Christo: The Pont Neuf, Wrapped “Paris, 1975-85”

AS new. Christo’s ingenious projects are further documented here in two books that could not be more different in approach and scope. Vaizey’s book is little more than a visual survey, and its 11-page introductory essay is a nightmare. The type is much too large and the prose is replete with awkward syntax, vague allusions, and one-sentence paragraphs. The book doesn’t compare to Dominique G. Laporte’s Christo (Abrams, 1986), which is more sophisticated, intelligent, and critical. Christo: The Pont-Neuf, Wrapped . . . is a consummately definitive 12-pound tome cataloging the artist’s transformative sculptural process upon the ancient Paris bridge. Although at first the book appears to be overkill, its irresistible beauty and impeccable completeness is justification in itself. Everything is here, from the first diary entry and negotiations with Parisian authorities to drawings, collages, scale models, legal battles, and the final magnificent production involving over 600 workers and 440,000 square feet of material. There are nearly 800 illustrations, 286 in color. Even a piece of the golden polyamide fabric is included. For major fans and well-endowed collections.
– Terry McMaster, Utica Coll. of Syracuse Univ. Lib.,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.