New York, Paris, Berlin to mark anniversaries of iconic Christo art

by Ana FERNÁNDEZ

New York, Paris and Berlin are celebrating the anniversaries this year of iconic art installations that saw some of their most prominent landmarks wrapped in fabric by the late artists known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Forty years ago the couple enfolded the Pont Neuf, one of Paris's most beloved bridges, in a silky, sandstone-colored material for "The Pont Neuf Wrapped."

Ten years later, in 1995, came "Wrapped Reichstag," when they swathed the parliament building in Berlin with a shiny, aluminum-like material.

And ten years after that was "The Gates" in New York's Central Park, which saw miles of steel gates hung with saffron-colored nylon fabric.

The giant works are long gone. But the three cities will hold exhibits marking their anniversaries -- as well as what would have been both Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 90th birthdays -- this year.

Bulgarian-born Christo -- full name Christo Vladimirov Javacheff -- died in 2020, 11 years after his French wife Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon passed away.

The artists were only interested in seeing the projects once they were done and "when they see it, for them, two weeks is enough," said their nephew Vladimir Yavachev.

He recalled a quote from then New York mayor Michael Bloomberg about "The Gates": "If you hate it, it's temporary. If you love it, it's still temporary."

Yavachev, who is seeking to complete unfinished works by the couple involving the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and a sculpture in the desert in Abu Dhabi, said it was "just a coincidence" that many of their projects happened in years ending with a "five."

He spoke from couple's art studio in the Soho district of New York, which -- unlike the mammoth installations they are remembered for -- endures.

In the workshop models for the unfinished jobs in Paris and Abu Dhabi sit on tables and are displayed on the walls.

Boxes of paint and pencils and work tables also fill this workshop on the fifth floor of an old building where the artists arrived in 1964.

Other artifacts include an old radio to listen to during long sessions of creativity, a black telephone that looks utterly prehistoric, and samples of fabric of the kind used to wrap entire buildings.

It all looks ready to use, like the artists are going to show up again any minute.

© Agence France-Presse