CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935) "Wrapped Monument Vittorio Emanuele II, 1975. Photograph mounted on cardboard. H.C. copy. Enclosed polygraph certificate.

About Auction

Live

CONTEMPORARY ART

By Setdart Auction House

Oct 19, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-19 08:00:00 2021-10-19 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : CONTEMPORARY ART https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/contemporary-art-7701
Setdart Auction House sofia@setdart.com

View Full Catalog (132)

• Lot Description
  CHRISTO (Bulgaria, 1935) "Wrapped Monument Vittorio Emanuele II, 1975. Photograph mounted on cardboard. H.C. copy. Enclosed polygraph certificate. Signed and justified in the lower right corner. Measurements: 76 x 56 cm. The monument to the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II, in Piazza del Duomo, and the monument to Leonardo da Vinci, in Piazza della Scala, were wrapped with polypropylene fabric and red polypropylene rope, in the fall of 1970, in Milan, Italy. The fabric had been sewn in advance according to patterns that allowed for wide folds. The two wrapped monuments could be seen from the center of the Galleria, simultaneously, at each end of the large 19th century vaulted pedestrian passageway. Christo together with Jeanne-Claude a renowned artistic couple of the late 20th century, the wrapped objects of are some of the most extreme examples of modern conceptual art. Christo Valdimirov Javacheff, the primary artist and designer of the duo's projects, studied between 1952 and 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 traveled to Geneva and finally to Paris, settling in the French capital. 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 painting portraits, which he compared to prostitution. Visiting the city's galleries and museums, he was inspired by the work of Joan Miró, Nicholas de Stael, Jackson Pollock, Jean Tinguely and mainly Jean Dubuffet. In January 1958, Christo made his first piece of "wrapped art"; he covered an empty paint jar with a canvas soaked in acrylic. He tied it up and colored it with glue, sand and automobile paint. Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris in November 1958, when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother. Although Jeanne-Claude married another man, she became pregnant by Christo and left her husband after their honeymoon. Despite opposition from Jeanne-Claude's family, the couple married in 1962. By 1959, Christo had changed his approach to wrapped objects. Instead of embellishing the wrapped material with glue and sand, he kept it intact. The following year, he stopped painting altogether and completed his "Inventory" series. In 1961 he tackled what would be his first project with large objects, wrapping barrels in the German port of Cologne. In 1962, as a couple, Christo and Jeanne-Claude tackled their first monumental project, "Rideau de fer" ("Steel Curtain"), 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, and continued to carry out projects and exhibitions both in the United States and Europe. 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, Christo and Jeanne-Claude have undertaken numerous large-scale projects around the world, including "Running fence" and "Wrapped walk".
• Shipping Info

  • In-house shipping available. Please inquire at admin@setdart.com.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 22.00 %