Christo, Artist Known for Large, Colorful Works, Dies
2020-06-02
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Christo, the artist known for large, temporary public arts projects, died Sunday at his home in New York. He was 84 years old.
2His death was announced on Twitter and on the artist's website.
3No cause was given.
4He worked along with his wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009.
5The two were famous for their colorful art projects that disappeared soon after they were built.
6They often used fabric to wrap, or cover, large structures.
7In 2005, Christo and Jeanne-Claude placed more than 7,500 saffron-colored gates in New York City's Central Park.
8Ten years earlier, they wrapped the Reichstag Building in Berlin in metal-looking fabric.
9In 1991, their Umbrellas project placed over 1,300 blue umbrellas in Japan and more than 1,700 in Southern California. The project cost $26 million.
10The statement announcing Christo's death said the artist's next project is set to appear in September in Paris.
11It is called L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped.
12Also in Paris, a show about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work is planned later this year at the Centre Georges Pompidou.
13"Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it," his office said in a statement.
14"Christo and Jeanne-Claude's artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories," the statement continued.
15The artist's full name was Christo Vladimirov Javacheff.
16He was born in Bulgaria in 1935.
17He studied art throughout Europe before meeting his wife, Jeanne-Claude, in Paris.
18They were both born on the same date in 1935 - June 13.
19The two were partners in life and in art.
20Before they met, Christo was already wrapping smaller items, like cars.
21After he met Jeanne-Claude, the two began wrapping large, important structures, including the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland, and a Roman wall in Italy.
22Although they worked together, all the work was credited to Christo until 1994, when they announced Jeanne-Claude's partnership.
23The two artists moved to New York in 1964, where they later bought a building in the SoHo neighborhood.
24It was their home for the rest of their lives.
25In 1968, they gained fame for three works of art: Wrapped Fountain; Wrapped Medieval Tower; and Wrapped Kunsthalle.
26The next year brought Wrapped Coast, along the Australian coastline, and the wrapping of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
27Jeanne-Claude died in 2009 at age 74.
28After her death, Christo said she was argumentative, very critical and never stopped asking questions.
29He said he missed all of that very much.
30Their works of art required extraordinary efforts.
31Over 600 workers were involved in putting up The Gates in New York City.
32It took more than 300 workers to take it down.
33More than 5 million people saw the artwork.
34In a 2018 interview with The Art Newspaper, Christo spoke about his ideas for wrapping as art.
35"...all our wrapped projects are not solid buildings; they are moving with the wind, they are breathing," he said.
36The two paid for their artworks by selling drawings.
37"I like to be absolutely free," Christo said.
38"I will not give up one centimeter of my freedom for anything."
39I'm Susan Shand.
1Christo, the artist known for large, temporary public arts projects, died Sunday at his home in New York. He was 84 years old. 2His death was announced on Twitter and on the artist's website. No cause was given. 3He worked along with his wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009. The two were famous for their colorful art projects that disappeared soon after they were built. They often used fabric to wrap, or cover, large structures. 4In 2005, Christo and Jeanne-Claude placed more than 7,500 saffron-colored gates in New York City's Central Park. Ten years earlier, they wrapped the Reichstag Building in Berlin in metal-looking fabric. 5In 1991, their Umbrellas project placed over 1,300 blue umbrellas in Japan and more than 1,700 in Southern California. The project cost $26 million. 6The statement announcing Christo's death said the artist's next project is set to appear in September in Paris. It is called L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped. Also in Paris, a show about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work is planned later this year at the Centre Georges Pompidou. 7"Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it," his office said in a statement. 8"Christo and Jeanne-Claude's artwork brought people together in shared experiences across the globe, and their work lives on in our hearts and memories," the statement continued. 9The artist's full name was Christo Vladimirov Javacheff. He was born in Bulgaria in 1935. He studied art throughout Europe before meeting his wife, Jeanne-Claude, in Paris. They were both born on the same date in 1935 - June 13. The two were partners in life and in art. 10Before they met, Christo was already wrapping smaller items, like cars. After he met Jeanne-Claude, the two began wrapping large, important structures, including the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland, and a Roman wall in Italy. 11Although they worked together, all the work was credited to Christo until 1994, when they announced Jeanne-Claude's partnership. 12The two artists moved to New York in 1964, where they later bought a building in the SoHo neighborhood. It was their home for the rest of their lives. 13In 1968, they gained fame for three works of art: Wrapped Fountain; Wrapped Medieval Tower; and Wrapped Kunsthalle. The next year brought Wrapped Coast, along the Australian coastline, and the wrapping of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. 14Jeanne-Claude died in 2009 at age 74. After her death, Christo said she was argumentative, very critical and never stopped asking questions. He said he missed all of that very much. 15Their works of art required extraordinary efforts. Over 600 workers were involved in putting up The Gates in New York City. It took more than 300 workers to take it down. 16More than 5 million people saw the artwork. 17In a 2018 interview with The Art Newspaper, Christo spoke about his ideas for wrapping as art. 18"...all our wrapped projects are not solid buildings; they are moving with the wind, they are breathing," he said. 19The two paid for their artworks by selling drawings. 20"I like to be absolutely free," Christo said. "I will not give up one centimeter of my freedom for anything." 21I'm Susan Shand. 22The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 23________________________________________________________________ 24fabric - n. cloth 25saffron - n. a red-colored spice that is very rare 26gate - n. an outdoor barrier that can be opened 27umbrella - n. a device held over one's head to protect from rain 28realize - v. to understand or to know 29globe - n. the earth 30drawings - artworks made on paper with colored pencils