Christo and Jeanne Claude

CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935-USA, 2020); JEANNE CLAUDE (Morocco, 1935-USA, 2009).
"Wrapped Trees Project Fondation Beyeler Berower Park, Riehen, Basel", 1998.
Offset lithograph on cardboard.
Hand signed by Christo and Jeanne Claude.
With fragment of original canvas. 3D montage (two levels) in an offset lithograph published by Taschen, "Besler Magazin" (November 1998).
Reverse with copy of postal contact with the artist.
Measurements: 28 x 36 cm; 41,5 x 32,5 cm (frame).

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Wrapped Trees" series consisted of wrapping real trees with a silver-gray translucent fabric attached with ropes, creating a temporary transformation of the landscape where the natural forms of trunks and branches were still visible under the fabric. The effect was sculptural and almost phantasmagoric, as wind and light constantly modified the appearance of the trees, causing the viewer to rediscover their volume, silhouette and presence in space, a central idea in the work of both artists: to partially hide something known in order to make it look again.

An acknowledged artistic couple of the late 20th century, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's wrapped objects are some of the most extreme examples of conceptual art. Christo Valdimirov Javacheff studied between 1952 and 1956 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, then spent a year in Prague. In 1957 Christo fled the socialist state and settled in Vienna, from where he would travel to Geneva and finally to Paris. His life in Paris was characterized by economic deprivation and social isolation, which was increased by his difficulty in learning the French language. He earned money painting portraits, which he likened to prostitution. In January 1958, Christo made his first piece of "wrapped art"; he covered an empty paint jar with a canvas soaked in acrylic. Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris in November 1958. In 1961 he tackled what would be his first project with large objects, wrapping barrels in the port of Cologne. In 1962, Christo and Jeanne-Claude tackled their first monumental project, "Rideau de fer", as a statement against the Berlin Wall. The work consisted of blocking off Visconti Street over the river with oil barrels. Although Christo was simultaneously holding his first gallery exhibition, it was the Visconti project that made him known in Paris. In 1964 the couple settled in New York. In 1968 they participated in Documenta 4 in Kassel, and in 1969 they undertook one of their most famous projects, that of wrapping the Little Bay waterfront in Sydney, Australia. Since then, they have completed numerous large-scale projects around the world, including "Running fence" and "Wrapped walk ways" in the United States, "Pont Neuf" in Paris, "Umbrellas" in the United States and Japan, and the Reichstag building in Germany.