The Arc de Triomphe gets a daring makeover #Art #Paris
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France is currently covered in a giant silver sheet.
The art installation is dedicated to the late artistic duo, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (Christo) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (Jeanne-Claude). The pair had planned to cloak the arch for nearly 60 years, and it was meant to begin construction last spring. Due to the Notre-Dame fire, followed by COVID, the instalment was delayed. Christo sadly never got to see the final product after passing away last summer. Christo’s nephew took on the project and it’s now set to open to the public on 18 September.
Christo explained before he passed away that there is no particular message attached to the Arc de Triomphe installation. However, some think there might be a hidden meaning. One Parisian at the scene told a journalist from Deutcshe Welle that he thinks “the artist manages to create a link between the past [referring to the wrapping of the Pont Neuf] and present through his installations. It’s as if he’s telling us to continue to keep the past alive.”
The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of Paris’ Champs-Élysées and is home to an eternal flame. Its neoclassical architecture has been a tourist attraction for nearly 200 years.
Despite its popularity with locals, tourists and journalists crowding the monument, it has received criticism online after costing the artist over $16 million. The arch will only be wrapped for two weeks.
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