PARIS.- In light of the powerful bond that united Christo and Jeanne-Claude to the French capital, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation has offered the City of Paris and Paris Musées an exceptional donation of 14 artworks by Christo. Some of these works have never been seen before and will significantly enrich the collections of the Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris and the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.

As part of this donation, the Musée Carnavalet will receive:

• An original collage related to Projet Pour Gigantesque Empaquetage, 1967. For this unrealized project, Christo and Jeanne-Claude envisioned wrapping a series of buildings from the Église de la Madeleine to the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris.

• Three silkscreen prints and one lithograph relating to the Paris projects: The Iron Curtain–Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961–62, from 1968; Edifice Public Empaqueté, Project (Arc de Triomphe, Paris), 1968; Edifice Public Empaqueté, Project (Ecole Militaire, Paris), 1968; and The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85, 1991.

The Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris will receive:

• The artwork Package on a Luggage Rack, 1962, a key early work that complements the museum’s New Realism collection.

• The scalemodel of the monumental sculpture Empaquetage 5,600 cubic meters, Documenta IV, Kassel, 1967–68.

• Seven silkscreen prints relating to six international projects: Empaquetage 5,600 Cubic Meters, Documenta IV, Kassel, 1967–68; Empaquetage 42,390 Cubic Meters, Minneapolis, 1966; Wrapped Buildings in Southern Manhattan, 2 Broadway and 20 Exchange Place, Project, 1968; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, Wrapping, Project, 1968; 4,716 Metal Barrels, Project for the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, 1968; Store Window, Corridor, Project, 1968.

The artworks will officially join the municipal collections once the acquisition and validation process by Paris Musées and the French government has been completed. After this donation, Paris Musées will hold a total of 15 works by Christo with the Musée d'Art Moderne already holding one and the Musée Carnavalet holding the five received as part of the donation. The donated works will be on display for the first time at the Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris in the fall of 2026 in the Années 1950-1970 and 1977 à nos jours galleries.

“I am delighted by this exceptional gift from the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation to the City of Paris,” says Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. “The people of Paris have not forgotten what these two artists gave to their city in 1985 when they wrapped the Pont-Neuf. It was a gesture of radical simplicity, whose brilliance continues to amaze us. With this gift, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Foundation is giving Parisians privileged access to the world of two great artists who 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 eagerly await 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 is a reflection of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's deep attachment to Paris, the city where they met in 1958 and lived until 1964”, underlines Vladimir Yavachev, nephew and director of projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. “Paris is also the city where they realized the largest number of projects: The Iron Curtain–Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961-62 ; The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85 and L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961-2021. Through these donated artworks, Parisians and visitors will be able to continue to experience the vision that Christo and Jeanne-Claude forged in Paris.”

These years in Paris were a decisive period for Christo and Jeanne-Claude in the development of their artistic approach, shaping their approach to surface relief, stacking and wrapping, the concealment of shop windows, and the creation of monumental projects in public spaces.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's vision continues to inspire artists and creators around the world. Paris will celebrate this legacy from June 6 to 28 with La Caverne du Pont Neuf, a project conceived by JR as a homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude for the 40th anniversary of The Pont Neuf Wrapped.