In 2011 we published the post below about Christo’s long planned art installation, Over The River in Colorado. Today we received the following statement from Christo’s team regarding the project:

“After pursuing Over The River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado, for 20 years and going through 5 years of legal arguments, I no longer wish to wait on the outcome.

I have decided to devote all of my energy, time and resources into the realization of The Mastaba, Project for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which Jeanne-Claude and I conceived 40 years ago.

I have been fortunate to work with many dedicated Colorado residents as well as Federal and State agencies who have been a part of Over The River. I am grateful to everyone who was part of this journey.”

It’s sad news for Christo fans, like me. But you never know what could happen in the future. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that maybe it will get a green light in the future.

Mark your calendars for late summer of 2014 – Christo‘s next project has been approved! In the incubator since the early 1990s, Christo and Jeanne-Claude‘s “Over the River” installation includes eight suspended panels totaling nearly 6 miles along a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas River in southern Colorado, three hours southwest of Denver.

Currently waiting further permitting, construction is expected to begin in 2012 and will culminate in a two week showing in 2014. The New York Times reports, “Christo’s larger-than-life vision [for this project] has divided environmentalists, residents and politicians for years over questions of aesthetics, nature and economic impact.”

The article continues, “Federal officials said that “Over the River” could generate $121 million in economic output and draw 400,000 visitors, both during the construction — which could become its own tourist event — and the display itself.”

Christo’s projects – including The Pont Neuf Wrapped, The Umbrellas, Wrapped Reichstag, Wrapped Trees, and most recently The Gates in New York’s Central Park – are breathtakingly beautiful to witness. If you haven’t seen one in person yet, now is the time. Run, don’t walk, to Colorado in 2014.

Which Christo projects have you experienced? Share with us here on WallSpin.

Related articles

• Christo gets permission to wrap the Arkensas River (telegraph.co.uk)
• Artist Christo Gives National Gallery 2 Collages (abcnews.go.com)
• Christo ‘Over The River’ Project: Colorado Approves 2 Leases (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)