The idea for the Arc de Triomphe fabric covering came from Christo, a Bulgarian-born artist who passed away last year, and Jeanne-Claude, his late wife and collaborator of many years.
The late artist, Christo, famous for his many giant art installations around the world, had dreamed of covering the 50-meter-high monument ever since he rented an apartment nearby in the 1960s. He always worked with his wife, whether it was covering the Reichstag in Berlin or covering the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris with a gold cloth. However, his dream of doing the same with the Arc de Triomphe never came true.
Although Christo died before his goal was completed, the dream was eventually realized by his nephew, Vladimir Javacheff, at a cost of approximately 14 million euros ($16.54 million). Vladimir collaborated with the Pompidou Museum and French authorities to make the project a reality.
“Today is one of the most spectacular moments since the project began,” said Vladimir Javacheff. “Covering the Arc de Triomphe with fabric was a lifelong dream of Christo and Jeanne-Claude.”
Many passersby on the Champs-Elysees have been surprised to see workers unrolling the fabric on the Arc de Triomphe since work began on September 12. The work is expected to be completed on September 18 and will be on display until October 3.
The Arc de Triomphe was built in the 1800s by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to commemorate the unknown soldiers who died in his battles.
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Christo Vladimirov Javacheff was born in 1935. He spent time in Austria and Switzerland before moving to Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude. In addition to creating large-scale site-specific installations, the two also created monumental environmental art together before Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009.
