Christo, known for massive, ephemeral public arts projects, died Sunday at his home in New York at age 84.
The artist’s death was announced on Twitter and on his web page. No cause of death was given.
Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude defined their careers with ambitious art projects that quickly disappeared soon after they were erected.
Their art installations often involved wrapping large structures in fabric.
In 2005, Christo installed more than 7,500 saffron-colored vinyl gates in New York’s Central Park. He and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin in fabric with an aluminum sheen in 1995.
One of the projects created by Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude was Wrapped Reichstag, pictured at the remains of the Berlin Wall in 1995. (Jan Bauer/Associated Press)
Their $26 million US Umbrellas project erected 1,340 blue umbrellas installed in Japan and 1,760 blue umbrellas in Southern California in 1991.
They also wrapped the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland, and a Roman wall in Italy.
Still a project to come
Christo’s next project, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, is slated to appear in September in Paris as planned, according to a statement issued by his office.
An exhibition about Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work is also scheduled to run from July through October at the Centre Georges Pompidou.
Christo passed away today, on May 31, 2020, at his home in New York City. Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris) is still on track for Sept. 18–Oct. 3, 2021. <a href=”https://t.co/xHPURw60w2″>pic.twitter.com/xHPURw60w2</a>
“Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it,” the statement said.
“Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories.”
Couple born ‘in the same moment’
Born in Bulgaria in 1935, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia before moving to Prague in 1957, then Vienna, then Geneva.
It was in Paris in 1958 where he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon. They were born on the same day (June 13) in the same year (1935), and, according to him, “in the same moment” and would become partners in life and art.
Christo was already wrapping smaller found objects, like cars and furniture, but after he met Jeanne-Claude, their scale broadened. Within three years they were working together on an installation of oil drums and tarp on the docks in Cologne.
Although their large scale outdoor and indoor projects were collaborative, they were all credited solely to Christo until 1994, when they revealed Jeanne-Claude’s contributions. The decision, they said, was theirs and deliberate since it was difficult enough for even one artist to make a name for himself.
Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, announce details of a project in 2004 in New York. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)
The pair moved to New York in 1964, where they liked to say that they were illegal aliens in an illegal building in SoHo for a few years. They eventually bought that building and would call the city home for the rest of their lives.
The year 1968 would prove pivotal for the couple with three endeavours: Wrapped Fountain; Wrapped Medieval Tower; and Wrapped Kunsthalle. The next year brought Wrapped Coast, which involved more than 92,000 square metres of fabric and 56 kilometres of rope across a two-kilometre section of the Australian coastline, and the wrapping of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Jeanne-Claude died in 2009 at age 74 from complications of a brain aneurysm.
After her death, Christo said she had been argumentative, very critical and always asking questions and he missed all of that very much.
Grand in every respect
Their works were grand in every respect, from manpower to impact.
More than 600 workers were involved in putting up The Gates, and 300 more in dismantling them. More than five million people saw the installation and it was credited with injecting about $254 million US into the local economy.
Running Fence, which was comprised of 2,050 white fabric panels, stretched almost 40 kilometres in Northern California in 1976.
An environmental art project titled Surrounded Islands by artist Christo is pictured during its installation in Miami, Fla., in May 1983. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)
A total of 1,880 workers were used for the Umbrella project. That, however, had a more sombre end, when it was dismantled after a spectator died in California.
“I will live with that tragedy to the end of my life,” Christo said at the time.
In a 2018 interview with The Art Newspaper, Christo spoke about his signature wrapping esthetic. In the instance of the Reichstag, he said, covering it with fabric made the Victorian sculptures, ornament and decoration disappear and, thus, highlighted “the principal proportion of architecture.
“But, like classical sculpture, all our wrapped projects are not solid buildings; they are moving with the wind, they are breathing,” he said. “The fabric is very sensual and inviting; it’s like a skin.”
Two unfinished projects
Two of Christo’s planned projects did not come to fruition before he died. One was called Over the River, which would have involved draping translucent fabric above 67 kilometres of Colorado’s Arkansas River. The other was called The Mastaba, which was conceived in 1977 for Abu Dhabi and would have been the largest sculpture in the world with 410,000 multi-coloured barrels forming a “mosaic of bright sparkling colours echoing Islamic architecture.”
Christo willingly abandoned the Over the River project in 2017 after 20 years of planning and five years in legal fights.
Artist Christo, pictured in this file photo from Jan. 23, 2013, poses in front of his proposed Over the River project at the Metropolitan State University Center for Visual Art in Denver. (Brennan Linsley/Associated Press)
“I no longer wish to wait on the outcome,” the artist wrote on a website for the project. “Here now, the federal government is our landlord. They own the land. I can’t do a project that benefits this landlord.”
Christo and Jeanne-Claude made a point of paying for all of their works on their own and did not accept scholarship or donations. Instead, they sold preparatory drawings, collages, scale models and original lithographs to earn enough to finance their dreams.
“I like to be absolutely free, to be totally irrational with no justification for what I like to do,” Christo said. “I will not give up one centimetre of my freedom for anything.”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
