In advance of a major retrospective of his Parisian period (1954–1968) at the Centre Pompidou, Christo, one of the most influential artists of his generation, reflects on his career creating remarkable environmental works of art with his wife and artistic partner, Jeanne-Claude.

At FIAF, he will revisit many of his projects—including 2005’s The Gates in which he installed saffron colored panels in Central Park—and discuss his process in bringing monumental projects to fruition. In addition, he will also talk about the preparations for his upcoming project, Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, which will be installed at the eponymous landmark September 2020.

In English

• About Christo
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    Born in Bulgaria, Christo attended the National Academy of Art in Sofia. He arrived in Paris in 1958 and met Jeanne-Claude, who soon became his wife and artistic partner. They moved together to New York in 1964 and collaborated for more than 40 years. Best known for producing enormous projects, Christo and Jeanne-Claude often work with fabric on their temporary installations that usually last two weeks—on a vast scale. These monumental works of art create “gentle disturbances,” intended to disrupt the assumptions of the viewer. Christo and Jeanne-Claude are primarily known for wrapping buildings and structures such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Reichstag in Berlin, and the Pont-Neuf in Paris. In addition, they have created environmental installations such as The Gates, where they installed saffron colored panels in Central Park in New York City in 2005, and the Floating Piers on Lake Iseo in Italy in 2016. Christo is currently preparing for the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe in September 2020. Learn more.