Christo – Biography, Legacy, Famous Paintings

Christo – Biography, Legacy, Famous Paintings

Christo’s artistic career spans decades and styles, but he left an indelible mark on the artistic community.

Christo was something of a force of nature, using his creative spirit and determination to build art projects that required tons of logistics and planning.

What made these pieces even more astonishing is that so much work went into something that was only temporary.

It’s almost impossible to talk about the environmental artist Christo without mentioning his wife Jeanne-Claude. The duo had made art installations together from 1958 until Jeanne-Claude died in 2009.

Even though Christo was an artist before and after meeting his wife, the pair made such a splash that they’re often mentioned together, as if they were the same person.

Fortunately, Christo’s legacy is not temporary, and people will continue to discuss and dissect his work for generations to come.

Biography

Early Life

Christo was born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Gabrovo, Bulgaria in 1935. Oddly enough, that was also the same year his eventual wife Jeanne-Claude was born too.

Christo was a shy child who preferred art over anything else. Unfortunately, living in Bulgaria and growing up in the 1940s meant escaping Nazi and totalitarian rule.

During his adolescence, Christo and his brothers fled to the countryside to hide from the authorities.

It was in the country where Christo developed his love for nature and hand-crafted items.

Christo’s parents were very supportive of his artistic endeavors, as they would often have artists come to the house and show him different techniques.

Perhaps this supportive nature is part of the reason why Christo wound up defecting to the West and pursuing an art career instead of getting embroiled in the geopolitical issues at home.

Education

After the war, in 1953, Christo attended the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts in Bulgaria.

However, because the region was under Soviet control, artistic expression was limited, so Christo did not thrive under such repressive rules.

That said, he did manage to meet many Russian artists who experimented with avant-garde and Russian modernism. It was these meetings that helped keep Christo’s creative juices flowing.

A trip to Prague in 1957 to visit family also kept his spirit alive and made him yearn to live and create freely.

That same year, Christo stowed away in a railcar and fled to Vienna. There, he stayed with a family friend and attended the Vienna Fine Arts Academy. He somewhat flourished in Vienna, but felt he still needed to find his muse.

In 1958, Christo went to Paris, where his muse was waiting for him.

At the time, Christo made money by doing commissions, and he was commissioned to do a portrait of Jeanne-Claude’s mother. Ironically, Jeanne-Claude was already engaged to another man, and in the beginning, Christo fancied her half-sister.

Despite Jeanne-Claude’s engagement to another man, and Christo’s initial attraction to Jeanne-Claudes sister, the two fell in love. Jeanne-Claudes left her fiancé and soon after, the two lovers welcomed a baby into the world.

It was during this time, Christo discovered his artistic calling ̶̶̶ wrapping objects.

Legacy of Fernand Léger

With his muse and an artistic focal point, Christo was ready to make his mark on the art world.

His first wrapped piece was a paint can, but he quickly moved on to bigger and bolder items. In the 1960s, Christo started wrapping naked women in paper and rope. In 1963, he wrapped a Volkswagen Beetle.

One factor that played a crucial role in Christo’s artistic choices was the environment.

In 1962, he and Jeanne-Claude blocked a Parisian alleyway with 240 oil barrels and called the installation “Iron Curtain.” This piece reflected the Berlin Wall and the Soviets’ attempt to stifle creativity in the East.

As time went on, Christo and Jeanne-Claude soared to new heights with bigger and bolder installations.

For example, in 1969, the pair wrapped the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art – while it was still open to visitors. That same year, the pair wrapped the Little Bay in Sydney, Australia.

Other notable wrapped projects include when the duo wrapped the Pont Neuf for two weeks in 1985. Two years prior to that, they had surrounded 11 islands in Florida’s Biscayne Bay with floating propylene plastic.

One fascinating aspect regarding Christo’s pieces is that they often cost tens of millions of dollars to complete.

Instead of relying on financing from private entities, he was able to fund his projects by selling pre-production artwork, preparation materials, or pieces from earlier projects.

The ability to self-finance such grand projects is a testament to Christo’s legacy and enduring spirit.

Death

Sadly, Christo’s wife Jeanne-Claude died from complications from a brain aneurysm in 2009.

Before her death, she acted as the logistical planner for all the couple’s projects. Her passing had a tremendous impact on Christo’s life and ability to produce new pieces.

Nonetheless, he continued to plan and execute various installations, such as the Big Air Package in 2013, the Floating Piers in 2016, and the London Mastaba in 2018.

Christo died in May of 2020 at the age of 84. No cause of death was specified. The city of Paris honored the artist by wrapping the Arc D’ Triomphe in 2021, the culmination of a planned project between Christo, Jeanne-Claude, and the city.

Famous Work

Since these projects are designed to be temporary, the best way to truly experience them is to be on-site and witness them firsthand.

The second-best option is to buy artwork depicting these installations in action.

These artworks were created by Christo himself and they bear his signature. Now, you can own a piece of art history.

The Umbrellas

In 1991, Christo and Jeanne-Claude executed a project called The Umbrellas. The goal was to set up thousands of umbrellas in California and Japan, reflecting their historical ties.

This piece depicts the planning of the project, as the lithograph is dated 1987. The piece is hand-signed by Christo.

The Gates Project for Central Park

The Gates was one of the longest and most protracted projects that Christo and Jeanne-Claude prepared.

Fortunately, she was able to see it come to fruition in 2005, when newly elected mayor Michael Bloomberg approved the installation.

As with The Umbrellas, this piece is part of the preproduction set, dated 1990.

Over the River Project

Although this project ultimately was abandoned because of extensive legal battles between Christo and local residents, this lithograph depicts what Over the River would have looked like.

The fabric was to be draped over the Arkansas River in Colorado, but Christo abandoned the project in 2017.

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