Learn about the exciting life and work of a couple of artists who were born on the same day (13 June 1935), met in Paris, fell in love and became an artistic powerhouse that took over Central Park, Reichstagalemann and Biscayne Bay in Miami, among others, with their extraordinary environmental interventions.

Our work speaks of freedom

The universe of Christo and Jeanne-Claude

The work of the artist couple Christo (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) is unclassifiable. It could be defined as a hybrid of art, urban planning, architecture and engineering, but above all it is their unique aesthetic language: surreal and ethereal environmental artistic interventions that have adorned monuments and public parks as well as symbols of power.
This compact edition brings together the complete oeuvre of a man and a woman who were born on the same day (13 June 1935), met in Paris, fell in love and became a creative team like no other.lavishly illustrated, the journey begins with Christo and Jeanne-Claude's first projects in the 1950s and concludes with The Floating Piers, which will be installed on Italy's Lake Iseo in 2016. The book pays tribute to the couple's most famous interventions, such as The Doors in New York's Central Park and the Reichstag in Berlin, as well as presenting their early drawings and family photos to the general public for the first time.

About the artists

The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, both born on 13 June 1935, have been collaborating since 1961. They lived in New York since 1964. Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009. Christo passed away in 2020. Their large-scale projects includeWrapped Coast, Australia, 1968-1969,Valley Curtain, Grand Hogback, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-1972,Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-1976,Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-1983,The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-1985,The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-1991,Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-1995,Wrapped Trees, Riehen, Switzerland, 1997-1998,The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005,The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014-2016,The London Mastaba, Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park, 2016-2018 andL'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped,Paris, 1961-2021.

About the photographer

Wolfgang Volzhas worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude since 1971 and was project manager (together with Roland Specker) at Wrapped Reichstagy (together with Josy Kraft) at Wrapped Trees.He has been in charge ofThe Wall, 13,000 Oil Barrels, 1998-99andBig Air Package, Gasometer Oberhausen, 2010-13. He is the exclusive photographer for the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. This close collaboration has resulted in numerous books and more than three hundred exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.

About the author

Jacob Baal-Teshuva (1929-2022) was a writer, critic and independent exhibition curator. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and New York University. His publications include works on Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, as well as Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Publisher: Taschen