THE 5 MOST INSPIRING ARTISTS IN ART-CHITECTURE
# 1 Christo and Jeanne-Claude
ATHILIE in Nice Saturday July 11, 2020 ESTIMATED READING TIME: 7 MINUTES
We could have told you about the super-stars of architecture: Jean Nouvel , Franck Gehry and their breathtaking works.
At Athilie, we instead offer you 5 new portraits: artists, architects, designers, creators, inventors, free personalities with very personal universes through photos and videos, sometimes too little known to the general public.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
We begin this journey here, in the immense poetry of the ephemeral installations of Christo and Jeanne-Claude around the world.
Here are our favorite projects from Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-1972 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE: FREE AND PASSIONATE
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Christo is American of Bulgarian origin, Jeanne-Claude is American, of French origin. Both born June 13, 1935. They meet in 1958 in Paris never to leave each other again.
Christo studies art: drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture. He lives in Paris thanks to the sale of the portraits he makes but at the same time he works on the packaging and stacking of objects. In 1960, they gave birth to their son, and a year later the first envelopment projects were born. They will move permanently to New York in 1964.
The temporary works of art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as immense as they are, are entirely self-financed by the sale of the preparatory drawings to museums, galleries and collectors. The artists do not accept any order or sponsorship. They wish to remain completely free.
Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-1972 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
VALLEY CURTAIN
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The Valley Curtain is a project that takes place between 1970 and 1972 in Colorado, in Rifle and especially in the Grand Hogback mountain range between two massifs Grand Junction and Glenwood Spring.
It is an extraordinary orange nylon curtain measuring 12,783 m2.
Around a hundred workers, craftsmen and students made it possible to create this gigantic curtain in 28 months. On August 11, 1972, after a day of exposure, the curtain had to be removed due to strong wind.
The Wrapped Pont Neuf, Paris, France, 1985 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
THE NEW BRIDGE WRAPPED
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In Paris, in September 1985. More than 300 professionals (workers, craftsmen and engineers) worked on the enveloping of the oldest bridge in Paris: the Pont Neuf , 154 meters long and its 44 street lamps.
The Pont Neuf wrapped , it is 41,800 m2 of silky and golden fabric fixed by 13 kilometers of rope, themselves held by 12 tons of steel chain around the pillars underwater.
At the time in 1982, Jacques Chirac mayor of Paris had refused the project, but one of his assistants slipped the approval of the permit into a pile of paper, which he inadvertently signed in August 1984. The Pont Neuf is remained wrapped for 2 weeks, but this unique work will remain engraved in the memory of Parisians and the 3 million visitors who came for the occasion.
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Le Pont Neuf in the news in 1985: the Parisians wanted to participate in the collective dream.
The Wrapped Pont Neuf, Paris, France, 1985 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
“The urgency to be seen is all the greater since tomorrow everything will be gone… No one can buy these works, no one can own them, no one can market them, no one can sell tickets to see them… Our work is about freedom. "
CHRISTO
Preparatory drawing by Christo for the Surrounded Islands project, Biscayne Bay, Miami, 1982 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
SURROUNDED ISLANDS
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Surrounded Islands is a project carried out in 1983 in Miami in the Bay of Biscayne. 11 islands in the bay were surrounded by 603,870 m2 of pink woven fabric floating on the surface of the water.
Once the permits were obtained, the artist team had to remove 40 tonnes of debris from the islands, which are usually used as a dump. More than 430 people worked on this project which is totally funded by the artists. The islands remained surrounded for two weeks. Christo who talks about his project better than anyone.
Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Miami, 1982 | Photo: Wolfgang Volz
“No artist in history has spent so much time traveling to present himself and his work. The success of his projects with the public […] is due on the one hand to his ease of contact and his natural gifts as a teacher. He was the first designer to study for himself the human and environmental impact of his projects. Most artists think that educating the public takes too much time at the expense of their work. "
Albert ELSEN
Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76 Photo: Still from the film "Running Fence" by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin
RUNNING FENCE
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Running Fence , is undoubtedly Christo's most titanic project. It is a 5.5 meter high white nylon ribbon that travels 39.4 kilometers attached to steel cables. The work travels from California to the ocean.
The artists negotiated for 42 months so that the owners of the land and the American justice system accepted their monumental work. Installed on September 10, 1976 the Running Fence will be removed 14 days later without leaving any trace.
Back when the Running Fence project was controversial in California.
Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76 Photo: Wolfgang Volz
“My art is the result of a reflection and an aesthetic intuition imposed on a natural and built environment. "
CHRISTO
The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91 Photo: Wolfgang Volz
UMBRELLAS
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The Umbrellas is an environmental project that began in 1991 simultaneously in two different countries. The artists and their teams erected 3,100 umbrellas, blue in Japan and yellow in California.
These umbrellas represent the similarities and differences in lifestyles and land use, of these two countries. Umbrellas will remain installed for 18 days before being removed. This project cost artists around $ 26 million and attracted 3 million visitors.
The news was about the Umbrellas.
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The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91 Photo: Wolfgang Volz
Christo left us a few weeks ago, and if his works are ephemeral, the experience is immortal.
This week we had the chance to continue this adventure at the Center Georges Pompidou which is devoting a superb exhibition to it, and more particularly on the packaging of the Pont Neuf in Paris. Go for it ! The exhibition runs until October 19.
It's beautiful, smart, loving, fascinating and inspiring.
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Before his death, Christo had planned to package the Arc de Triomphe , this project will see the light of day in September 2021.
All the information to prepare for your visit.
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https://christojeanneclaude.net/
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Thanks to Christo and Jeanne-Claude and to the Georges Pompidou center .