502 - Christo (Christo Vladimirov Yavashev) (1935 Gabrovo, Bulgaria – New York 2020)

Christo (Christo Vladimirov Yavashev) (1935 Gabrovo, Bulgaria – New York 2020) Over the River (project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado) Collage with oil pastel, pencil, acrylic, and photography on cardboard, in an open Plexiglas frame. 2005. Approx. 44 x 57 cm. Signed and dated lower right. Signed and dated again on the reverse. • Captivating collage featuring a masterfully executed oil pastel study • The multi-layered, delicately drawn composition is exemplary of the working method of the world-famous artist couple • Preliminary study for one of their significant late landscape projects, which was not realized due to political convictions As early as the 1990s, Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed the idea of wrapping an approximately 60-km-long section of the Arkansas River with “Over the River.” Shimmering silver fabric panels, such as those used by the two artists for projects like the Reichstag in Berlin or the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, were to span the river valley. Characteristic of the development and implementation of Christo’s ideas are the visionary power and perseverance he required for this. Sometimes it took decades before these interventions in the landscape or public space could be realized. At the same time, the artist couple placed great importance on maintaining complete artistic freedom and financing the projects entirely from their own resources. The collage for “Over the River” is, on the one hand, a multi-layered sketch of the project; on the other hand, works like this served to finance the projects and are ultimately the only physically tangible remnant of an otherwise ephemeral work. Once an idea was realized, all that remained in the end was the memory of the experience. The Arkansas River project was not realized. After a lengthy process, Christo finally received approval in 2017 during Donald Trump’s first term. In an interview with The New York Times, Christo said: “The U.S. government is our landlord here; it owns the country. I cannot do a project that benefits this landlord.” Exhibition: Galerie Walter Bischoff Collection, Hans Braun Collection, Museum Villa Haiss, Baden-Württemberg; labeled on the reverse. Provenance: Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke; Hans Braun Collection, Baden-Württemberg, acquired from the aforementioned gallery in 2006. Taxation: subject to differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme).