Christo’s Arc de Triomphe arouses strong reactions

Long weeks of preparations, nearly a hundred rope access technicians packed the monument, so that everything was perfect before the inauguration ceremony.

After the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985 and the German Parliament in 1995, it is the turn of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to be thrilled by Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude. A project that dates back to 1961, the progress of which to this day is depicted in this beautiful, richly illustrated album.

The posthumous work of the artist duo is part of a long series of disputes that are not only aesthetic, but also political: what is it legitimate to impose in full view?

A few meters from the Arc de Triomphe, a 50-year-old woman says she has no words, I love the arts but: the packaging of the Arc de Triomphe, it does not work, … I do not understand that the installation above the flame of the unknown soldier was authorized. “Astonishing, abject, an infamy. « 

On the other hand, a 50-year-old Berliner takes pictures. He likes to see the building reduced to its pure silhouette. And recalls the packaging of the Reichstag in 1995: “It was a big party! « 

Christo’s work has been widely commented on, since September 18, the Arc de Triomphe is “packed”, some are also trying to take advantage of it to… make some money. It is possible to come and admire Christo’s work more closely, for 16 euros. In return, visitors receive as a “gift” a small piece of fabric the artist used to wrap the monument.

The sellers specify that it was not cut illegally: prices range from 10 euros to 50 euros. There is nothing to prevent them from doing so, but to see if they manage to find a seller. In any case, there is much to make the visit to this 14 million euros project, entirely self-financed by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, profitable.

Much has been said about the packaging of the Arc de Triomphe, a posthumous work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which essentially concerns the financing of the operation and the more or less democratic nature of the decision-making.

Patronage, of course, but the game of tax deductions weighs a large part on all taxpayers; a decision of elected officials, of course, but which, in matters of art, of occupation of public space, always somewhat exceeds the vague limits of their mandate as it is true that the judgment of taste, however enlightened or conditioned it may be, is ultimately subjective.

“There have been some misunderstandings about the cost. This project does not cost the state anything. It is fully funded by Christo, it does not cost the French taxpayer anything, ”the Elysee told BFMTV on this subject in the face of the controversy.

The iconological effects produced by the artists’ gestures do not seem to have been taken into consideration in the discussion to which it gave rise. However, these, especially in the current context, are far from non-existent, or neutral.

Indeed, most of the sites packaged up to now by Christo and Jeanne-Claude were either natural (valley in Colorado, islets in Biscayne Bay in Florida) or urban (Pont-Neuf in Paris, Reichstag palace in Berlin .

In place since September 18, a childhood dream of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, contemporary artists, is visible until October 3. The packaging, which took weeks of preparation, is held together by 3,000 meters of ropes, encompassing the Arc de Triomphe, 50 meters high.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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