Christo said that a sculptor like Alexander Calder created an artificial space, "and the space belongs to Calder." Christo said his works, on the contrary, borrowed real space. "There is no make-believe, no theater, no spectacle," he said. "And for me, the real world involves everything: risk, danger, beauty, energy, all we meet with in the real world. This project demonstrated that everything is possible, because it is part of reality."

Christo continued: "The work was designed to generate a confrontation with nature and everything that nature brings."

Ms. Christo said solemnly, "Christo's art is like a marriage; it's for better and for worse."

The artist and his wife both said they had feared traffic accidents on the Interstate highway that passed the project in California and the possibility of helicopters colliding as they carried spectators over the site. The possibility that a sudden wind might lift an umbrella seemed remote, they said, since the umbrellas had been tested in a wind tunnel to withstand gusts of 65 miles an hour when opened.

Although the umbrellas were taken down earlier than planned, the documentation of the project continues with a book, the film by Mr. Maysles and museum shows in the works. This is standard practice for the artist, who regards the temporary display of his installations as only part of the total artwork, which he says exists from the moment it is planned. Question of Definition

For this reason, his wife objected to a reference to Christo's "initiating" future projects. She pointed to the artist's typed resume, which lists three projects "in progress": the "Wrapped Reichstag," the "Mastaba of Abu Dhabi Project for the United Arab Emirates" and "The Gates: Project for Central Park" (1980).

All three have been "in progress" for at least 10 years. According to the artist, none has any likelihood of being realized soon. Helmut Kohl announced in 1986 that the Reichstag would not be wrapped as long as he was Chancellor, and he still is. Although a member of the Parliament recently spoke in favor of the idea, no progress has been made toward wrapping it. Christo, who conceived the project in 1972, said he hoped that several coming European museum shows of his 1985 Pont Neuf project, in which he wrapped Paris's most famous bridge, would swing public sentiment to his side.

The New York project, which envisions 15-foot-high fabric gates lining every path in Central Park, was given a resounding no in 1981 by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, which Ms. Christo said cited overuse of the park and the danger of setting a precedent. Rejection came in the form of a three-inch-thick policy document that the Parks Department still uses to fend off other like-minded artists. Christo said the project was "on the back burner."