Christo and Jeanne-Claude | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Jeanne-Claude and Christo in 2009 | |
| Known for | Environmental art Site-specific land art |
| Notable work |
|
| Movement | Nouveau réalisme |
| Children | Cyril Christo |
| Christo Vladimirov Javacheff | |
| Born | June 13, 1935 Gabrovo, Bulgaria |
| Died | May 31, 2020 (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Sofia Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Academy of Fine Arts |
| Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon | |
| Born | June 13, 1935 Casablanca, Morocco |
| Died | November 18, 2009 (aged 74) New York City, U.S. |
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and landscape elements wrapped in fabric, including the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Running Fence in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park.[1]
Born in Bulgaria and Morocco, respectively, the pair met and married in Paris in the late 1950s. Originally working under Christo's name, they later credited their installations to both "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". Until his own death in 2020, Christo continued to plan and execute projects after Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009.
Their work was typically large, visually impressive, and controversial, often taking years and sometimes decades of careful preparation – including technical solutions, political negotiation, permitting and environmental approval, hearings and public persuasion. The pair refused grants, scholarships, donations or public money, instead financing the work via the sale of their own artwork.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude described the myriad elements that brought the projects to fruition as integral to the artwork itself, and said their projects contained no deeper meaning than their immediate aesthetic impact; their purpose being simply for joy, beauty, and new ways of seeing the familiar.
- ^ "Artist Christo, known for wrapping exteriors of landmarks, dies at 84". Reuters. June 1, 2020. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.