Christo

*1935, Christo became world-renowned for his extraordinary large-scale installations. Most recently, he gained attention with the installation "The Floating Piers" in Italy, which attracted 1.3 million visitors and had a project budget of nearly 20 million dollars, all of which Christo financed himself.

He was born on June 13, 1935, as Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Gabrovo (Bulgaria) to an industrial family.

From 1953 to 1956, he studied at the Academy of Arts in Sofia and moved to Prague in 1956. The following year, Christo attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In 1958, he moved to Paris, where he created his first packages and "Wrapped Objects."

Since 1961, Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude (who passed away in 2009) have made headlines around the world with their spectacular wrapping projects. In Germany, he became particularly famous for the long-planned project "Wrapped Reichstag," which was realized in 1995. The Berlin landmark is arguably the most well-known project in Germany. The complete wrapping took place from June 24 to July 7, 1995. The 13 million dollar artwork was dismantled shortly after its completion. The wrapping of the Reichstag is one of the most recognized works of public art, utilizing 100,000 square meters of fabric. Rita Süßmuth played a significant role in bringing this Berlin institution to fruition.

In 2011, the artist couple Christo & Jeanne-Claude were jointly elected as members (NA) of the National Academy in New York. In 2014, Christo received the 49th Theodor Heuss Prize. No artist or couple has inspired as many people as Christo has. Through projects like "A Picture for BILD," Christo also became known to a broader audience in Germany.

Christo & Jeanne-Claude strictly rejected public or private sponsorship funds, insisting that their projects be realized only for a limited time. This leads to an extraordinary concept: only the sale of sketches, models, and drawings enables the realization of the projects, and they ultimately serve as documentation. From September 18, 2021, to October 3, 2021, the project CHRISTO "WRAPPED ARC DE TRIOMPHE" in Paris can still be viewed! Originally, the project for the Arc de Triomphe was supposed to be realized in 2020, but the pandemic caused a delay. In 1989, the lithograph Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Project for Paris was created in an edition of 150 copies. The wrapped Arc de Triomphe is Christo's last completed project.

The project "Floating Piers" was realized in 2016. For this project alone, 75,000 meters of fabric were needed.

Works by the artists Christo & Jeanne-Claude are held in many international collections.