BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: The Gates sculpture

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Saturday, 12 February 2005, 14:43 GMT

In pictures: The Gates sculpture

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Thousands of people turned out to see The Gates, the latest sculpture from artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which was finally completed in Central Park, New York on Saturday.

Christo an Jeanne-Claude

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Married artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, renowned for their giant temporary outdoor works, spent more than 25 years planning The Gates.

Volunteer on The Gates

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Volunteers worked all week to help prepare the sculpture, and 300 more will line the route to answer questions from the public.

The Gates

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The sculpture features 7,500 large saffron vinyl panels hanging on 16ft (5m) high frames, closely spaced along the 23 miles (37km) of park walkways.

Panel maker on The Gates

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The vinyl panels were trimmed by Fritz Bieri's Swiss canvas company and designed to change tone as the sun moves, and to wave freely in the breeze.

The Gates

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The cost of the project, including security and cleaning up, is thought to be $21m (£11m), funded by the artists.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

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Christo, an American from Bulgaria, and Jeanne-Claude, a Parisian born in Casablanca, were both born on June 13, 1935. They met in Paris but live in New York.

Dog walker in Central Park

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Work on the sculpture began on 7 February, and New Yorkers started to enjoy it, despite its incomplete state.

Preparation on The Gates

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The Gates will stay in the park for 16 days, and more than 20,000 people are expected to visit New York to see it.

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Related to this story:
Artists' sculpture to 'wrap' US park (23 Jan 03 | Entertainment )
Tie a piece of cloth around the old oak tree (21 Nov 98 | Europe )
Creators fight for copyrights (14 Mar 01 | Entertainment )
Christo wins shrink-wrap rights (25 Jan 02 | Entertainment )

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