Major donation from Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation: 14 works, some previously unpublished, to Paris Museums

By virtue of the deep connection between Christo and Jeanne-Claude and the French capital, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation has earmarked for the City of Paris and the Musées de Paris an extraordinary donation consisting of 14 works by Christo. Some of the works are previously unpublished and will significantly enrich the collections of the Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.

As part of the donation, the Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris will welcome an original collage related to Projet pour Gigantesque Empaquetage (1967), a project that was never realized in which Christo and Jeanne-Claude imagined the wrapping of a series of symbolic buildings in Paris, from the Church of the Madeleine to the Hôtel de la Marine. Added to this are three silkscreens and a lithograph dedicated to important Parisian projects: The Iron Curtain - Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961-62 (1968); Edifice Public Empaqueté, Project (Arc de Triomphe, Paris) (1968); Edifice Public Empaqueté, Project (École Militaire, Paris) (1968); and Le Pont Neuf Empaqueté, Paris (1975-85, 1991).

Instead, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris will receive Package on a Luggage Carrier (1962), a particularly important early work that completes the museum’s nucleus devoted to Nouveau Réalisme. The donation also includes the scale model of the monumental sculpture Empaquetage 5,600 mètres cubes, presented at Documenta IV in Kassel in 1967-68, and seven silkscreens referring to six international projects, including Empaquetage 42.390 mètres cubes (Minneapolis, 1966), Wrapped Buildings in Southern Manhattan (1968), Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna di Roma, Wrapping, Project (1968), 4,716 Metal Barrels (Rome, 1968) and Vetrina, Corridor, Project (1968).

The works will officially become part of the municipal collections once the acquisition and validation procedures are completed by the Musées de Paris and the French government. As a result of this donation, the Musées de Paris will retain a total of 15 works by Christo: one already in the collections of the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and the five now acquired by the Musée Carnavalet.

The donated works will be presented to the public for the first time infall 2026 at the Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris, within galleries devoted to the years 1950-1970 and 1977 to the present. The Parisian period represented a crucial phase in Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s research, decisive for the development of practices related to surface relief, stacking and wrapping, window hiding, and the conception of monumental interventions in public space.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artistic legacy continues to exert a profound influence on contemporary generations. In this spirit, Paris will pay tribute to their vision with La Caverne du Pont Neuf, a project conceived by JR and scheduled for June 6-28, designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Le Pont Neuf Empaqueté.

“I am delighted with this exceptional gift from the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation to the city of Paris,” says Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. “Parisians have not forgotten what these two artists gave to their city in 1985 when they packed the Pont-Neuf. It was a gesture of radical simplicity, the genius of which continues to amaze us. With this gift, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation offers Parisians privileged access to the world of two great artists who have transformed our Parisian monuments into a sensory experience open to all. Finally, I welcome the strengthening of the collaboration between the city of Paris and the Foundation as we look forward to JR’s project on the Pont-Neuf, a contemporary tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude.”

“This donation to the museums of the city of Paris reflects Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s deep attachment to Paris, the city where they met in 1958 and lived until 1964,” stresses Vladimir Yavachev, grandson and director of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects. "Paris is also the city where they did the most projects: The Iron Curtain - Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961-62; The Packed Pont Neuf, Paris, 1975-85; and ThePacked Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 1961-2021. Through these donated works, Parisians and visitors can continue to experience the vision that Christo and Jeanne-Claude forged in Paris."

Major donation from Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation: 14 works, some previously unpublished, to Paris Museums

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