LOS ANGELES : Umbrellas Put Millions Into Economy, Study Says

Christo’s giant yellow umbrellas pumped millions of dollars into the economies of Los Angeles and Kern counties, according to a rough analysis for a state agency.

The 17-day exhibit by the artist brought $19.1 million--a figure based primarily on Christo’s financial records--to the two counties, creating a “ripple effect” with an impact of $34.3 million on their economies, said a study obtained by The Times Tuesday from the California Arts Council.

The council paid $3,000 for the report by the Torrance-based Harrison Price economic consulting firm.

Christo, a New York-based international art figure, has said he spent at least $26 million of his own money to create the controversial umbrellas project. Last year he erected 1,760 yellow umbrellas, each almost 20 feet high, along a 19 mile-stretch of Tejon Pass.