ChristoGaleria Joan Prats - Beach Umbrella Sketch1986
1986
About the Item
Christo
Motivated solely by a mission to spread joy and celebrate beauty through their work, Christo and Jeanne-Claude (1935–2020; 1935–2009) created riveting large-scale public art installations that pushed ephemeral art to an entirely unprecedented new level. While the pair created prints, photography and a range of other types of art, they’re best known for their installations — working with a combination of textiles and industrial materials, Christo and Jeanne-Claude created colossal site-specific sculptures and other projects that frequently included wrapping monuments, walkways and even coastlines in reams of fabric in order to draw attention and encourage viewers to experience familiar objects and places in entirely new ways.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude frequently incorporated nature’s forces into their works, creating billowing fence lines, enormous inflatable free-standing structures and colorful floating walkways. Partners in life and art, the pair designed installations that often took years or even decades to realize and lasted for only days or weeks. Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s preparatory works and detailed drawings and collages are today a testament to their intricate ephemeral masterpieces and legacy.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s stories, incredibly, began on the exact same day — on June 13, 1935, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff was born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, and on the very same day in Casablanca, Morocco, Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon was born. While Jeanne-Claude received a broad education and a baccalauréat in Latin and philosophy, growing up in France, Switzerland, Morocco and Tunisia, Christo studied art from the age of six years old. He went on to study painting, drawing, architecture and sculpture at the National Academy of Art in Sofia before leaving Bulgaria to escape the Hungarian Revolution.
Christo spent time in Prague before a brief stint at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, moving on then to Geneva and ultimately France. He made money by painting portraits for wealthy families. After being hired by Jeanne-Claude’s mother to paint three portraits of her, Christo met his future wife and collaborator. The pair created their first environmental installation, Dockside Packages and Stacked Oil Barrels, in 1961.
Together, Christo and Jeanne-Claude pursued increasingly ambitious projects, proposing to wrap everything from trees in Wrapped Trees, Foundation Beyeler and Berower Park, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997-98 to important public buildings including the Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971–95. They also created free-standing abstract sculptures such as the 5,600 Cubicmeter Package, billowing curtains such as Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado, 1970–72, and proposed installations in locations as far-flung as Dubai and Japan. These projects and others have been linked to the Pop art-adjacent nouveau réalisme movement.
Classically trained in drawing, Christo created preparatory sketches and collages for the projects, selling his artwork to independently fund the monumental temporary installations the pair erected. Meanwhile, Jeanne-Claude advocated for the pair’s artwork, speaking at public forums, sending proposals to municipal governments, and using her unique combination of compelling charm and stoic stubbornness to get their projects approved.
Devoted to their ideals of spreading joy and beauty, the pair accepted no commissions or commercial collaborations — all their installations were funded purely by the sale of their preparatory art. The last of their realized urban works, that 2005 project invited New Yorkers to go for a glorious walk through 7,503 saffron-fabric-draped portals along the pathways of Central Park. More than 4 million people did.
Christo’s wrapped sculptures, which he began making early in his career, as well as his preparatory works, are held in the permanent collections of museums and other institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Centre Pompidou. Jeanne-Claude died in 2009, and Christo continued to realize the pair’s planned projects until his own passing in 2020.
Find original Christo prints, photography and other art on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Winterswijk, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- At Castelli'sLocated in Winterswijk, NLExhibition poster - made for an exhibition at Leo Castelli, New York In great condition Minimal marginal defectsCategory
19th Century Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Galeria Joans PratsLocated in Winterswijk, NLExhibition poster On the occasion of the exhibition in February/March 1992 In great condition Minimal traces of storageCategory
1990s Figurative Prints
MaterialsColor
- Rainer Stern - "Il Profumo" - giclée print - hand signed/numbered - edition: 30By Rainer SternLocated in Winterswijk, NLRainer Stern - "Il Profumo". Giclée print on heavy handmade cotton paper. Edition: 30. Hand signed and numbered. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially ...Category
20th Century Surrealist Prints and Multiples
MaterialsHandmade Paper, Giclée
- L´Oiseau Au Regard Calme Les Ailes En FlammesBy Joan MiróLocated in Winterswijk, NLArt print on heavy paper After the original from 1952 In great conditionCategory
1950s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsColor
- Le secret de tes caressesLocated in Winterswijk, NLGiclee on heavy handmade cotton paper 2015 Hand signed In great conditionCategory
2010s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsGiclée, Color
- Galeria Joans PratsLocated in Winterswijk, NLExhibition poster On the occasion of the exhibition in February/March 1992 In great condition Minimal traces of storageCategory
1990s Figurative Prints
MaterialsColor
- Andy Warhol -- Committee 2000By Andy WarholLocated in BRUCE, ACTAndy Warhol Committee 2000, 1982 Screenprint in colours on Lenox museum board Hand signed and numbered 186 / 2000 Sheet Size: 76 X 51 cm Printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York Publ...Category
1980s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsScreen
- Blame GameBy KAWSLocated in New York, NYKAWS Blame Game The complete set of 10 screenprints in colors, 2014, each signed and dated in pencil from the Edition of 100 (There are 20 artist's proofs), in the original portfolio case. Please note: Each print is 35 x 23 inches. Unframed The KAWS motif has become instantly recognizable with traditional cartoon characters transformed into vibrant, playful, and near-abstract enigmas. Known for his iconic characters with X’s on their eyes and gloves, KAWS delivers his classic dose of street-art meets contemporary art in this brilliant and minimalist work. Published by Pace Prints...Category
2010s Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsScreen
- Lotus Pool - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, ChineseBy Yue MinjunLocated in Zug, CHYue Minjun, Lotus Pool Lithograph in color on wove paper “BFK Rives” Edition of 130 120 x 80 cm (47.2 x 31.4 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman numerals In mint condition, as a...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Sheep Herd - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, ChineseBy Yue MinjunLocated in Zug, CHYue Minjun, Sheep Herd Lithograph Edition of 130 120 x 80 cm (47.2 x 31.5 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman numerals In mint condition, as acquired...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- "Lorenzaccio" by Alphonse Mucha from Les Maitres de l'AfficheBy Alphonse MuchaLocated in Hinsdale, ILAlphonse Mucha "Lorenzaccio, a play in five acts and an epilogue by Alfred de Museet" Plate #114 Image Size: 15" x 11" 1896 Alphonse Mucha was born in Southern Moravia on July 24, 1860. At the age of seventeen the artist left his home, to work as a painter of stage decorations...Category
1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Fire Bridge, Pop Art Screenprint by Robert IndianaBy Robert IndianaLocated in Long Island City, NYArtist: Robert Indiana, American (1928 - ) Title: Fire Bridge: Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, December 1 - January 15 Year: circa 1965 Medium: Screenprint on Fabriano Paper Size: 30 x ...Category
1960s Pop Art Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen