Christo's huge artworks: From the Arc de Triomphe to The Mastaba
After The Mastaba in London and the Floating Piers in Italy, landscape artist Christo has revealed a new project for Paris: he will shroud one of the the City of Light's most memorable landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe.
Wrapping the Arc de Triomphe
The renowned Bulgarian-born artist Christo has revealed his project for Paris: Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, scheduled for April 2020. Conceived in 1962, the triumphal arch will be enshrouded by a silvery-blue wrapping of recyclable artificial fabric clinging closely to the arch's shape, and bound by red rope. The inventive 83-year old artist previously worked with his deceased wife, Jeanne-Claude.
Revisiting Paris, 35 years later
The Arc de Triomphe installation will coincide with an exhibition in the Centre Pompidou showcasing Christo and Jeanne-Claude's wrapping of Paris' iconic Pont Neuf bridge in September 1985. That work lent the structure a silky, curtain-like appearance.
From ancient Egypt to modern London
The London Mastaba was a pyramidal sculpture made of more than 7,000 stacked barrels floating on the Serpentine lake in London's Hyde Park from June 18 to September 23, 2018. It was inspired by the trapeze-formed burial tombs typical of ancient Egypt.
When artists dream big
The plans for The Mastaba began in 1977. The original project was conceived by Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude and was supposed to be built in the desert south of Abu Dhabi. Consisting of 410,000 colored oil barrels, if it is built one day, it would be the largest sculpture in the world. The Mastaba in the United Arab Emirates is Christo's only planned permanent large sculpture.
A tribute to Christo's wife
When Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, their plans for The Mastaba in Abu Dhabi got a whole new dimension. It wouldn't be just a monumental addition to their work but also a memorial site dedicated to Christo's wife. After all, the two often visited the United Arab Emirates to inspect the site. For now, The Mastaba is the only project listed under "work in progress" on their website.
The Gates
In 2005, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Gates" graced New York City's Central Park. Over 7,500 orange banners swayed in the wind, illuminating the pathways of the massive park. Eye-catchers in both the sunny and snowy February landscape, they drew over four million viewers over the course of 16 days. Once dismantled, the installation's pieces, including fabric and steel, were sent to recycling.
The masters of superlatives
The journey from the initial idea to the completion of an artwork can be lengthy. For instance, it took Christo and Jeanne-Claude 23 years to realize their project Wrapped Reichstag. The spectacular show eventually took place in June 1995 when they wrapped the seat of the German parliament with 100,000 square meters of silver fabric. Five million visitors came to see it within 14 days.
Perilous projects
In the 1990s, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's art interventions became increasingly gigantic and risky. A worker died when assembling one of the 3,000 umbrellas for the joint installation The Umbrellas in Japan and California. Christo has since then hired only professional climbers and engineers and commissioned German companies to manufacture the huge fabrics for his objects.
Walking on water
In June 2016, around 1.2 million people walked over the waters of the Lake Iseo in Italy thanks to Christo's project The Floating Piers. The three kilometers long and 16 meters wide cloth-covered walkways connected two islands of the lake with the town of Sulzano. It was the artist's first major artwork since the death of his wife, Jeanne-Claude.