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Christo, who transformed landscapes around the Globe with monumental public artworks that delighted millions, has died at 84

The artist, who died at home in New York on May 31, will be remembered for his tireless pursuit of public art that seemed impossible.

Christo, the Bulgarian artist who captivated audiences around the world for more than five decades with massive public art installations, has died. A representative from the artist’s studio said he was at his home in New York City when he died of natural causes earlier today.

“Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it,” read a statement from the studio. Together with his late wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude, Christo created artwork that “brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories.”

Over the years, Christo brought his ambitious visions for monumental art to sites as far-flung as the Australian coastline and the German parliament, always looking to spark the public’s imagination and inspire them to engage with their surroundings differently. His career was defined by his decision to largely abandon the traditional gallery space, opting instead to drape curtains across valleys and weave fabric around bridges. He had the vision and ambition of an artist, the exactitude and specificity of an engineer, and a level of grit, determination, and pushiness that few could match.

Together, he and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Pont Neuf in Paris and the Reichstag in Berlin; they installed 7,503 gates with saffron-colored nylon panels in Central Park; and they surrounded 11 islands in Biscayne Bay, Miami, with Pepto-Bismol-colored fabric. He often liked to remind people that these temporary, magical interventions were the products of sometimes decades of unglamorous work. While he and Jeanne-Claude completed 23 projects together over 50 years, they were unable to realize 47 more.
Courtesy of Artnet News
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