LUCKY 13 AND THE WRAPPING OF THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE IN 2021
So, did you wonder why was the Arc de Triomphe wrapped between September 18 and October 3, this year?
Much was written about it, and many considered it to be useless and a money drain.
I’d like to show you the artists behind this work of art and the significance of this year’s completion of a project started back in 1961.
You’ll see below the Arc de Triomphe wrapped and unwrapped, as well as other monuments from the same collection.
Once upon a time, on June 13, two artists were born. Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009).
Born on the same day in Bulgaria and Morocco, respectively, the pair met and married in Paris in the late 1950s.
They became 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.
This year, in a posthumous event, the city of Paris celebrated their art by finishing their last project, Arc de Triomphe Wrapped.
To be honest, I didn’t even comprehend the extent of the grandor of packing le Pont Neuf.
Here it is, as unbelievable as it may seem, this event took place in 1985.
Their work was typically large, visually impressive, and controversial, often taking years and sometimes decades of careful preparation.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Berlin Reichstag building in 1995 following 24 years of governmental lobbying across six Bundestag presidents.
The wrapping became symbolic of unified Germany and marked Berlin’s return as a world city.
Continuing their series of monumental “wrapping” projects, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was wrapped in 30,000 square meters of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, and 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) of red rope.
Originally scheduled for autumn of 2020, it was postponed a year to Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France and its impact on the arts and cultural sector worldwide.
Following Christo’s death, his office stated that the project would nevertheless be completed.
The Arc de Triomphe — the star attraction in the Place de l’Étoile in Paris — was shrouded in fabric until Sunday, as a tribute to the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
It is “a sensual, popular and monumental gesture”, according to Carine Rolland, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of culture.
Its unwrapping was almost as spectacular as its wrapping.
I’ll leave you with a video in which you’ll watch art in the making: the time lapse of the completion of this fascinating work of art.
“Je voulais le transformer, le faire passer d’un objet architectural, un objet d’inspiration pour les artistes, à un objet d’art en soi.” (Christo)
And if you’re really curious, you can see the monument live in their stream here.
L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped cost $16 million to execute, and it was paid for entirely by the sale of Christo’s prints and drawings.
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Tell us in the comments below, what is YOUR favorite work of art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude? 🙂
Let me guess.
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Always in your corner,
Llyane
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
