L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961-2021, an installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, has opened to the public in Paris. The installation, which will be on view from September 18th to October 3rd 2021, sees the famous landmark wrapped in 25,000 square meters (270,000 sqft) of recyclable silvery blue polypropylene fabric, and 3,000 meters (10,000 ft) of recyclable red polypropylene rope.
The project is the culmination of a 60-year vision by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which began in 1961 when Christo imagined wrapping the Arc de Triomphe in fabric. In 1962 and 1963, he created a photomontage of the idea; a collage which he repeated again in 1988. In 2017, he began actively developing the idea, leading to this week’s public opening. “It will be like a living object which will move in the wind and reflect the light,” said Christo, who passed away in 2020. “With its moving folds, the monument’s surface will become sensual. People will want to touch the Arc de Triomphe.”
Over 1000 people were employed to carry out the project, which ultimately cost 14million euro ($16million). The project was entirely funded through the sale of original artworks by Christo, including models, collages, and lithographs. As we previously reported, a 95-member team of technicians worked on site to unfurl the fabric across the monument.
Throughout the installation’s opening, the Place de l’Etoile will be pedestrianized for three weekends to allow the public safer access to the monument. Visitors to the site also have the opportunity to collect free fabric samples of the installation from a team of monitors. The public terrace of the Arc de Triomphe, and the monument’s interior, will also remain open during the presentation and dismantling of the artwork.
“Sharing an imagination unmoored from the constraints of possibilities, Christo began creating collages of a wrapped public building,” said Christo’s nephew, Vladimir Yavachev, who was Project Director for the installation. “In 1961 Christo and Jeanne-Claude dreamt up the idea of wrapping the Arc de Triomphe, a project that even they deemed too ambitious to realize and never formally proposed until 2017.”
“The true identity of every Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project is revealed in the process of its creation,” Yavachev continued. “The same is true for L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, which lives on and evolves along with the social, political and physical landscape. As Christo liked to say, ‘Our projects are alive,’ and today L’Arc de Triomphe has come to life. Christo approved every visual aspect of this project, and in a way it is a memorial to the life and work Christo and Jeanne-Claude created together in Paris and across the world, which always exceeded what we believe to be possible. We are grateful to the Centre des monuments nationaux, the City, and to our incredible team who together realized this work of art.”
31 Comments
Brilliant.
So now monuments need to wear masks while out in public? When will this covid paranoia end? /s
France and Hijab, the ongoing saga!
This was clever and provocative…. first two or three times Christo did this… when, 1968? Now it’s tedious.
If I were a tourist, and saved up my money for my first visit to Paris, I’d be pissed.
‘Sharing an imagination unmoored from the constraints of possibilities…”
Seriously?
Imagination is what created the Arc in the first place. Wrapping it in fabric is a one line joke.
Tell us how Christo and Jeanne-Claude hurt you.
Wouldn't it be hilarious if TIQM keeps saving up and planning vacations to these places and Christo and Jeanne-Claude keep getting there first and wrapping things?
I keep picturing a stereotypical American tourist family happily stepping out of a cab in Paris, the cab pulls away, family turns in unison to take in the sight of L'Arc and ... TIQM's hand drops the map it was holding and it flutters slowly to the ground. TIQM's son reaches up and grabs his NY Yankees baseball cap and slams it to the ground. TIQM's daughter just bursts into tears while TIQM's spouse just turns and stares at them, shooting daggers from their eyes.
lol
Yep...hilarious.
No son of mine is a NY Yankee fan.
I didn't say anyone hurt me.
Bless your heart, you didn't need to say it.
I'll be honest, I don't really see the value in this as an artistic or architectural statement or provocation.
Same feeling for me as lots of other groundbreaking 20th century landscape, performance, and public artists - I objectively know their work is important and part of the cannon, but I subjectively think it is pretty boring and a waste of resources.
Seriously, 14M for that? Are you sure it is not money laundering?
The only way to know would be to see behind the curtain.
No, but this is https://www.makeuseof.com/most-expensive-nfts-why-they-cost-so-much/
Christo and Jean-Claude didn't make statements about their work - they simply did what they did and created transformative experiences for multitudes of people to make their own interpretations.
I would love to see this in person and can only imagine what it is like for people who have lived with the Arc de Triomphe for the better part of their lives.
https://christojeanneclaude.net/timeline/
What is it that you find brilliant about this, Miles? I'm not trying to be argumentative. Help me understand why you think this is an important work of art.
As the Arc is a war memorial, the wrapping can be seen as a statement against war. Ironically - as the Arc celebrates the Fench Revolution (a war of independence) - the wrapping can be seen as a metaphor for neoliberal globalism eliminating the ideals of the revolution. The white color - Christo and Jean Claude often used bright colors (saffron in particular) - can be seen as a symbol of surrender.
Experientially the Arc is an enormous monument sited at the radial intersection of a dozen avenues and is visible from war and wide. I'm guessing that in certain conditons the white wrap makes the Arc seem to disappear.
This is a monumental work that is temporary and recycled, as were all of Christo and Jean-Claude's works.
From a purely architectural perspective the Arc becomes a simple form devoid of classic ornament and a profound transformation of style. The wrapping recalls temporary enclouseres during construction and wrapping of a building for fumigation. Add these to the interpretations above.
It's true that this 'can be seen' in a variety of lights, but being that it's in the public realm and not in an intellectual's salon, my guess it will be seen for what it is.
I'm often surprised by what people see in my work. 'What it is' is dependent on the audience. Your view is limited by your depth or lack insight and imagination.
Most people are just going to take selfies in front of it.
"Your view is limited by your depth or lack insight and imagination." So if you don't see some far fetched concept predicated on your access to higher education or your political inclinations you "lack insight and imagination"? I'm not sure that's how creativity works.
Insight and imagination have nothing to do with 'higher' education and politics.
Exactly. That's why if someone doesn't know that "the Arc celebrates the French Revolution", or what "neoliberal globalism" is, it's still going to look dumb,and even if they did, like I do, it still looks dumb. Btw, not very egalitarian to be slamming those who don't see what you do as lacking insight and imagination. Viva la Revolucion!
"Your view" was not a slam but an observation based on experience, and it was meant collectively, not personally. But if you choose to take it that way it pretty much proves my point.
Please excuse me for not recognizing the universality of your opinion. The variety of views I offered are clearly lacking in both insight and imagination.
No worries, I didn't take it personally, I saw it as a collective slam. And don't get me wrong, the associations you and anyone else takes from any work of art enrich the experience. The point is relying on an intellectual concept or association for a works appeal is why so much modern work misses the mark. It's a supplement, but can never be a substitute for the public's appreciation unless the associations are contemporary and universally understood, and in today's pluralist and eclectic culture, that's asking a lot.
You have glossed over the experiential aspects of the work to focus on attacking intellectual approaches to it. Christo and Jean-Claude never presented justification for their works, philosophical over otherwise. They created experiences enjoyed by millions (literally).
If I was an "American Tourist" visiting Paris, I would honestly be stoked to see the Arc de Triomphe wrapped this way. This is truly a once-in-many-centuries event and extra memorable for that very reason.
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