After covering the Pont-Neuf bridge in 1985, the French capital, Paris, is preparing to encapsulate the Arc de Triomphe, in order to fulfill the dream of the late Bulgarian artist Christo.
The final stage of the artistic installation of the project began, with a blue and silver cloth made of recyclable polypropylene and fixed with a red rope 3,000 meters long from the top of the monument, on the famous Champs Elysees.
Paris' Arc de Triomphe is transformed into a tribute to late artist Christo. #AFP #ChristoParis #Christo
📸 GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT pic.twitter.com/ALiTswC5BN— AFP Photo (@AFPphoto) September 14, 2021
Over the next few days, the entire arch will be wrapped in 270,000 square feet of fabric signed by the Bulgarian artist, who died last year.
The final project will be on display from September 18 to October 3.
Preparations began at the end of June, under the direction of Vladimir Gavachev, Christo’s nephew, in fulfillment of his uncle’s very precise wishes, and with the support of the Center National Monuments of France.
The project, costing €14 million, is entirely self-financed thanks to the sale of Christo’s original works, drawings, souvenirs and lithographs.
Local media indicate that wrapping the Arc De Triomphe was the childhood dream of the Bulgarian plastic artist and his wife Jean-Claude, and the French authorities are working to honor him with achieving this dream and covering the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which is one of the most important historical sites in the country.
VIDEO After weeks of preparation, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is nearly fully wrapped in fabric, in a tribute to late artist Christo. The monument is being covered in 25,000 square metres of fabric — the signature of the Bulgarian-born artist, who died last year pic.twitter.com/69UfppVcVz
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 13, 2021
And Christo previously covered in 1985 the Pont Neuf, one of the most famous bridges on the Seine in Paris, and many others.