PARIS - The packaging work of the Arc de Triomphe has almost reached completion in Paris, following the dictates left by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the couple of recently deceased artists who have marked the history of contemporary art. 'L'Arc de Triomphe empaquete' (Projet pour Paris, Place de l'Etoile-Charles de Gaulle) - this is the original title of the project - will be visible from 18 September to 3 October. The Napoleonic Arch inspired by those of Ancient Rome will be covered with 25,000 square meters of recyclable silver-blue polypropylene fabric and 3,000 meters of red recyclable ropes. After weeks of preparation, a team of 95 rope technicians jumped from the roof on September 12 to deploy a first roll of fabric on one side of Avenue Wagram.
The wrapping will continue day and night before next Saturday's opening. "It is one of the most spectacular moments of the installation. The packed Arc de Triomphe begins to come to life and comes even closer to the vision of what was a lifelong dream for Christo and Jeanne-Claude", he said the artist's nephew, Vladimir Yavachev. The wrapped Arch will be "like a living object that will come alive in the wind reflecting the light. The folds will move, the surface of the monument will become sensual", explained Christo himself, presenting the project two years before his death.
Born on June 13, 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, Christo Vladimiroff Javacheff passed away on May 31, 2020, at the age of 84, in New York. Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, born on the same day, June 13, 1935 in Casablanca, Morocco, instead disappeared at the age of 74. Among the most spectacular creations, the walkway on Lake Iseo (Floating Piers, 2018) which was a great success with the public.
