• From 15 November, Saatchi Gallery will retrospectively look at the career and achievements of artistic collaborators and life partners Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
• This is the last exhibition Christo signed off on before his death in 2020 and features seventy works which trace their historical development from the mid-1950s to 2020 and beyond.
• An exhibition organised by the Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery, London.

LONDON, UK – As part of its Season of Sculpture, Saatchi Gallery announces an upcoming co-headline Winter exhibition, showcasing the largest retrospective of the renowned artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude ever in the UK. Titled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless the exhibition traces their artistic journey, from experimental beginnings in Paris across six decades of collaboration. The exhibition showcases rarely-seen works and offers a glimpse into future projects to be undertaken by the estate of the artists.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless introduces visitors to the couple’s seminal projects, ranging from their early collaborations to monumental masterpieces, among them Wrapped Coast in Australia (1969), Surrounded Islands (1983) in Miami/Florida, The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris (1985), The Umbrellas (1991), installed simultaneously in Japan and the USA, The Gates in Central Park, New York City (2005) and The Floating Piers at Lake Iseo in Italy (2016). It also includes the perspective The Mastaba, a project for Abu Dhabi. This exhibition is the last to ever be signed off by Christo before his death and is divided into ten thematic chapters.

The exhibition reveals a story of love and artistic collaboration between Christo and Jeanne-Claude, celebrating their artistic synergy and profound connection, contextualised alongside their artistic contemporaries, including Jean Dubuffet, Yves Klein, and Lucio Fontana. Boundless unveils a vivid narrative of passionate determination, highlighting the couple’s refusal to be confined by traditional norms and how this distinctive approach, fuelled their creative vision and shaped their artistic journey.

Jeanne-Claude’s gift for communication and her tenacity became the driving force in realising projects, often over the course of decades. It was essential to their artistic ethos that their ambitious installations were funded independently. The exhibition showcases how drawings, sketches, prints, and collages were transformed into valuable currency, providing the foundation for realising their larger-than-life visions.

A climactic juncture in their journey is showcased through the breathtaking wrapping of the Berlin Reichstag in 1995 and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in 2021. These monumental achievements embody their daring and creative prowess, demonstrating their ability to transform public spaces into artistic canvases.

Journey through the unrealised dreams that shaped their legacy, with insight into The Mastaba (project for Abu Dhabi), which will be an enduring monument to the couple’s boundless creativity. Larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza, this visionary concept stands as a testament to the enduring impact of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s expression and drive.

The exhibition was conceived and curated by Kay Heymer, together with co-curator Sophie-Marie Sümmermann and was first shown at Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf. Alongside Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the following artists are represented in the exhibition: Arman, Alberto Burri, César, Jean Dubuffet, Lucio Fontana, Raymond Hains, Yves Klein, Jacques Mahé de la Villeglé, Piero Manzoni, Arnulf Rainer, Niki de Saint Phalle, Daniel Spoerri, Antoni Tàpies, Jean Tinguely and Wolf Vostell.

Lorenza Giovanelli, representative of the artists’ estate: “Christo and Jeanne-Claude have a long history with the city of London. Their first project in London dates back to 1963 when they wrapped a female model in the studio of photographer and filmmaker Charles Wilp. Over the years, they returned many times and became close friends with art dealers Annely and David Ju-da, who, since 1971, organized more than a dozen exhibitions with Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

In 2018, Christo realized The London Mastaba on Hyde Park’s Serpentine Lake, his first major public out-door work in the UK. Now thanks to Ingrid and Thomas Jochheim, who shared a long friendship with the artists and have made their collection available to the public, the exhibition at Saatchi Gallery offers a unique opportunity to revisit Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work on a large scale.”

As part of a Season of Sculpture Saatchi Gallery will be presenting If Not Now, When? at the same time as Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless. Contact eleanor@saatchigallery.com for more information.

— ENDS —

NOTES TO EDITORS

For all press inquiries, please contact:

Eleanor Thirlway eleanor@saatchigallery.com I +44 (0) 20 7811 3091

Press Preview: Tuesday 14 November, 10 AM-1PM RSVP Essential: https://www.saatchigallery.com/rsvp/14th-november-christo-and-jeanne-claude-boundless-press-preview/

Dates & Opening Hours:
Open to the public: 15 November – 22 January 2024

10am – 6pm (last admission 5.30pm), Monday – Sunday

Saatchi Lates: Dates to be announced

Admission: General admission £12, Concession £8, Family £30. Members Go Free. 

Images:
Publicity images can be downloaded via our website. saatchigallery.com/press or by contacting press@saatchigallery.com

By downloading the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found within the link. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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School Visits & Community Groups:
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition there are opportunities to engage with creative projects and workshops whether that be in-gallery, virtually, in the classroom or at home.

education@saatchigallery.com I +44(0)20 7811 3087

ABOUT THE KUNSTPALAST, DÜSSELDORF

The Kunstpalast is situated to the north of Düsseldorf’s historic city centre between the Rhine and the Hofgarten. A major asset of the museum’s huge collection is its wide diversity which offers much scope for research, presentations, and educational work. Paralleled by few other museums, the Kunstpalast unites virtually all artistic genres and a variety of eras under one roof: paintings, prints and drawings, sculptures and decorative arts, a glass collection as well as a collection of modern art, photography and time-based media.

The museum´s varied programme constantly sets new impulses, picks up on contemporary topics and enables new perspectives. In addition, a broad concept of art allows surprising changes of perspective.

www.kunstpalast.de 

ABOUT SAATCHI GALLERY

Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has rarely or never been exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts over 5,000 school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a charity, beginning a new chapter in its history. www.saatchigallery.com

Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
Registered as a charity with registration number 1182328