Christo

Christo (b. 1935-2020, Bulgaria) is famous for his unique artistic process of wrapping found objects and architecture in cloth. From the West Coast of the USA to the far Eastern coast of Japan, Christo has encased the world in his art. Expanding the walls of the gallery into wide open space, his work has transformed “The Gates,” in Central Park, the coast of Little Bay in Sydney, Australia and L'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, among countless other projects. These ephemeral constructions are forever documented in photographs, striking illustrations and lithographs made by Christo and sold to fund future projects.

Christo attended the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, and then fled to Vienna in the wake of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He then moved to Paris where he began exhibiting his works with the nouveaux réalistes, and met his wife and life-long collaborator, Jean Claude in 1959. Five years later, they moved to New York City where they continued to embark on the large-scale installations that defined their intertwined careers. Today, Christo and Jean Claude’s collaborations are found in numerous prestigious institutions, including the Guggenheim (New York), Tate (London) and Art Institute of Chicago.

RELATED WORKS

• In partnership with TASCHEN Books, we offer two deluxe volumes documenting Christo and Jeanne-Claude's legendary projects The Gates and The Floating Piers. View the books.