Ninety years after the birth of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, both born on June 13, 1935, 2025 looks to be a year of tributes and celebrations dedicated to the artistic duo known for transforming public spaces into extraordinary visual and collective experiences.
This milestone year also aligns with key anniversaries of three of their most celebrated projects: February marks 20 years since The Gates in New York, June marks 30 years since the Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin, and September commemorates 40 years since The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris.
To honour their legacy, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation is launching a global program of exhibitions and commemorative events throughout 2025. The initiative offers an opportunity to rediscover two leading figures in environmental and public art, who transformed the urban landscape into a poetic, collective experience.
The global tribute kicks off with four international exhibitions, each spotlighting a different chapter of their career. In Fort Lauderdale, the NSU Art Museum will open a major exhibition in February 2025 dedicated to Surrounded Islands—the 1983 project that turned the islands of Miami's Biscayne Bay pink. The show will feature original drawings, collages, photographs, models, and project materials.
Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1981 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.
Meanwhile, the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City is presenting a focus on Wrapped Walk Ways, the 1978 installation that transformed the paths of Loose Park into a saffron-colored fabric landscape. On view through spring 2025, the exhibition centres around a recent donation from the artists' foundation.
Europe also joins the tribute. In Germany, the Museum Würth is staging a comprehensive retrospective marking Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 90th birthday, featuring more than 130 works that span six decades—from early wrapped objects to monumental urban installations, culminating in their final completed project: L' Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped. In Porto, the Serralves Foundation is presenting an in-depth exhibition that explores the artists' creative and planning processes, in collaboration with the official foundation.
Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1982 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.
At the heart of the celebrations are the three landmark installations that left an indelible mark on contemporary art. The Gates, realised in 2005 in Central Park, remains one of their most iconic works: 7,503 orange fabric gates lined the park's pathways for two weeks, transforming the everyday into a strikingly symbolic and visual experience.
In 1995, Wrapped Reichstag marked a historic moment for Germany. A 100,000-square-meter silver fabric enveloped the German Parliament, transforming it into a monument of transformation and reconciliation.
A decade earlier, in 1985, Paris became the stage for another unforgettable project: The Pont Neuf Wrapped, which shrouded the city's oldest bridge in sandy-colored fabric, accentuating its form and inviting passersby to see their city with fresh eyes.
In a year marked by such meaningful anniversaries, exhibitions and initiatives around the world offer a renewed opportunity to explore the work and artistic vision of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. This legacy continues to inspire, provoke, and resonate decades after their most famous installations.
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