L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped

摘要

KNOWN for their signature transformations of monuments and landscapes, from the Pont Neuf, Wrapped (Paris, 1985) and the Reichstag, Wrapped (Berlin, 1995) to The Gates in Central Park (New York, 2005), Christo and Jeanne-Claude attracted millions of visitors to see their free two-week installations around the world. Each of their urban projects encouraged a different way of viewing a monument or a public space, transforming historic architecture into contemporary art. What is probably their last work, L' Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, was delayed for one year after Christo s death on May 31, 2020, and because of Covid-yet, of their projects, it was one of the longest in gestation. It will be open from September 18 to October 3. At the juncture of 12 major avenues in Paris, including the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe was commissioned in 1806 to celebrate Napoleons victory at the Battle ofAusterlitz the previous year, and it finally opened in 1836 (long after the emperor's final defeat at Waterloo and his death in 1821). Designed by the architect Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin (1739-1811), the Arc is 164 feet high and 148 feet wide, and has hosted at its base the tomb of the unknown soldier, marked by an eternal flame, since 1923. Like all the projects of Christo (1935-2020) and his wife and partner, Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009), L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped is the result of years of meticulous administrative and technical planning. The structure will be encased in 269,098 square feet of silvery blue recyclable polypropylene fabric, and 9,843 feet of red rope. The artwork is entirely funded by the sale of Christo's preparatory studies, drawings, collages, and scale models, with no direct public support involved. Both artists made clear their intention for their work to be carried forward even after their deaths, and, in this case, their original team is directed by Christo's nephew Vladimir Yavachev.