The Umbrellas (Christo and Jeanne-Claude)

The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91 was a 1991 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude erected yellow and blue umbrella structures in California (between Gorman and Grapevine^[1]) and Japan, respectively. The 3,100-umbrella project cost US$26 million and attracted three million visitors.^[2] Christo closed the exhibition early after a woman was crushed by a windswept umbrella in California.^[3] Separately, a worker was killed during the deconstruction of the Japanese exhibit.^[4]

The Umbrellas, 1991, Japan

Photograph of the yellow umbrellas of the 1991 Christo and Jeanne-Claude project in California. Photo by Robert S. McCombs.