I know saffron, and The Gates is not saffron
thegates.jpg I’m typing this in New York City, about a block from Central Park. As some of you are no doubt aware, Christo has opened up his latest art exhibit, The Gates, in Central Park. This is how he describes it on his web site: To all visitors of The Gates: There are no official ...
I’m typing this in New York City, about a block from Central Park. As some of you are no doubt aware, Christo has opened up his latest art exhibit, The Gates, in Central Park. This is how he describes it on his web site:
To all visitors of The Gates: There are no official opening events. There are no invitations. There are no tickets. This work of art is FREE for all to enjoy, the same as all our previous projects.
This is great — but ask the New York cabdrivers about this exhibit as you pass through the Park — as I did — and what you get is an impressive string of invective (to be fair, part of this is due to the exhibit shutting down some of the cross-park roads — but only part). Having seen it, I’m very amused by the headline for Michael Kimmelman’s New York Times review, “In a Saffron Ribbon, a Billowy Gift to the City.” Now, if Christo and Kimmelman want to call it “saffron,” more power to them. To me, the color of “The Gates” is not saffron — it’s safety orange. This is the biggest problem with the exhibit: approaching the Park, all you think is that the entire area must be under massive construction. It’s just a bizarre color choice, and mars what would otherwise have been an aesthetically pleasing exhibit. For a somewhat contrary take, see Virginia Postrel’s take
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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