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Christo and Jeanne-Claude. L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris
450
In 2021, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's lifelong dream to wrap the Arc de Triomphe was finally realized as a posthumous project, exactly 60 years since its genesis. This big project book documents Christo's drawings and collages, the technical development, material production, the thrilling installation process, and the final 16-day experience shared by millions of visitors from around the world.
Collector’s Edition (No. 501–2,500), signed by project photographer Wolfgang Volz, with a 24 x 24 cm swatch of the original silver fabric.
Collector’s Edition (No. 501–2,500), signed by project photographer Wolfgang Volz, with a 24 x 24 cm swatch of the original silver fabric.
Edition of 2,000Hardcover in slipcase, 29 x 27 cm, 4,17 kg, 480 pages, with piece of fabric, 24 x 24 cm
“…a permanent tribute to a fleeting installation that formed a spectacular finale to the duo’s epic career.”
“A beautiful tribute book. Preliminary drawings, archive and in situ images taken by photographer Wolfgang Volz reveal the impressive behind-the-scenes of this gargantuan, posthumously executed work.”
Christo and Jeanne-Claude. L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris
450A Dream Comes True
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s silver-shimmering Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris
In 1961, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped was one the first public art projects that Christo conceived after he arrived in Paris. It remained as only a dream for 60 years, until Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s latest project finally came to life. For 16 days, the iconic French monument was wrapped in 25,000 square meters of recyclable silvery blue polypropylene fabric and 3,000 meters of red rope, drawing the eyes of 6 million viewers on Place de l’Étoile to experience the most exceptional art installation of 2021.
Like all Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s art projects, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped was once in a lifetime and never again, but from the moment it appeared on site, by ravishing the eye, it had already impressed an indelible image on the memories of everyone who saw it.
This Collector’s Edition retraces and documents the entire project, from conception to final realization. The story of a 60-year-in-the-making project unfolds on 480 pages, revealing its technical development, material production, and the final 16-days experience shared by millions of visitors from around the world. This project book was designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s studio in close collaboration with TASCHEN as an homage to the late artists and their lifelong commitment to art as the highest expression of freedom.
“Each of our projects is like a slice of our life, myself and Jeanne-Claude. And the journey is so exciting, it is an adventure in the real world.”
Christo
Limited Collector's Edition of 2,500 copies signed by project photographer Wolfgang Volz, each with a 24 x 24 cm swatch of the original silver fabric.
Also available as two different limited Art Editions (No. 1-250 and No. 251-500), each with a signed and numbered photograph of L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Wolfgang Volz.
Like all Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s art projects, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped was once in a lifetime and never again, but from the moment it appeared on site, by ravishing the eye, it had already impressed an indelible image on the memories of everyone who saw it.
This Collector’s Edition retraces and documents the entire project, from conception to final realization. The story of a 60-year-in-the-making project unfolds on 480 pages, revealing its technical development, material production, and the final 16-days experience shared by millions of visitors from around the world. This project book was designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s studio in close collaboration with TASCHEN as an homage to the late artists and their lifelong commitment to art as the highest expression of freedom.
“Each of our projects is like a slice of our life, myself and Jeanne-Claude. And the journey is so exciting, it is an adventure in the real world.”
Christo
Limited Collector's Edition of 2,500 copies signed by project photographer Wolfgang Volz, each with a 24 x 24 cm swatch of the original silver fabric.
Also available as two different limited Art Editions (No. 1-250 and No. 251-500), each with a signed and numbered photograph of L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Wolfgang Volz.
The artists
Christo and Jeanne-Claude began their collaboration in 1961, and lived in New York City since 1964. Jeanne-Claude died in 2009; Christo died in 2020. Their large-scale projects include Wrapped Coast, Australia, 1968–69; Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970–72; Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972–76; Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Florida, 1980–83; The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975–85; The Umbrellas, Japan–USA, 1984–91; Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971–95; Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997–98; The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979–2005; The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014–16, The London Mastaba, Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park, 2016–18, and L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961–2021.
The photographer
Wolfgang Volz has worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude as the exclusive photographer of their works since 1971. He was also project director (with Roland Specker) for Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971–95 and (with Josy Kraft) for Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997–98, and was in charge of The Wall – 13,000 Oil Barrels, Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany, 1998–99 and Big Air Package, Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany, 2010–13. His close collaboration has resulted in many books and more than 300 exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.
The authors
Jonathan William Henery is the son of Jeanne-Claude’s sister, Joyce May Henery. In 1993, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University. He is a musician and was Jeanne-Claude’s full-time assistant from 1996 to 2009, and continues to manage Christo’s office today. Jonathan has collaborated on numerous publications about their work.
Art historian Laure Martin-Poulet, long active in the field of international press and public relations, is an artist agent and curator since 2014. She worked for Christo and Jeanne-Claude's project The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris from 1981 to 1985 and was the president of L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris.
Lorenza Giovanelli, art historian, was the office manager of Christo’s last major project The Floating Piers in 2016. From 2017 to 2020 she worked for Christo in New York, collaborating on several exhibitions and publications about Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s art, and continues to work for the Estate of the artists today.
Michael S. Cullen is an American building historian, journalist, lecturer and former art dealer, living in Berlin. In 1971 he sent a postcard to Christo and Jeanne-Claude suggesting they wrap the Reichstag, Berlin. Among his works are books and articles on the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and the Platz der Republik in Berlin. His essay traces the complex political and cultural twists and turns of how the Arc de Triomphe was built over three decades.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude. L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris
Edition of 2,000Hardcover in slipcase, 29 x 27 cm, 4,17 kg, 480 pages, with piece of fabric, 24 x 24 cmISBN 978-3-8365-9123-2
Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)Download product images here
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