Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known for his monumental environmental artwork with his late wife, Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, has died. He is 84 years old.

Together, known only as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, they wrapped iconic landmarks in fabric, such as Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985 and Reichstag in Berlin in 1995; and installed thousands of orange gates in Central Park, fragrant from the sacred Japanese torii gate, in 2005.

He was abandoned by his son, Cyril Christo, a photographer, filmmaker and animal rights activist. Jeanne-Claude died after a brain aneurysm in 2009.

After his death, Christo dedicated himself to completing their concept. In 2016, he realized their work “The Floating Piers” on Lake Iseo Italy, a project they envisioned in 1970. For 16 days, a golden path appeared on the lake, supported by 220,000 polyethylene cubes. Like many of their works, it was a popular success. About 270,000 people showed up to walk on water during the first five days.

A statement announcing his death also indicated that the Paris project would continue: “Christo and Jeanne-Claude always explained that their ongoing art work continued after their death. L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris) is still on track for 18 September – October 3, 2021. “

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were born on the same day on June 13, 1935 – Christo in Bulgaria and Jeanne-Claude in Morocco. In 1957, Christo attended a semester at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna before finally landing in Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude in 1958. He had begun to wrap things, such as furniture and oil drums, and they began to work together in 1961 For decades, the couple only used the name Christo, until 1994 when Jeanne-Claude was added retroactively to many works as collaborators.

Artists insist that their ambitious project is about “excitement and beauty,” as Jeanne-Claude once said in 2002. However, they did not create their works in a political vacuum, and for one of the earliest collaborations they piled barrels of oil to the barricades of a street in Paris in protest at the Berlin Wall.

Facing Christo and Jeanne-Claude temporarily changing the land and the cityscape can be an overwhelming experience, changing perceptions, and they take years – and sometimes decades to do. Outfitting Reichstag takes 24 years from concept to completion; the artists considered the early work as part of their art too, calling it the “software” period while the “hardware” period included the time when physical work was realized.

“Surrounded Islands,” Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83 Credit: Wolfgang Volz / Christo and Jeanne-Claude

In 1980, the couple began planning “Surrounded Islands,” renting 11 islands in Biscayne Bay Miami from the city for almost $ 13,000 to surround their perimeter in bright pink polypropylene fabric.

For three years, they tirelessly worked with their staff – which included lawyers, civil and marine engineers, marine biologists and manatees specialists – to live their vision, face a number of obstacles to obtaining permission and federal. The lawsuit was initiated by wildlife paramedics. “Surrounded Islands,” was finally formalized in 1983, and was considered important for the rejuvenation of Miami in the 1980s as a cultural destination. The couple responded to any criticism of environmental problems for their work, insisting they returned each site to its original state – and in the case of the “Surrounding Islands,” cleared nearly 40 tons of waste land.

“We pay with our money! Without grants, there is no money from the industry,” he said at the opening of “The London Mastaba” in 2018. “All these projects were initiated by us. Nobody asked us to do it. Nobody asked us to do it. “to wrap up the Reichstag. Nobody asked us to install a floating dock. We decided to do what we wanted to do.”