Christo and Jeanne Claude

CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935) and JEANNE CLAUDE DE GUILLEBON (Morocco, 1935 - United States, 2009).
"L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Day". 2021.
Archival pigment print on Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl paper.
Numbered and signed by the project photographer, Wolfgang Volz.
Issue no. 56.
Limited edition of 250 copies.
Measurements: 40 x 60 cm.

Archival pigment print linked to "L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped", the posthumous project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude and one of the most emblematic public interventions of recent contemporary art. Originally conceived by Christo in 1961, shortly after his arrival in Paris, the idea lay dormant for six decades until finally materializing in 2021.

The photograph documents the Arc de Triomphe in Paris wrapped in bluish silver fabric and girded by red ropes, in an image of great visual force where the historic monument is transformed into an ephemeral, sculptural and almost abstract presence. The intervention temporarily altered one of the most recognizable urban symbols of Europe, keeping its monumentality intact and, at the same time, suspending its usual reading.

The value of the piece also lies in its direct relationship with Wolfgang Volz, an essential photographer of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's projects, whose gaze has contributed decisively to fix the visual memory of works conceived to disappear.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed some of the most famous projects in contemporary art, based on temporary interventions of monuments, buildings and landscapes. Among their most recognized works are "Wrapped Reichstag" in Berlin, "The Gates" in Central Park, "Surrounded Islands" in Miami, "The Floating Piers" on Lake Iseo and "L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped" in Paris. His work is represented in institutions such as the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate in London and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.