Bild "Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin), Platz der Republik - Brandenburger Tor" (1991) (Unikat)
Bild "Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin), Platz der Republik - Brandenburger Tor" (1991) (Unikat)
Quick info
unique piece | signed | dated | collage | framed | size 35.5 x 22 cm
Detailed description
Bild "Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin), Platz der Republik - Brandenburger Tor" (1991) (Unikat)
Since the 1960s, they have pursued their concept of "Wrappings," which involves the artistic wrapping of architectural or landscape elements. The costs for labour and materials have always been borne by the artistic duo. The couple acquired the funds from the sales of collages and editions that documented the creative and planning process of their projects.
In this context, the collage presented here, created with pencil, ink, and enamel paint for the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin, was produced. Acquiring this piece secures a valuable piece of art and contemporary history. The idea for wrapping the Reichstag dates back to 1971, but it wasn't until 1995 that it became a reality. The unused parliamentary building was wrapped in approximately 100,000 square meters of silvery, fire-resistant fabric and remained covered for a temporary period of two weeks.
The costs for this project are said to have been around $13 million. This impressive project not only represented the years of effort by Christo and Jeanne-Claude but also the great commitment of politicians and business people.
The wrapping of the Reichstag can also be seen as a modern interpretation of the Vanitas symbol due to the relatively short duration of the actual happening. Throughout art history, artists have been interested in working with fabrics, textiles, and tapestries, from the "Bayeux Tapestry" (created around 1070) to Renaissance depictions, to Arte Povera, Pop Art, and contemporary art.
Collage with pencil, ink and enamel varnish, 1991. Signed and dated "Christo 1991" on the back. Size in frame 35.5 x 22 cm as shown.
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About Christo und Jeanne-Claude
Anything is possible.
40 years of craze for huge and spectacular art: "The Running Fence", "The Gates" or "Wrapped Reichstag" - Christo & Jeanne-Claude always presented projects with almost unimaginable dimensions, drawing millions of spectators every time.
Each of their installations or wrapping projects required an effort that was only made for large-scale state projects. With a persistence bordering on obsession, and organisation to that of a medium-sized company, Christo & Jeanne-Claude negotiated with authorities, companies, engineers, and technicians. Time? Space? Patience? Money? All relative: "The Gates" in Central Park stretched over 37 kilometres, cost 21 million dollars, and took 26 years from idea to realisation. "The Wrapped Reichstag" took 24 years to complete, and the 40-kilometre "Running Fence" cost over 3 million dollars – by the way, all financed exclusively through the sale of drawings, models, and photos.
Christo put it in a nutshell: "Many people think of us as sculptors or painters. But our work has much more to do with architecture, urban planning, and logistics." He could not imagine working exclusively in the studio: "The most important thing is the visual experience, a celebration of space and the people within space. All my work is about the experience of space. That's why we took our art out of the studio. We rent public space and conquer it for art."
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Marie Denat were both born on 13 June 1935 - he in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, and she in Casablanca. Jeanne-Claude studied Latin and philosophy at the University of Tunis, while Christo studied at the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts. They met in Paris in 1958 and married in 1962. In 2009, Jeanne-Claude died from complications due to a brain aneurysm. Christo lived and worked in New York until his death in 2020.
An artwork in which the artist designs the motive using various materials such as pieces of paper, wallpapers, fabric scraps, wire gauze etc. This gives the work an extension into the third dimension.
Graphic artwork in the making of which the artist combines at least two graphic production techniques.
A one-of-a-kind or unique piece is a work of art personally created by the artist. It exists only once due to the type of production (oil painting, watercolour, drawing, lost-wax sculpture etc.).
In addition to the classic unique pieces, there are also the so-called "serial unique pieces". They present a series of works with the same colour, motif and technique, manually prepared by the same artist. The serial unique pieces are rooted in "serial art", a genre of modern art that aims to create an aesthetic effect through series, repetitions, and variations of the same objects or themes or a system of constant and variable elements or principles.
The historical starting point is considered to be Claude Monet's "Les Meules" (1890/1891), where, for the first time, a series was created that went beyond a mere group of works. The other artists, who addressed to the serial art, include Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian and above all Gerhard Richter.