Christo

Christo (1935–2020) was a Bulgarian-born environmental artist. He studied in Sofia and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, defected from Bulgaria as a young man, and made his way through Paris to New York, which became his home for the rest of his life. It was in Paris that he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who became his wife and his working partner.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude became known worldwide for their monumental environmental works, wrapping everything from small objects to famous public buildings and landmarks in fabric and rope. Among the best known are Running Fence in California, Surrounded Islands, which ringed eleven Miami islands in pink fabric, and the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin, a project the pair worked on for more than twenty years. The works were always temporary, and each one took years of permits, planning, and a large workforce. They were funded by the sale of Christo's own drawings and collages.