Christo

Christo Artist

Christo is a Bulgarian-American artist. He was born in 1935 in Gabrovo.

In Bulgaria he began studying art at the National Academy of Art in Sofia, where his mother worked as secretary.

He perfected his education first in Prague, and in 1957 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

He moved to Paris in 1958, even though his arrival was not of the easiest, since he was considered a stateless person and was ghettoized, almost forced to earn his bread by making portraitist on the city’s street.

Only later Christo started to work on Land Art with the project “Packages and Wrapped Objects”, in collaboration with the future life partner Jeanne-Claude.

The packaging of everyday objects, like bottles and tables, affected also artists as Arman and Yves Klein, friends of Christo, with whom, in the decade 1960-1970, he gave start to the artistic movement "New Realism".

In 1970 he worked in Milan and bound the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Piazza Duomo and the Monument to Leonardo da Vinci in Piazza della Scala, using polyethylene and rope.

The performance lasted two days and had the purpose to temporary modify the objects themselves and the space around them.

Land Art, in fact, aims to pass over the limits of traditional painting and sculpture, leading to reflection on the art system itself.

The territory is upset by the use of artificial materials such as synthetic fabrics, playing with natural landscapes and artificial elements.

The major influences in the masterpieces of Christo can be found in the artistic practice of Man Ray and Joseph Beuys.

Working all over the world, from Europe, to USA, to United Arab Emirates, Christo thinks about specific projects according to the place in which he will operate.

His last work of Land Art was building a floating bridge in Iseo Lake, linking the mainland to Monte Isola.

This work modified, for the first time in the history of this area, the possibility of access the island and its connection to the outside.

From June 17th to July 3rd 2016 a lot of visitors walked on this floating bridge 3 km long, participating directly in the realization of this Earth Work.