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Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Bulgarian, Moroccan, American, 1935-2020

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 and Jeanne-Claude photography, mixed media works, sculptures and prints on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Christo and Jeanne-Claude
The Gates (e), Project for Central Park
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (c), from the Project for Central Park
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2004. One of 300 hand-signed by the artist in pencil from an unnumbere...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

Christo, Monuments: Portfolio with Ten Prints and One Sculpture, Signed Original
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in Hamburg, DE
Christo's portfolio of 10 prints and a scale model sculpture of the ‘5,600 Cubic Meter Package’ for Documenta 4 in Kassel, 1968 (height 68 cm). Sold in white vinyl portfolio box. The...
Category

1960s Conceptual Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Wrapped Fountain, Barcelona
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This lithograph with collage was created in 1979/2009. From the signed and numbered edition of 200 measuring 22 x 28 in. (55.9 x 71.1 cm.).
Category

20th Century Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

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The Gates (e), Project for Central Park
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Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

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By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (c), from the Project for Central Park
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2004. One of 300 hand-signed by the artist in pencil from an unnumbere...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

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Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors on wove paper from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2005. One of 300 hand-signed (in pencil) prints from an ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

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The Gates (e), Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
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Located in New York, NY
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The Gates (c), from the Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
By Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
This offset lithograph in colors from the Project for Central Park, New York City, was created by the artist in 2004. One of 300 hand-signed by the artist in pencil from an unnumbere...
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures

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Christo And Jeanne-claude sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Christo and Jeanne-Claude sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in lithograph, fabric, felt and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Christo and Jeanne-Claude sculptures, so small editions measuring 13 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of R. Clark Ellis, Sanseviero, and Brian Usher. Christo and Jeanne-Claude sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,085 and tops out at $21,081, while the average work can sell for $1,585.
Questions About Christo and Jeanne-Claude Sculptures
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped things as a way of creating art. They took everyday objects and bound them in order to take away their functionality. In addition, they sought to preserve the items, similarly to the way the Ancient Egyptians did mummies. You'll find a variety of Christo and Jeanne-Claude art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Christo and Jeanne-Claude, best known for their L’Arc de Triomphe, wrapped art piece in Paris, used recyclable polypropylene fabric for the wrapping. For other displays of art, Christo and Jeanne-Claude have used a variety of fabrics, including nylon. Shop a variety of Christo and Jeanne-Claude artwork from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

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