Remembering Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s iconic vision in Pink
The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation has gifted the pair’s iconic Miami installation titled Surrounded Islands to the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale which through a new 2025 exhibition will take visitors behind the scenes, revealing the creative and logistical journey that brought Surrounded Islands to life.
Surrounded Islands by Christo and Jeanne-Claude came to life in May 1983, capturing the imagination of both art enthusiasts and the general public when 6.5 million square feet of bright pink polypropylene fabric were wrapped around 11 islands in Biscayne Bay.
As the new custodian of the epic pink installation, the museum is set to showcase the ground breaking project that will also many of Christo’s original sketches and collages, along with the design photos, surveys, environmental studies that led to its creation as well as a piece of the famous pink fabric.
Though the installation stayed in place for just two weeks, it took over three years to plan and cost more than $3 million, fully funded by the artistic duo through the sale of Christo’s original works. The concept began in 1980 when they were invited to create an artwork for the 1982 New World Festival of the Arts. Over the next three years, they navigated a complex approval process, securing permits from various agencies, including the Florida Governor, the Dade County Commission, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They also worked closely with environmental groups and local residents to protect the marine wildlife living around the islands. All materials used in Surrounded Islands were industrially recycled, aside from the documentation materials retained for the collection. While Surrounded Islands was installed for only two weeks, it left an indelible imprint on the history of South Florida.
Visitors will be able to see large-scale models, sections of the pink fabric used to wrap the 11 islands in Biscayne Bay, and interviews with key participants. Additionally, the exhibit holds a rich collection of environmental and marine biology reports from the early 1980s, including an inventory of birds inhabiting the islands—valuable resources for researchers today and in the future.
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