
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
On May 31st, the artist known as Christo, passed away at the age of 84, leaving behind him a legacy of work that brought joy and beauty to millions of people across the globe for over fifty years.
Christo was born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, on June 13, 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria to a Bulgarian Industrialist family. He met his wife and creative partner, Jeanne-Claude (June 13, 1935 – November 18, 2009), in Paris, in March of 1958, they were married in October that year. It would be three years before Christo and Jean-Claude would complete their first collaboration and large-scale work, Stacked Oil Barrels and Dockside Packages, Cologne Harbor, 1961. Rolls of paper, oil barrels, tarpaulin and rope. Duration: two weeks.

Photo: Stefan Wewerka
© 1961 Christo
Christo and Jeanne-Claude would come to be known for their larger than life, temporary, environmental installations often transforming mundane landscapes into dreamscapes.
Valley Curtain
In 1972, a bold, orange, 200,200 square foot woven nylon curtain was draped between two mountain slopes in Colorado. The installation,called Valley Curtain, remained for twenty-eight hours before a gale made removal necessary.

Valley Curtain (Project for Colorado)
Collage 1971
Pencil, fabric, wax crayon, topographic map and tape
28 x 22″ (71 x 56 cm)
Photo: André Grossmann
© 1971 Christo

Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-72
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1972 Christo
Surrounded Islands
In 1983, off the coast of Miami, eleven islands in the Biscayne Bay were surrounded by 6.5 million square feet of luminous, pink woven, polypropylene fabric. The installation, called Surrounded Islands, was attended to, day and night, by 120 monitors in inflatable boats for two weeks while the public viewed the work from air, water and land.

Surrounded Islands (Project for Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida)
Drawing 1982 in two parts
Pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint, aerial photograph and fabric sample
15 x 96″ and 42 x 96″ (38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm)
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1982 Christo
Ref. # 36

Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1983 Christo
The Umbrellas
In 1991, brilliant blue and canary yellow fabric umbrellas popped up in a valley in Japan and a valley in California, reflecting on the similarities and differences of two cultures. The installation, called The Umbrellas, consisted of 3,100 umbrellas, each 19’ 8” tall and 28’ 5” in diameter, was on view in each country, simultaneously, for 28 days before being disassembled and recycled.

The Umbrellas (Project for Japan and Western USA)
Collage 1987 in two parts
Pencil, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, fabric and map
12 x 30 1/2″ and 26 1/4 x 30 1/2″ (30.5 x 77.5 cm and 66.7 x 77.5 cm)
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1987 Christo
Ref. # 25

The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1991 Christo

The Umbrellas (Joint Project for Japan and USA)
Collage 1988 in two parts
Pencil, fabric, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint and topographic map
26 1/4 x 30 1/2″ and 26 1/4 x 12″ (66.7 x 77.5 cm and 66.7 x 30.5 cm)
Photo: Christian Baur
© 1988 Christo
Ref. # 104

The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 1991 Christo
The Floating Piers
From June 18 to July 3, 2016 thousands of people walked on the waters of Italy’s Lake Iseo. The Floating Piers, Christo’s most recent installation, consisted of 220,000 interlocking, polyethylene cubes covered in 100,000 square miles of shimmering yellow fabric.

The Floating Piers (Project for Lake Iseo, Italy)
Drawing 2015 in two parts
Pencil, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, enamel paint, topographic map, cut-out photographs by Wolfgang Volz and fabric sample
15 x 96″ and 42 x 96″ (38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm)
Photo: André Grossmann
© 2015 Christo
Ref. # 6-2015
Works in Progress
Christo’s current works in progress are The Mastaba, the only permanent installation ever designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, the latter of which is set to begin installation in Paris in 2021. According to a statement made by his office, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. Per Christo’s wishes, ‘L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped’ in Paris, France, is still on track for September 18 – October 3, 2021.” However it made no mention of a timeline for The Mastaba.

The Mastaba (Project for United Arab Emirates)
Drawing 2009 in two parts
Pencil, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, technical data and map
15 x 65″ and 42 x 65″ (38 x 165 cm and 106.6 x 165 cm)
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 2009 Christo
Ref. # 5-2009

L’Arc de Triumph, Wrapped (Project for Paris)
Collage 2018
Pencil, wax crayon and aerial photograph on paper
14 3/4 x 10 3/8″ (37.5 x 26.4 cm)
Photo: André Grossmann
© 2018 Christo
“Christo lived his life to the fullest,” the statement went on to say, “not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it. Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories.”