Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and landscape elements wrapped in fabric, including the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Running Fence in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park.
Paintings by Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Wrapped Reichstag (1995)
Wrapped Reichstag, Project for Berlin is a 1995 environmental artwork by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The wrapped up Reichstag building is one of the most well-known public art projects. Aluminum-coated propylene was used for a wrapper.
A German citizens' group had advocated unsuccessfully for the project in 1978. The focus on a building, which still held deep German national identity symbolism prior to reunification, would have required unavailable political will. In 1989 Rita Süssmuth, the newly elected President of the Bundestag, expressed interest in a project, that had been rejected three times across six Bundestag presidents over a period of 24 years. From 1991 onwards she supported the artist couple's plans giving them a concrete perspective for the first time. On 26 February 1994 the vote count at the Bundestag was 292 for and 223 votes against the project.
The Gates (2005)
The Gates was a site-specific work of art by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude, known jointly as Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists installed 7,503 steel "gates" along 23 miles (37 km) of pathways in Central Park in New York City. From each gate hung a panel of deep saffron-colored nylon fabric. The exhibit ran from February 12 through February 27, 2005.
In the books and other memorabilia distributed by the artists, the project is called The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005, alluding to the time that passed between the artists' initial proposal and its installation.
L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped
L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, known as "L'Arc de Triomphe Empaqueté" in French, was a temporary art installation by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude where the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was wrapped in a silver-blue fabric and red rope for two weeks in 2021.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are known for wrapping public monuments, including the Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin, The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris, and The Gates in New York.
The Floating Piers (2016)
The Floating Piers was a temporary, site-specific work of art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, consisting of 70,000 square meters of yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of 226,000 high-density polyethylene cubes installed in 2016 at Lake Iseo near Brescia, Italy. The fabric created a walkable surface between Sulzano, Monte Isola and the island of San Paolo.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude began conceptualizing of The Floating Piers in 1970. Their initial site was Rio de la Plata between Argentina and Uruguay. The couple also considered Tokyo Bay as a location before moving on to other projects.
Surrounded Islands (1983)
Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980–83 was a 1983 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude surrounded an island archipelago in Miami with pink fabric.
In 1980, while the couple dealt with bureaucratic gridlock on other projects, a Miami community art festival invited Christo and Jeanne-Claude to participate. While they declined on account of the Miami summer heat, they continued to explore the idea for a project in the city. Jeanne-Claude conceived the concept, which would surround 11 spoil islands with floating pink fabric in Miami's Biscayne Bay. They reviewed the engineering and environmental impacts for three years, learning about the bay's protected wildlife, commissioning studies of local wildlife, scoping logistics for anchoring the fabric to the islands, and experimenting with floating fabrics. The work also involved lobbying work to acquire public support, governmental approval, and permits. Their lawyers handled a federal lawsuit from a wildlife paramedic. The artists, as was their practice, restored environments to their original condition, but in Miami's case, they additionally cleaned 40 tons of waste during the project.
Running Fence (1976)
Running Fence was an installation art piece by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which was completed in California on September 10, 1976. The art installation was first conceived in 1972, but the actual project took more than four years to plan and build. After it was installed, the builders removed it 14 days later, leaving no visible trace behind.
The art installation consisted of a veiled fence 24.5 miles (39.4 km) long extending across the hills of Sonoma and Marin counties in northern California, United States. The 18-foot (5.5 m) high fence was made of 200,000 square meters (2,222,222 square feet) of heavy woven white nylon fabric, which created 2,050 panels, and was hung from steel cables by means of 350,000 hooks. The cables were supported by 2,050 steel poles (each: 6.4 meters / 21 feet long or 9 centimeters / 3.5 inches in diameter) embedded 1 meter (3 feet) into the ground, braced by steel guy wires (145 kilometers / 90 miles of steel cable), 14,000 earth anchors, and without any concrete.
Valley Curtain
Valley Curtain was a 1972 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude raised an orange curtain of fabric across a mountainous span of Colorado State Highway 325. Preparations began within a year of their Australian Wrapped Coast. The artists formed a corporation to benefit from tax and other liabilities, a form they used for later projects. Following a failed attempt to mount the curtain in late 1971, a new engineer and builder-contractor raised the fabric in August 1972. The work only stood for 28 hours before the wind again destroyed the fabric. This work, their most expensive to date and first to involve construction workers, was captured in a documentary by David and Albert Maysles. Christo's Valley Curtain was nominated for Best Documentary Short in the 1974 Academy Awards.
The Umbrellas (Christo and Jeanne-Claude) (1991)
The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91 was a 1991 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude erected yellow and blue umbrella structures in California (between Gorman and Grapevine) and Japan, respectively. The 3,100-umbrella project cost US$26 million and attracted three million visitors. Christo closed the exhibition early after a woman was crushed by a windswept umbrella in California. Separately, a worker was killed during the deconstruction of the Japanese exhibit.
The London Mastaba (2018)
"The Mastaba" massive sculpture, floating in the Serpentine."The Mastaba" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude is a 600-ton array of red, magenta and blue oil drums. The shape is a rectangular pile with sloping sides, vertical ends and a flat top; it is derived from Egyptian tombs of that shape, the name comes from the Arabic for bench. Like other large installations by Christo and Jeanne-Claude it is temporary. The blue boats by The Mastaba are pedalos. See this image for a longer view.
The Pont Neuf Wrapped
The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975–1985 (French: Le Pont Neuf emballé – Paris, 1975–1985) was a 1985 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric. Planning for the project started in 1979. The artists put a model of the project in the window of La Samaritaine, a department store close to the bridge, in late 1981. Paris Mayor Jacques Chirac rejected the project in early 1982. An aide to the mayor snuck the permit approval into a pile of the mayor's papers, which he signed inadvertently in August 1984. When the mayor attempted to repeal the approval, Jeanne-Claude said she would show the press the letter as a symbol of his signature's worth, after which he dropped his case. In September 1985, the artists wrapped the bridge and its 44 streetlamps in a sandstone-colored fabric. The two-week installation attracted three million visitors. Christo and Jeanne-Claude financed the project themselves through the sale of preparatory drawings, collages, and scale models, declining all sponsorship as they did with their other works. Artsy described the response as "sensational". Irish sculptor Corban Walker credited seeing the wrapped bridge on a 1985 trip to Paris with inspiring him to become an artist.