August 19, 2022 – June 11, 2023
Christo (born Christo Vladmirov Javacheff) and his wife and artistic collaborator Jeanne-Claude made an inestimable impact on the history of art since the mid-20th century. Together, they created large-scale, ephemeral, public art projects, involving dramatic interventions in carefully selected outdoor locations. With a career that spans nearly six decades, their work has helped to expand the definition of art beyond paintings and sculptures, envisioning instead a radically democratic art form capable of speaking directly to broad audiences across a full spectrum of society in public space.
This exhibition presents stellar works gifted to PAMM by Christo’s longtime friends Maria Bechily and Scott Hodes. These are fine examples of Christo’s drawing practice, which constitutes a pivotal aspect of his production. Christo and Jeanne-Claude declined all financial support from governments, institutions, single patrons, and foundations, choosing to fund their massive projects through the direct sales of drawings such as these. These works memorialize the projects and represent an alternative to the traditional funding structures for art. Collectively, the drawings exemplify an expansive overview of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s oeuvre, comprising their major projects spanning from the late 1960s to the early 2000s.