The artist Christo is preparing to drape the Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Paris - The artist Christo, who became famous worldwide for wrapping renowned monuments, is preparing for another project. This time, the Arc de Triomphe in the center of Paris is set to disappear under fabric for several days. The conceptual artist of Bulgarian origin is planning this event for April next year. He will cover the costs from his own resources.

The Arc de Triomphe, which was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in memory of his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, is to be wrapped in 25,000 square meters of recyclable silver-blue fabric, which will be tied with 7,000 meters of red rope. The resulting artwork is expected to be on display from April 6 to April 19 next year.

The now 83-year-old artist Christo gained fame as part of the artistic duo with his wife Jeanne-Claude, but after her death in 2009, he did not create any major works for a long time. Throughout his career, he became known primarily for his "wrapping" projects: he covered skyscrapers, part of the Australian coastline, the Roman walls, live trees, the Parisian bridge Pont Neuf (1985), and the Berlin Reichstag (1995) with fabric.

Three years ago, his project of floating colored pontoons that connected cities near Lake Iseo in northern Italy attracted great attention. A total of 1.3 million people walked on them.

From mid-March to mid-June next year, visitors to the Centre Pompidou in Paris will also be able to see an exhibition dedicated to the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. It will focus on their creations from 1958 to 1964, when the artistic couple lived in the French capital. Special attention will also be given to the project of wrapping the Pont Neuf bridge, which was covered in 1985 with 40,000 square meters of sand-yellow polyamide fabric.

The Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN), which administers the Arc de Triomphe, emphasized that no public funds will be spent on wrapping the iconic monument. Christo will finance the costs of the artwork, which he jointly conceived with his wife in the 1960s, from his own resources.