International Entertainment News: Free Premiere Screening of the HBO Documentary Film, THE GATES on January 13, 2008

Free Premiere Screening of the HBO Documentary Film, THE GATES on January 13, 2008

Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Filmmakers Antonio Ferrera and Albert

Maysles will Attend

WHAT: The National Gallery will host a special free, open to the public
screening of the HBO Documentary Film, THE GATES, examining the
decades-long effort by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to bring
their most ambitious work of art The Gates, Central Park, New York
City 1979-2005, to fruition. In 1979, artists Christo and Jeanne
Claude proposed one of the largest public works of art in history:
a "golden river" of 7,503 fabric-paneled gates in Central Park.
Transcending controversy, it was finally completed in 2005.
Featuring meetings and conversations between Christo and Jeanne
Claude and government officials of the City of New York in the 70s
through 2005, THE GATES chronicles the artists' 26-year commitment
to transform the winter darkness of the park into a garden of light
and color. Directed by Antonio Ferrera, Albert Maysles, David
Maysles, and Matthew Prinzing, THE GATES premieres on HBO February
26, 2008 commemorating the third anniversary in Central Park.

WHO: Christo and Jeanne-Claude, known for their completion of dozens of
high concept, high profile works of landscape art in numerous urban
and rural locations around the globe will attend the special
screening to introduce the film and conduct a Q&A. As they did for
previous projects such as Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-95, The
Running Fence Marin and Sonoma Counties, California 1972-76; and
The Pont Neuf Wrapped Paris 1975-85; as well as The Umbrellas,
Japan-U.S.A 1984-91, The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979
2005 was financed by the artists through the sale of preparatory
studies, drawings, collages and scale models, plus sales of earlier
works of the 50s and 60s. The National Gallery of Art has one of
the largest and most comprehensive public collections of work by
Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Filmmakers Antonio Ferrera and Albert
Maysles will also be on hand at the screening to introduce the
film. Albert Maysles, who helped pioneer the cinema verite
movement in the '60s and '70s with such documentaries as "Gimme
Shelter," "Grey Gardens," and "Salesman" has documented most of the
couple's large scale projects.