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Wrapped Chair

1961
(American, 1935–2020)
America
wood, fabric, lacquer paint, and ropes
Overall: 90 x 42.5 x 44 cm (35 7/16 x 16 3/4 x 17 5/16 in.)
Gift of Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro 1996.29
© Christo
Location: not on view
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Did You Know?

Christo and his partner, Jeanne-Claude, are known for their monumental wrapping of public buildings and sites using techniques seen in this chair.

Description

This sculpture is one of the earliest examples of Christo's signature style. His technique first incorporated the wrapping of everyday objects, including cans and bottles, stacks of magazines, furniture, and even an automobile, but led to the wrapping of public buildings and entire outdoor parks. This work uses a chair from the Paris apartment of Christo and his wife and partner, Jeanne-Claude. The use of drapery and concealment adds a layer of mystery to the chair's otherwise straightforward meaning. Christo was among a group of artists in France in the late 1950s who rebelled against the previous generation's fascination with abstraction. These nouveaux réalistes (new realists) chose to use real objects, rather than try to represent the items using other media. They preferred an art that was physical and tangible. Christo took this art one step further by "cloaking" reality, transforming and abstracting it.
Wrapped Chair

Wrapped Chair

1961

Christo

(American, 1935–2020)
America

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