The artist professionally known as Christo passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2020. He was born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria, 1935. He studied briefly at both the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts and the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but ultimately settled as a mostly self-taught artist. He met his wife, Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon in 1958 and soon after they began their artistic collaboration. Until 1994 their artwork was credited only to the name Christo but in later years their work is credited to Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Fans of his work can keep an eye out for his last planned work with a scheduled opening date, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Paris, France, 2021). In late September 2021, the Arc de Triomphe will be wrapped in silvery fabric and red ropes.
Interested in learning more? Check out these library resources:
Christo and Jeanne-Claude : through the Gates and beyond by Jan Greenberg
Walking on Water, a documentary film about the creation of The Floating Piers.
Let's see : writings on art from the New Yorker by Peter Schjeldahl. An art critic shares his opinions on art throughout history. Includes a chapter on Christo's The Gates.
Wild Art by David Carrier. Explore the world of unique alternative art including public art
As well as many other books about contemporary art.
The eSource, Florida Electronic Library has some resources worth checking out under the Arts and Culture category. Gale OneFile Fine Arts has articles about a variety of topics including art history. Google Arts and Culture lets you explore the world and even includes some augmented and virtual reality.
Gather some motivation from Virtual Spring 2020 Teen Art Show and keep an eye out for more virtual art shows in the future.
If all this art inspires you to make your own, check out our eSource, Creativebug, for video walkthroughs of projects for all skill levels.
Photos:
The Gates: Morris Pearl
David Hawgood / The Mastaba; massive sculpture, floating in the Serpentine