Christo, 1935-

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Christo (American/Bulgarian, b.1935) is a sculptor best known for his unique wrapped works, which span from small-scale wrapped books to entire buildings and sites in nature, encased in fabric. Christo, born Christo Vladimiroff Javacheff, attended the art academy in Sofia as a youth, trained in the Socialist Realist aesthetic of the era. He moved to Prague, where he was first exposed to the work of early European modernists, and later to Paris, where he befriended a group of artists including Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely, who called their artistic movement “New Realism.” Christo also met his wife and artistic partner Jeanne-Claude Guillebon in Paris, and the two would collaborate on future outdoor and public works; Jeanne-Claude also manages the financial and organizational aspects of many of the large-scale works. Christo first began wrapping small objects, such as cans, books, and furniture, in the early 1960s, and then expanded his production to include crates, cars, and bicycles. In 1964 he and Jeanne-Claude moved to New York, where Christo worked on monumental outdoor and environmental sculptures, including a wrapped fountain in Italy, the swathing of the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland in fabric, the creation of the fabric Runnning Fence down the California coast, and the wrapping of a mile of the Australian coastline in Wrapped Coast. He gained both positive and negative criticism for his sculptures and installations, which expanded to include the wrapping of the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris, and the placing of a line of umbrellas—hundreds of miles long—in the Pacific ocean between Japan and the United States. In one of the most poignant and meaningful pieces, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Reichstag in Germany, symbolic of the healing old wounds between the previously divided state. In addition to his wrapped sculptures, which often require millions of dollars and hundreds of assistants to create, and are funded entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Christo has created many collages and works on paper in preparation for each sculpture. Most recently, he worked on >The Gates for Central Park in New York City, where he continues to reside after Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009. From ArtNet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/christo-and-jeanne-claude/biography
Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Tucker, Jean S. Papers, 1962-1990. Washington University in St. Louis, .
referencedIn Christo : Biographical file. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
creatorOf Snyder, Ellsworth. Ellsworth Snyder collection of Fluxus multiples and ephemera, 1958-1987. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Galerie Schmela records, 1923-2006 (bulk 1957-1992) Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Colby, Sas. [Soft sculpture mailed from Berkeley, California to Christo in New York City] / Sas Colby. Getty Research Institute
referencedIn Helen S. Hawkins Collection, 1974 - 1987 University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.
referencedIn Perkins, Lucian,. Perkins, Lucian, photographic archive, 1979-2001. University of Texas Libraries
referencedIn Lenore Seroka photographs Archives of American Art
referencedIn Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Office of the Director. Philippe de Montebello reader files, 1969-1973. Hirsch Library Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
referencedIn Lotringer, Sylvère. Sylvere Lotringer Papers and Semiotext(e) Archive 1960-2000 (Bulk 1973-2000). Fales Library & Special Collections
referencedIn Dorothy C. Miller papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Joan Kron papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. [Christo : International Art & Artists File]. Libraries Australia
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. [Letter] 1970 Apr. 23, New York [to] Miss Cestina. National Gallery of Art Library
creatorOf Christo, 1935-..... Running fence [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Bianchi, Frederick W. Christo variations : for orchestra and electronic sound / Bianchi. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Hawkins, Helen S. Collection, 1974-1987. University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego Library; UCSD Library
referencedIn Christo : vertical file. Centre canadien d'architecture, | Canadian Centre for Architecture | CCA
referencedIn Burt Chernow papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Hargadon, Geoff. The Somerville Gates collection / Geoff Hargadon. Bowling Green State University, BGSU Libraries
referencedIn Christo, 1936- : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Cristo, (Javacheff, Cristo), 1935- : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Harry Shunk and Shunk-Kender photographs Getty Research Institute
referencedIn [Material related to the memorial service for Jeanne-Claude held April 26, 2010 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y.]. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Lucian Perkins Photographic Archive 2008-246., 1979-2001 Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
creatorOf Alternative Press (Detroit, Michigan). The Alternative Press records, 1961-1998 (bulk 1970-1995). University of Michigan
referencedIn Weber, William A. (Alfred), 1918-,. Oral history interview with William A. Weber, [electronic resource] / interviewed and filmed by Robert O. Gorson, 2001. Boulder Public Library
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. Correspondence to Edward F. Fry, 1967. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn Hank Leininger scrapbooks relating to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Valley Curtain and Running Fence Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-..... Running fence. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Peter Howard Selz papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. Reminiscences of Christo and Jeanne-Claude Christo : oral history, 1977. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Leo Castelli Gallery records Archives of American Art
referencedIn William and Noma Copley foundation and collection records, 1954-1980 Getty Research Institute
creatorOf Christo letter and photographs relating to "wrapped floor" project Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. [Christo : artist file] Detroit Institute of Arts Research Library & Archives, DIA Research Library & Archives
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. Christo : [photography bio file]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Wally Goodman and William Stanton Picher papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Barbaralee. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel collection, 1976-1999. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Barbaralee. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel collection, 1976-1999. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
referencedIn Bongard, Willi. Bongard research files, ca. 1965-1980. Getty Research Institute
referencedIn David Bourdon papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Volz, Wolfgang, 1948-. [Material related to the keynote address "Christo and Jeanne-Claude: two works in progress: The Gates, project for Central Park, New York City and Over the River, project of the Arkansas River, State of Colorado" at the 2004 ARLIS/NA Conference / Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Ted Goodman, Local Arrangements Chair of the conference]. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Sylvere Lotringer Papers and Semiotext(e) Archive, Bulk, 1973-2000, 1960-2000 Fales Library & Special Collections
referencedIn Akademie-Galerie (Berlin, Germany). Christo in Berlin, Ausstellung in der Akademie-Galerie : poster, 1993. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Lucy R. Lippard papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Photographs of artists by Fred McDarrah Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. Artist file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
referencedIn Javacheff, Christo : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.). Christo wraps the museum. 1968 : Archives pamphlet file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Eva Lee Gallery records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-. Franklin Furnace artist file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
creatorOf Monumenta/74 and 76 records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Christo, 1935-..... The Pont-Neuf, wrapped [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Mary Heath Keesling papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn University of Pennsylvania. Institute of Contemporary Art. Christo, 1935- : artist file. The Barnes Foundation, Barnes Foundation Libraries and Special Collections
creatorOf Christo, 1935-..... The Pont-Neuf, wrapped. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Cutler-Shaw, Joyce, 1932-. Joyce Cutler-Shaw papers, 1972-2001. University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego Library; UCSD Library
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Oral history interview with Christo Archives of American Art
Relation Name
associatedWith Alfred Schmela Galerie. corporateBody
associatedWith Alternative Press (Detroit, Michigan) corporateBody
associatedWith Bianchi, Frederick W. person
associatedWith Bongard, Willi. person
associatedWith Bourdon, David. person
associatedWith Castelli, Leo. person
associatedWith Cestina, Miss. person
associatedWith Chernow, Burt. person
spouseOf Christo, Jeanne-Claude. person
associatedWith Colby, Sas. person
associatedWith Cummings, Paul, person
associatedWith Cutler-Shaw, Joyce, 1932- person
associatedWith Detroit Institute of Arts Research Library & Archives. corporateBody
associatedWith Diamonstein, Barbaralee, person
associatedWith Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Barbaralee. person
associatedWith Eva Lee Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith Goodman, Walter. person
associatedWith Guggenheim International Exhibition. corporateBody
associatedWith Hargadon, Geoff. person
associatedWith Hawkins, Helen S. person
associatedWith Keesling, Mary H. (Mary Heath), 1914- person
associatedWith Kron, Joan. person
associatedWith Leininger, Hank. person
associatedWith Leo Castelli Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith Lippard, Lucy R. person
associatedWith Lippard, Lucy R. person
associatedWith Lotringer, Sylvère person
associatedWith Lotringer, Sylvère. person
associatedWith McDarrah, Fred W., 1926-2007, person
associatedWith Miller, Dorothy Canning person
associatedWith Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003. person
associatedWith Monumenta/74 and 76 (1974, 1976 : Newport, R.I.) corporateBody
associatedWith Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Office of the Director. corporateBody
associatedWith Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Perkins, Lucian person
associatedWith Perkins, Lucian, person
associatedWith Selz, Peter Howard, 1919- person
associatedWith Seroka, Lenore. person
associatedWith Snyder, Ellsworth. person
correspondedWith Tucker, Jean S. person
associatedWith Weber, William A. (Alfred), 1918-, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Art, Modern
Art
Art
Artists
Conceptual art
Conceptual artists
Environmental artists
Environment (Art)
Installations (Art)
Sculptors
Occupation
Artists
Photographers
Activity

Person

Birth 1935-06-13

Male

Americans

Information

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SNAC ID: 31307214