Christo’s 'L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' opens to the public in Paris

Conceived 60 years ago, the work continues the late artist's practice of shrouding public structures in fabric

People pose for photos next to the fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris, as part of an art installation titled 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' by the late Bulgarian-born US artist Christo. EPA

A view of the fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument, as part of the art installation 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped'. EPA

An organisation member stands before the fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument. EPA

A visitor photographs the fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument, as part of an art installation entitled 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' by late Bulgarian-born US artist Christo, in Paris, France, 18 September 2021. The monumental installation wraps the landmark Parisian monument under 25,000 square meters of silver and blue polypropylene sheets. It was officially inaugurated on 18 September and will be dismantled on 03 October. EPA / IAN LANGSDON

The fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument is seen from the Champs-Elysees. EPA

The sun shines through the fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument. EPA

Workers install a shimmering wrapper to envelop the Arc de Triomphe monument, as part of a posthumous installation named 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' and conceived by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, on September 17, 2021. Reuters

A closer view of the workers installing the shimmering wrapper to envelop the Arc de Triomphe. Reuters

Arc de Triomphe in Paris, wrapped in silver-blue fabric, as seen from a distance at night. AFP

After six decades, Christo’s vision for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is a reality.

On Saturday, the monument, shrouded in fabric as part of the late artist’s concept for a temporary art installation L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, was officially inaugurated and is currently open to the public until October.

Visitors have already begun gathering around the arch, with some accessing the terrace of the Arc de Triomphe, which has also been draped in fabric and rope.

At the weekend, Paris’s Place de l’Etoile, where the monument is located, will be closed to vehicle traffic in order for pedestrians to see the work.

For 12 weeks, more than 1,000 workers had been installing silvery blue recyclable plastic curtains over the 50-metre arch, eventually unfurling the material over the structure.

A total of 25,000 square metres of fabric have been used, as well as 3,000 metres of red rope cinching the curtains and keeping the shape of the monument intact.

In English, the project has been titled L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, while in French it is L’Arc de Triomphe Empaquete, translated as “packaged”.

A live view of the work can be seen on YouTube:

The idea for the work was first imagined by the artist Christo in the 1960s. Born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria in 1935, he escaped the Soviet Union and ended up in Paris in 1958. There, he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who would became his wife and artistic collaborator until her death in 2009.

Throughout their career, living in Paris and then New York, Christo and Jeanne-Claude became known for turning public monuments into art through the process of wrapping them in distinct fabrics and materials. In 1985, they draped Paris’s oldest bridge the Pont Neuf in fabric, and then undertook a similar project in 1985 with the German parliament building. Their installations require rigorous planning, with meticulous instructions outlined by the artists, though the works are ephemeral and are taken down after a certain timeframe.

In his final years, Christo focused on completing L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped until his death at 84 in 2020. After his death, the French government gave its consent to the Arc de Triomphe project. The artist left specific instructions on how the work would be executed, and his nephew Vladimir Yavachev served as project director for the installation, moving from New York to Paris two years ago.

The cost, totalling £12 million ($16.9m), has been sourced entirely from the proceeds of the artist’s work.

The Arc de Triomphe’s eternal flame in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier continues to be lit uninterrupted by the artwork and its set-up. The work will be on view until Sunday, October 3.

The opening of L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped proves that Christo's artistic vision transcends his death. Even today, there are still unrealised projects by the artist waiting to be fulfilled.