Last week, the exhibition “Christo: Early Works & Unrealized Projects” opened in Paris at 27 avenue Matignon. Presented in a collaboration between Christopher Taylor and Alessandro Possati | Zuecca Projects and Cahiers d’Art, the show—on view through October 5—opened in tandem with the final imagining of the artist’s long-awaited L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped.
Christo, “The Mastaba,” Project for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2012, Pencil, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, hand- drawn map, technical data, enamel paint and tape,
38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm; copyright and courtesy CVJ Corporation on behalf of the Estate of Christo V. Javacheff.
First conceived by the late artist Christo more than 60 years ago, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped sees the Paris monument covered in its entirety in fabric. Timed alongside the public installation, this exhibition features work by the artist and his wife and partner Jeanne-Claude, including a selection of projects that have yet to come to fruition, early work dating back to the 1950s, and projects that are soon to be completed.
Visitors to the space are invited to trace the creative pair’s process from conception to completion through a selection of studies, drawings, collages, and models. Featuring series like the “Craters,” “Wrapped Magazines,” and “Store Fronts,” works to look out for include the 1977-2012 project The Abu Dhabi Mastaba, The Daiba project in Tokyo from 1996, and the 2014 Floating Piers project.
Christo, “The Umbrellas,” Project for Japan and USA, 1988, pencil, fabric, charcoal, wax crayon, enamel paint and topographic map, 77.5 x 66.6 cm and 77.5 x 30.5 cm; copyright and courtesy CVJ Corporation on behalf of the Estate of Christo V. Javacheff.
