Christo’s final work—wrapping L'Arc de Triomphe in Paris in silvery blue fabric—is seeing the light at last. Originally planned for spring 2020, L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped was delayed due to the pandemic. The posthumous project will be unveiled on 18 September and remain up until 3 October—but devotees of Christo and his late wife and collaborator Jeanne-Claude can get a sneak peek of the wrap-around installation on a special YouTube channel.
The hugely ambitious project has been around 60 years in the making. Christo and Jeanne-Claude first drew up plans to cover up the Arc de Triomphe in 1962 while renting a small room near the triumphal arch. In the intervening years the couple made increasingly ambitious works wrapping public buildings and landmarks, such as the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985 and the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995.
