Christo

CHRISTO (Gabrovo, Bulgaria, 1935 - New York, 2020).
"Wrapped Globe (Eurasian Hemisphere)." 2019.
Collage, silkscreen and mixed media.
Exemplar A.P. 47/50.
Signed and numbered.
Regular edition of 160 Arabic and 90 Roman copies, plus a run of 50 artist's proofs.
Measurements: 85,5 x 75 cm.

This work by Christo belongs to his "Wrapped Globe" series, in which the artist revisits, three decades later, the image of the wrapped Earth that he had conceived for the January 2, 1989 cover of TIME, dedicated to the theme "Endangered Earth". In this 2019 version, the globe again appears covered by a translucent envelope and held in place by strings, becoming a powerful image about the fragility of the planet.

The piece condenses some of Christo's major themes: the envelope as visual transformation, the tension between concealment and revelation, and the ability to turn a recognizable object into an image of political, poetic and monumental reading. Unlike his public projects, here the monumentality shifts to the intimate terrain of collage, where the combination of silkscreen, pencil, pastel, rope, plastic, paint and adhesive tape generates a rich surface close to a unique work.

The motif acquires a special contemporary resonance for its allusion to the climate crisis and human responsibility for the planet. The anonymous figure holding the globe introduces a physical and symbolic reading: the Earth appears as burden, inheritance and warning. Because of its large format for a Christo edition, its technical complexity and its direct link to one of his most significant images, "Wrapped Globe (Eurasian Hemisphere)" is a particularly relevant work within his late graphic production.

The copy corresponds to an artist's proof, belonging to a print run separate from the regular edition, a circumstance that reinforces its interest within the specialized collectors due to its lower availability and its link with the editorial process of the work.

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known artistically as Christo, developed together with Jeanne-Claude some of the most emblematic projects of contemporary art, based on the temporary intervention of monuments, landscapes and architectures. Among his most famous works are "Wrapped Reichstag" in Berlin, "The Gates" in Central Park, "Surrounded Islands" in Miami and "The Floating Piers" on Lake Iseo. 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.