Artist Christo, known for wrapping exteriors of landmarks, dies at 84

The Bulgarian-born artist made his name transforming landmarks such as Germany's Reichstag by covering them with reams of cloth.

June 01, 2020 10:16 am | Updated 10:16 am IST

Bulgarian artist Christo poses in front of the monumental "Mastaba" art work at the Maeght Foundation (Fondation Maeght) on the opening day of the exibition, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southeastern France. File Photo.

Bulgarian artist Christo poses in front of the monumental "Mastaba" art work at the Maeght Foundation (Fondation Maeght) on the opening day of the exibition, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southeastern France. File Photo.

Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist best known for his temporary installations based on wrapping the exteriors of landmark buildings, bridges and outdoor spaces, died on Sunday at age 84 of natural causes at his home in New York City.

“Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it,” the office of the artist, born Christo Yavacheff, said in a statement.

Christo escaped from then-Communist Bulgaria in 1957, first to Prague and then to Vienna and Geneva. A year later, he moved to Paris, where he met his wife and art partner, Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon. He lived in New York for 56 years.

In 2018, he presented “The London Mastaba” — a 20-metre-high (66-foot) sculpture of an ancient Egyptian tomb, made from 7,506 red, white and mauve barrels put on a platform in a lake in London's Hyde Park.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, are also known for such works as “The Gates,” a 2005 installation in New York's Central Park, and the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995 in a vast silvery curtain.

The sunset illuminates the German Reichstag wrapped with silver polypropylene fabric, during the 'Wrapped Reichstag' project by conceptual artists Christo and Jeanne Claude, Berlin, Germany, June 25, 1995.

The sunset illuminates the German Reichstag wrapped with silver polypropylene fabric, during the "Wrapped Reichstag" project by conceptual artists Christo and Jeanne Claude, Berlin, Germany, June 25, 1995.

His latest project envisioned wrapping the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in 25,000 square metres of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue and 7,000 metres of red rope.

“Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. Per Christo's wishes, 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' in Paris, France, is still on track for September 18 October 3, 2021,” the statement said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.