Christo

Christo's art is a paradox. Massive yet delicate, even evanescent, his projects built of plastics and metals look like naturalistic interventions in the ``real'' world. Running Fence , a ribbon of mother-of-pearl-colored nylon fabric, responds to the changing light as it stretches across countless miles in California. When Bulgarian-born Christo Javacheff wraps a motorcycle, an armchair or an entire building in tarpaulin or plastic, the act of wrapping seems simultaneously to conceal, enshrine, bury and iconize the object. In this attractively illustrated showcase, art historian Vaizey interprets Christo's productions as theater and public performance: he has erected cheerfully painted Pop storefronts and a wall of empty oil barrels; he has wrapped a Paris bridge in shimmering golden fabric. A joint Japan-U.S. Christo project, previewed in the book, will set thousands of blue-and-yellow umbrellas bobbing across parks and fields. (Aug.)