Christo
CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935- USA, 2020).
"The Mastaba, project for London", 2018.
Collage.
Unique piece.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Signed and dated on the back.
Measurements: 22.5 x 29 x 3 cm.
7,506 barrels were stacked horizontally on a floating platform on the Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park. The project, which took place in 2018 and was temporary in nature, was named "Mastaba" because the super structure took the form of a mastaba (tomb with a rectangular base, flat roof and sloping side walls, built with adobe blocks or stone in Ancient Egypt). The huge sculpture, with a total weight of 600 tons, was anchored to the lake bed with 32 anchors. Its footprint covered approximately 1% of the lake's total surface area. Like all of the artistic tandem's projects, it was entirely self-financed through the sale of original artwork by Christo like the one we are now bidding for.
A renowned artistic couple of the late 20th century, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's wrapped objects are some of the most extreme examples of conceptual art. Christo Valdimirov Javacheff studied from 1952 to 1956 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, then spent a year in Prague. In 1957 Christo fled the socialist state and settled in Vienna, from where he would travel to Geneva and finally to Paris. His life in Paris was characterized by economic deprivation and social isolation, which was increased by his difficulty in learning the French language. He earned money by painting portraits, which he likened to prostitution. In January 1958, Christo made his first piece of "wrapped art"; he covered an empty paint jar with a canvas soaked in acrylic. Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris in November 1958. In 1961 he tackled what would be his first project with large objects, wrapping barrels in the port of Cologne. In 1962, Christo and Jeanne-Claude tackled their first monumental project, "Rideau de fer", as a statement against the Berlin Wall. The work consisted of blocking off Visconti Street over the river with oil barrels. Although Christo was simultaneously holding his first gallery exhibition, it was the Visconti project that made him known in Paris. In 1964 the couple settled in New York. In 1968 they participated in Documenta 4 in Kassel, and in 1969 they undertook one of their most famous projects, that of wrapping the Little Bay waterfront in Sydney, Australia. Since then, they have completed numerous large-scale projects around the world, including "Running fence" and "Wrapped walk ways" in the United States, "Pont Neuf" in Paris, "Umbrellas" in the United States and Japan, and the Reichstag building in Germany.
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Bid on this lot
CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935- USA, 2020).
"The Mastaba, project for London", 2018.
Collage.
Unique piece.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Signed and dated on the back.
Measurements: 22.5 x 29 x 3 cm.
7,506 barrels were stacked horizontally on a floating platform on the Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park. The project, which took place in 2018 and was temporary in nature, was named "Mastaba" because the super structure took the form of a mastaba (tomb with a rectangular base, flat roof and sloping side walls, built with adobe blocks or stone in Ancient Egypt). The huge sculpture, with a total weight of 600 tons, was anchored to the lake bed with 32 anchors. Its footprint covered approximately 1% of the lake's total surface area. Like all of the artistic tandem's projects, it was entirely self-financed through the sale of original artwork by Christo like the one we are now bidding for.
A renowned artistic couple of the late 20th century, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's wrapped objects are some of the most extreme examples of conceptual art. Christo Valdimirov Javacheff studied from 1952 to 1956 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, then spent a year in Prague. In 1957 Christo fled the socialist state and settled in Vienna, from where he would travel to Geneva and finally to Paris. His life in Paris was characterized by economic deprivation and social isolation, which was increased by his difficulty in learning the French language. He earned money by painting portraits, which he likened to prostitution. In January 1958, Christo made his first piece of "wrapped art"; he covered an empty paint jar with a canvas soaked in acrylic. Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris in November 1958. In 1961 he tackled what would be his first project with large objects, wrapping barrels in the port of Cologne. In 1962, Christo and Jeanne-Claude tackled their first monumental project, "Rideau de fer", as a statement against the Berlin Wall. The work consisted of blocking off Visconti Street over the river with oil barrels. Although Christo was simultaneously holding his first gallery exhibition, it was the Visconti project that made him known in Paris. In 1964 the couple settled in New York. In 1968 they participated in Documenta 4 in Kassel, and in 1969 they undertook one of their most famous projects, that of wrapping the Little Bay waterfront in Sydney, Australia. Since then, they have completed numerous large-scale projects around the world, including "Running fence" and "Wrapped walk ways" in the United States, "Pont Neuf" in Paris, "Umbrellas" in the United States and Japan, and the Reichstag building in Germany.
VER VIDEO
