Christo & Jeanne-Claude supervising Wrapped Reichstag, photo by Wolfgang Volz, 1995. Source: christojeanneclaude.net.
Christo, first alone, and then in collaboration with his wife Jeanne-Claude, was a singular artist who achieved extraordinary worldwide success. Like other artists in the 1960s connected with the European art movement Nouveau Réalisme, Christo moved away from painting in favor of working with found objects. Early on he discovered the visual and symbolic power of wrapping everyday objects, a process which then served as the basis for much of his later work.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s popularity grew considerably after they increased the scale of their work and succeeded with Wrapped Coast (1968-69), which covered over one million square feet of the costal cliff outside Sydney Australia. Running Fence (1972-76), made of woven nylon supported by steel cables and poles, extended over picturesque hills in California for over twenty-four miles. Both visually stunning and awe-inspiring in scale, these projects attracted not only art lovers but also curious tourists. Over four million people are said to have seen The Gates (1979 -2005) during the sixteen days it was installed in New York’s Central Park.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects took years to develop because they required negotiating with initially reluctant cities and property owners. All of their outdoor projects were designed to be temporary, and the artists paid for all the costs themselves usually through the sale of art work. This Gallery 98 newsletter features signed prints of Christo’s skillfully illustrated project proposals. After projects were realized, Christo and Jeanne-Claude sold photographic prints of the completed projects taken before they were destroyed. Only Christo signs prints of his drawings; both artists sign photographs of the completed works.
While it was necessary to make many prints in order to generate the money needed to realize projects, Christo (1935 – 2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935 – 2009) stipulated that no additional editions be made after their deaths. The signed prints and lithographs that are available for sale here come from the estate of a New York art dealer who first began working with the couple in the 1970s.
See more signed Christo & Jeanne-Claude prints and other ephemera
Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Over The River (Project) Nylon fabric panels suspended over 5-6 mile river – the Arkansas River. Wellsville – Parkdale, Colorado, photograph by Simon Chaput, Schumacher Edition (Düsseldorf), offset poster on thick fine arts paper SIGNED by Christo, c. 1992. Size: 20 x 30 inches — Available
Not all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’ projects were successfully executed. The inspiration for covering a river with a canopy dated back to 1985. Over a three-year period, eighty-nine locations were scouted before the artists identified an appropriate spot in Colorado in 1992. As attractive as this drawing of the proposed project might be, local residents were not persuaded. Christo gave up the project in 2017.
Christo & Jeanne-Claude, The Gates (Project for Central Park, NY City) 11000-15000 Gates, height 15 feet along selected walkways, width 9-30 feet (1980), Nouvelles Images SA. Editeurs (Lombreuil, France), offset print SIGNED by Christo, 1986. Size: 27 x 33.5 inches — Available
The Gates is somewhat different from other projects by Christo and Jeanne-Claude which usually involved wrapping or covering. Needless to say, getting permission to use Central Park was a formidable challenge. First conceived in 1979, the project was only executed in 2005 when Mayor Michael Bloomberg intervened on behalf of the artists. The Gates cost over $20 million but brought millions of people to the city, and is considered Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s most successful work.
Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Wrapped Monument to Leonardo (Project for Piazza Della Scala Milan), lithograph on thick fine arts paper SIGNED by Christo and numbered (478/999), 1975. Size: 21 x 28.75 inches — Available
This relatively early work celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Nouveau Réalisme art movement. For Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapping a statue of famous artist Leonardo da Vinci had special meaning, as did the project’s location in the Milan piazza facing the world-famous La Scala opera house. This signed and numbered print is from before the time Christo’s work became famous.
