Arc de Triomphe to be wrapped

After being delayed for over a year due to the pandemic, the Arc de Triomphe, one of Paris’ most iconic monuments, will finally be revamped.

Before his passing in May 2020, internationally famous artist Christo had plans to wrap the arch in 270,000 square feet of silvery blue recyclable fabric and 23,000 feet of red rope. Christo’s project will go ahead after Bastille Day on July 14, 2021.

The piece will be called “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” and was first conceived by Christo in 1962 when he lived in Paris with his late wife, Jeanne Claude. Almost 60 years later, his vision will come to life.

Photo: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Construction is expected to finish after 12 weeks in September. Christo’s art work will be displayed for 16 days, from Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021, a press release explained. The deconstruction of the work of art will begin October 3, to prepare the monument for Armistice Day in November.

“We can do this project without him today because they [Christo and Jeanne-Claude] already drew up every visual and artistic aspect of it. This project is 100% Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project. It was his wish that this should happen even after he was gone. We are just realising his vision,” Christo’s nephew Vladimir Javacheff told The Guardian.

This isn’t Christo’s first foray into the world of wrapping. He previously wrapped Berlin’s Reichstag and Paris’ Pont-Neuf. He’s also the artist behind the 7,000 oil drums that were floating around Hyde Park in London in June 2018.

A version of this article was previously published on April 9, 2019, and was updated on June 14, 2021, with more information.

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