Artist Jeanne-Claude honoured at N.Y. memorial

Politicians, collaborators, members of the art world and visual artist Christo paid tribute to his late wife and partner, Jeanne-Claude, in New York on Monday, hailing her creativity, drive and tireless dedication to the pursuit of art.

"I've had the honour of meeting many artists in my life, but Jeanne-Claude was perhaps the most passionate, the most meticulous and the most impervious to the word 'No,' " New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the crowd gathered for the memorial at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"She was the kind of unique and vibrant artist who comes around only once in a lifetime."

Jeanne-Claude died in New York in November, at the age of 74, from complications following a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Jeanne-Claude and Christo met in Paris in 1958 and, in more than 50 years since, have collaborated on a host of eye-catching temporary public art projects around the globe.

One of the New York-based couple's most dramatic and famous pieces was The Gates, which saw 37 kilometres of Central Park's footpaths festooned with billowing saffron-coloured fabric attached to specially designed frames.

More than five million people took in the display, which was credited with boosting New York's economy by $254 million US.

Bloomberg described The Gates as "a massive celebration of life, colour and the creative spirit."

'She focused on the tiny details, and in so doing, she freed all the rest of us to celebrate the most extravagant, glorious gestures.' Architecture critic Paul Goldberger

Other projects included placing thousands of yellow and blue umbrellas throughout valleys in Japan and California and wrapping large structures in fabric, including the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont Neuf in Paris and the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland.

The couple financed their installations themselves by selling preparatory drawings, collages, scale models and lithographs. They also recycled all materials used after each project was completed.

Fiery-hairedJeanne-Claude's organizational expertise and ability to navigate bureaucratic challenges over many years were a key factor to the couple's ability to undertake such massive installations. The Gates, for instance, took 26 years to achieve.

"She knew that every project was a marathon, and she was prepared to run the full course, however long it took," said architecture critic Paul Goldberger.

"She focused on the tiny details, and in so doing, she freed all the rest of us to celebrate the most extravagant, glorious gestures."

Christo, who also attended the memorial, has vowed to continue their art. Two installations are in the works: Over The River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado and The Mastaba, a project in the United Arab Emirates.