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Christo, the artist known for environmental art installations, is returning
to Paris for an exciting new project, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris, Place de l’Étoile-Charles de Gaulle).
The idea was conceived 60 years ago when Christo lived in a small room near Arc de Triomphe. He made several studies of the project, including a photomontage of the arch wrapped. It was during this period that Christo and his wife and artistic partner, Jeanne-Claude, who passed away in 2009, began creating works of art in public spaces, including wrapping a public building.
When the work is complete, Parisians will be able to see the Arc de Triomphe wrapped in 269,097 square feet of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, topped with 22,965 feet of red rope. Originally planned for an unveiling in the spring, the project was postponed until fall to ensure the protection of kestrel falcons that nest on the arch.
The project, a collaboration with the Centre des Monuments Nationaux
and the Centre Pompidou, will also include an exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou from March 18 to June 15, 2020. It will trace the life and work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude during their Paris years from 1958 to 1964, as well as the story of their The Pont-Neuf Wrapped, Project for Paris, 1975–85. For more information, visit www.christojeanneclaude.net.