Gone in physicality but carried forth as memories throughout life; this quality defines the ephemeral works of artists Christo Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat. On July 24, 1974, correspondence began about the “Ocean Front Project” that would blanket King’s Beach shoreline in Newport, Rhode Island. Like a sheet of ice cascading across the bay of the beach, a swath of polypropylene fabric floated upon the surface of the water.

Anchored along the perimeter of the cove using a boom and rigging system, like a sailboat, the sculpture spanned 150,000 square feet using materials sourced by the artists and their team. With an intent to dismantle the naiveté of permanence, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “Ocean Front” washed away just as quickly as it was installed, but left an indelible impact on Newport for years to come.

“Ocean Front: 50 Years Later” is a collection of photos by Gianfranco Gorgoni as well as documentation of Christo’s architec- tural ideation of the project, originally proposed as part of Sam Hunter’s collective exhibition, “Monumenta.” During the summer of 1974, 40 artists donated a total of 54 outdoor sculptures that decorated the landscape of Newport, with Christo and Jeanne- Claude’s “Ocean Front” joining the likes of Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning and many others whose work not only provided beautiful interpretations of the city but provided jobs to its community as well. The Newport Art Museum offers a quote from Christo, just before you enter the galleries and become immersed in the vision of collective labor for the sake of art: “The work includes the ocean, the highway, the city of Newport, the people. They are all related to that project, and the fabric alone is just one of the elements.”