christo, the artist known for his monumental works, has died aged 84

christo has passed away of natural causes on may 31, 2020, at his home in new york city — he was 84 years old. ‘christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it,’ reads a statement on christo’s website. ‘christo and jeanne-claude’s artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories. christo and jeanne-claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. per christo’s wishes, ‘l’arc de triomphe, wrapped’ in paris, france, is still on track for september 18 – october 3, 2021.’

christo arc de triumph wrapped
‘l’arc de triomphe, wrapped’ in paris, france, is still on track for september 18 – october 3, 2021
photo by andré grossmann © 2018 christo | main photo by wolfgang volz
read more on designboom here

christo was born on june 13, 1935 in gabrovo, bulgaria. he left bulgaria in 1957, first to prague, czechoslovakia, and then escaped to vienna, austria, then moved to geneva, switzerland. in 1958, christo went to paris, where he met jeanne-claude denat de guillebon — his wife and life partner in the creation of monumental environmental works of art. jeanne-claude passed away on november 18, 2009.

floating piers christo and jeanne-claude
‘the floating piers’, lake iseo, italy | photo by wolfgang volz © christo
in 2017, christo and jeanne claude were awarded THE DESIGN PRIZE in the category of SOCIAL IMPACT for their ‘floating piers’ project | read more on designboom here

from early wrapped objects to monumental outdoor projects, christo and jeanne-claude’s artwork transcended the traditional bounds of painting, sculpture and architecture. some of their most celebrated work surrounded islands in miami (1980–83), wrapped reichstag in berlin (1972–95), the gates in new york’s central park (1979–2005), the floating piers at italy’s lake iseo (2014–16), and the london mastaba on london’s serpentine lake (2016–18).

christo’s temporary work of art in paris, france, titled l’arc de triomphe, wrapped (project for paris, place de l’étoile), is scheduled for september 18–october 3, 2021. additionally, a major exhibition at the centre georges pompidou about christo and jeanne-claude’s work and time in paris will be on view this year, from july 1 – october 19, 2020.

christo london mastaba
‘london mastaba’, london, UK | photo by wolfgang volz 2018 © christo
read more on designboom here

in a 1958 letter christo wrote, ‘beauty, science and art will always triumph.’

christo, the mastaba (project for abu dhabi, united arab emirates)
drawing 2012 in two parts | pencil, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, aerial photograph, hand-drawn technical data, enamel paint and tape | 15 x 96″ and 42 x 96″ (38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm)
photo by andré grossmann, © 2012 christo