancy

AR app collaborators: Bloomberg Connects, Dirt Empire, Superbright

on view: February 12th to March 23rd, 2025

previous coverage: December 2024