For two weeks, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be clad in 25,000 square meters of silver blue, recycled polypropylene fabric, fastened with the help of a total of 3,000 meters of red rope.
The wrapping of the iconic monument is the invention of the now deceased artist Christos.
Before his death in May 2020, he was in the process of completing the project, but only now is it ready for the world to see.
Clad buildings
During his long artistic life, which began as early as the 1960s, Christo and his partner, also his wife, Jeanne-Claude (who died in 2009), made it their hallmark to dress famous buildings and places.
Among other things, they have clad the Reichstag building in Berlin and the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris in textile.
Dressing in the Arc de Triomphe costs a total of 14 million euros - money that comes from the sale of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's art and souvenirs.
Christo in front of the plant Mastaba in London, 2018. The installation consisted of 7,506 barrels and floated on the water.
Photo: James Veysey / Camera Press