Christo und Jeanne-Claude in front of Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1995
Written by Alexandra Touchard
Taking place in Paris this early June is the exhibition REVEALED: Important Works by Christo & Jeanne Claude, organized by Phillips. For the first time, the public will have access to the sketches that laid the groundwork for their most iconic and lesser-known wrapping projects. Among the works on display are plans for the Reichstag, the Pont Neuf, and also the project titled “The Wedding Dress.” Additionally, the exhibition unveils some more surprising pieces, such as a wrapped telephone from the 1960s. In this way, an entire chapter of the couple’s artistic history—far from being unwrapped—is reopened to the public.
Ahead of an Auction in London
The aim of this exhibition is to introduce collectors to a selection of 30 works by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, ahead of the Phillips Modern and Contemporary Art auction set to take place in London on June 26. All the works available for acquisition come from a single private collector. It’s a golden opportunity for enthusiasts of grand, ephemeral contemporary art. The sale will also feature key 20th-century masters and leading contemporary voices, including established names like Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and Francis Alÿs, alongside emerging artists such as Joseph Yaeger, Lenz Geerk, and Alfie Caine.
REVEALED: Important Works by Christo and Jeanne Claude – The Pont Neuf Wrapped (Project for Paris) and Damien Hirst – Invocation
Looking Back at the Work of Jeanne-Claude and Christo
Jeanne-Claude and Christo were both born on June 13, 1935—a date that seems to have foretold their artistic and romantic union. Together, they conceptualized and executed a unique form of artistic expression built around massive installations in public and often historic spaces. Their signature approach: concealment as a path to revelation.
Among their most famous wrapping projects are the colossal Reichstag, the Pont Neuf, and more recently, the Arc de Triomphe. These grand architectural masterpieces, swathed in massive white fabric and bound with surgical precision, paradoxically reveal more than they hide. Through the choice of color, the texture of the fabric, and how it contours the building’s features, the viewer experiences a kind of aesthetic frustration—the urge to see what lies beneath. As Courbet understood when he exhibited his controversial painting “L’Origine du Monde” in 1866, hidden beneath a white cloth, the genius lies in engaging the viewer’s curiosity. Art is born from a desire to see what’s behind the veil.
In this way, Christo and Jeanne-Claude invited us to rediscover architectural masterpieces through the lens of a purified, concealed, and transformed façade.
Though their wrapping projects gained worldwide recognition, other large-scale works also captured fleeting moments in human history, tied to particular places and their stories. One striking example is “The Umbrellas”, created between 1984 and 1991 in both Japan and California. Beyond the final installation, the process revealed much about the local cultures. During their visits to these valleys, the artists noted that in California, questions centered around installation costs and funding sources, while in Japan, discussions leaned toward the symbolic meaning of the umbrella and the color blue. The magic of these installations lies in their power to resonate in historically charged places, among communities with distinct cultures and identities—among people who live, feel, and love.
