Surrounded Islands, Project for Biscane Bay, Greater Miami, Collage in Two Parts

Christo Javacheff (1935-), is a Bulgarian artist, known for his collaboration with French artist Jeanne-Claude Denat (1935-2009). Together, they created some of the most impressively large and ceaselessly clever art installations ever seen, and this collection of rare, lithographic photo prints showcases the breadth and depth of their work.

Offset lithography is a printing technique wherein the image is created from a polymer coating applied to a flexible plastic or metal plate, and transferred onto a flexible rubber sheet before being transferred to the printing surface. This method allows for malleability in the printing elements, to make sure the details are authentically replicated.

This particular print features Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1982 installation "Surrounded Islands" in Biscane Bay, Florida. Using 6.5 million square feet of floating pink fabric, Christo and Jeanne-Claude encircled eleven islands in the bay, extending the perimeter of each island by 200 feet. An elaborate undertaking that involved legions of contractors, engineers, attorneys, and seamstresses, "Surrounded Islands" also required extensive consultation with marine biologists and ornithologists. Ultimately, the project benefited its surroundings: Christo and Jeanne-Claude's crew removed forty tons of garbage from the uninhabited islands.Evoking hibiscus flowers and flamingos, the vibrant woven polypropylene fabric was sewn to correspond to the contours of each island. As the unfurling began on 4 May 1983, the islands themselves seemed to bloom. The artists and their crew of 430 surrounded the last island three days later. Remaining on view for two weeks, the work was visible to the public from the causeways, the land, the water, and the air.