Christo, ‘Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped’ (1961-2021) – Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
Sunday, 26th September 2021
Embedded Files
Paris, 2021 – More than a year after the sad passing of the Bulgarian artist Christo (1935-2020), his team carried out a majestic project of his that remained unfulfilled, following the artist’s wishes. I am talking about the recent happenings in the heart of Paris, on the world-famous Arc de Triomphe, where the monument has been wrapped (as the title suggests: Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped) in 25,000 square metres of silvery, recyclable polypropylene fabric and 3,000 metres of red rope (Fig. 1-2). The area surrounding the iconic building (wanted by Napoleon Bonaparte at the beginning of the 18th Century) has been limited to traffic and transformed into a pedestrian only area to allow the visitors to admire, touch, and experience the artwork closely (Fig. 3-4). People can also climb down to the panoramic terrace.
Fig. 3: Visitor at the Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961-2021), Paris, 2021. Source: dezeen.com
Fig. 4: Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961-2021).
Source: dezeen.com
The idea for this artistic installation originated in the 1960s, soon after the meeting of Christo (Fig. 5) with his future wife and artistic partner Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009; Fig. 5), in Paris. The project was abandoned shortly after and the artist returned to it in 2017 only (8 years after Jeanne-Claude passed away). Although posthumous, this work is exemplary of the artists’ career.
The technique used to perform this art installation is called ‘package’ and it was conceived in the 1960s by the two artists.
Fig. 5: The artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Source: Art Share
Fig. 6: Christo working on the Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961-2021) project.
Source: christojeanneclaude.net
At first, Christo started experimenting with all sort of everyday objects such as bottles, strollers, shoes… Then, his artistic research developed into a broader, spatial and formal research; renowned are the artists installations all over the world, from the Vittorio Emanuele II statue in the Cathedral square in Milan to the Reichstag in Berlin (just to mention a few). For every project, Christo realised paper sketches and drawings to illustrate the various phases and the final result. These became integral part of the artistic process, because they were sold and the revenue obtained from this activity was used to finance the actual projects. This way, all of the projects were self-funded and the artists maintained their artistic independency. This happened for the Arc de Triomphe project as well (Fig. 6-7).
Through this artistic operation, that consists in actually wrapping objects or monuments of artistic, historic or environmental relevance in plastic fabric, the objects are hidden and discovered at the same time. The artist gives it a new sense, lifting it to the artwork status. This way, the objects aesthetic qualities are concealed, drawing attention to its essential, formal features. Despite the various explanations, the couple never expressed any specific statements on the symbolism of their art, making room for free interpretation and hidden meanings.
People will be able to visit the wrapped monument until October 3th 2021.
Fig. 7: Sketch for the Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961-2021) project.
Source: artwort.com
References:
Christo and Jeanne-Claude (2021) L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped. Available from:https://christojeanneclaude.net/artworks/arc-de-triomphe-wrapped/ [Accessed 25 September 2021].
Christo and Jeanne-Claude (2021) Packages and Wrapped Objects. Available from: https://christojeanneclaude.net/artworks/packages-and-wrapped-objects/ [Accessed 25 September 2021].
Crook, L. (2021) Christo and Heanne-Claude’s wrapped Arc de Triomph opens to the public. Availlable from: https://www.dezeen.com/2021/09/21/arc-de-triomphe-wrapped-opens-christo-jeanne-claude/ [Accessed 25 September 2021].
Cutieru, A. (2021) Christo’s Wrapped Arc de Triomphe Opens to the Public. Available from: https://www.archdaily.com/968933/christos-wrapped-arc-de-triomphe-opens-to-the-public [Accessed 25 September 2021].
Finestre sull’Arte (2020) Conoscere l'arte di Christo e Jeanne-Claude attraverso dieci capolavori. Available from: https://www.finestresullarte.info/opere-e-artisti/10-opere-per-conoscere-l-arte-di-christo [Accessed 25 September 2021].
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse