Wrapped Coast, Little Bay, Australia, 1968-1969 (Schellmann 87A)
Offset print on Offsetpaper
Edition: 100
Signed and numbered (12/100) by the artist in lower right corner.
Original Photograph: Harry Shunk
Publisher: The Israël Museum, Jerusalem 1977
Professionally framed in a American Walnut veneered frame, museumglass (anti reflecting and UV filtered). Ready to hang.
Condition
Artwork in good condition. No creases, no discolorations.
Literature
Jorg Schelmann (ed.) Christo and Jeanne-Claude, prints and objects 1963 – 2020, p. 101, P. 277
Signed
Signed by the artist and numbered (12/100) in the right lower corner.
Dimensions
Sheet
H 47 cm
W 68,5 cm
Frame
H. 60 cm
W. 80 cm
D. 4 cm
The Wrapped Coast Project
Picturesque Little Bay, south of Sydney Australia was shook up in 1969 when Bulgarian born, New York based artist arrived with his wife and over a hundred workers and volunteers who brought 90.000 square meters of plastig fabric, 56 kilometers of polypropylane rope. They transformed the landscape into a gigantic work of art, by then the largest single artwork that was ever made. The artwork captured the attention of journalists around the world and it profoundly influenced the course of contemporary art in Australia.
About the Artists
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, known collectively as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were a married couple of artists known for their large-scale environmental installations.
Christo was born on June 13, 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. He studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia before moving to Prague, then Vienna, and finally Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude in 1958.
Jeanne-Claude was born on June 13, 1935 in Casablanca, Morocco. She studied Latin and philosophy at the University of Tunis and then at the University of Paris, where she met Christo.
The couple worked together on numerous projects throughout their career, beginning with a series of smaller works in the 1960s. Their first major project was the 1969 Wrapped Coast, for which they covered over a mile of coastline in Little Bay, Australia with 35 miles of fabric.
Over the years, Christo and Jeanne-Claude became known for their ambitious installations that transformed natural and urban landscapes around the world. They worked with various materials, including fabric, steel, and plastic, and often employed a team of engineers and fabricators to realize their visions.
Some of their most famous works include the 1983 Surrounded Islands, for which they encircled eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with pink polypropylene fabric; the 1995 Wrapped Reichstag, for which they covered the German parliament building in Berlin with silver fabric; and the 2005 The Gates, for which they installed 7,503 orange fabric panels along 23 miles of footpaths in New York's Central Park.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installations were often controversial and faced opposition from government officials and local residents. However, the couple saw their projects as a way to challenge traditional notions of art and engage with the public in a new and dynamic way.
Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009 at the age of 74. Christo continued to work on new projects and installations until his death on May 31, 2020 at the age of 84. Their legacy lives on through their numerous installations, which continue to inspire and awe audiences around the world.
