The Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be wrapped in blue-silver fabric

Paris – The Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be temporarily wrapped in blue-silver fabric this year, as envisioned by the artistic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude since the 1960s. Installation work is set to begin next month, according to The Guardian.

The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by ruler Napoleon Bonaparte as a reminder of his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, will be wrapped in 25,000 m² of recyclable polypropylene fabric, secured with red ropes. These will also be made from recyclable materials. The intention of Bulgarian-born conceptual artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude will be realized in the French capital almost 60 years after its conception and after the deaths of both creators. French artist Jeanne-Claude died in 2009, and Christo in May of last year.

The project will not be funded by public money. All expenses will be covered by proceeds from the sale of Christo's preparatory studies, drawings, collages, and models of the Paris installation, works from the 1950s and 1960s, lithographs, and other artifacts.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude came up with the idea to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in 1962 while renting a small room near the iconic Parisian monument. Although the duo presented their idea using a photomontage, they never proposed a specific method for wrapping the arch, as they did not think they could obtain the necessary permits.

Like most installations by Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, the latest will also be temporary. The work will take 12 weeks, and the piece is expected to be completed before September 18. However, dismantling will begin in early October so that the arch can return to its traditional form in time for the celebrations of the end of World War I in November.

Throughout their careers, Christo and Jeanne-Claude gained attention primarily through their "packaging" projects. Over several decades, they covered skyscrapers, part of the Australian coast, the Roman walls, living trees, the Parisian bridge Pont Neuf, and the Berlin Reichstag with fabric.