For the first time, the National Gallery has opened an exhibition of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, marking the 90th anniversary of the birth of the artistic duo.

The opening took place on 4 November at Kvadrat 500. The exhibition is organized in cooperation with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, in partnership with the French Institute in Bulgaria and the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria. It will run until 22 March 2026 - enough time for as many Bulgarians as possible to see the first acquisition for the museum’s collection of Christo’s iconic work The Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin, 1971–1995) from 1986, as well as other original collages.

The realization of the idea to wrap the Reichstag took Christo and Jeanne-Claude a total of 24 years, during which they completed eight other projects also included in the exhibition: The Gates in Central Park, New York City (1979–2005); The Umbrellas in Japan and the USA (1984–1991); The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris (1975–1985); Surrounded Islands in Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida (1980–1983); Wrapped Walk Ways in Jacob L. Loose Memorial Park, Kansas City, Missouri (1977–1978); Running Fence in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California (1972–1976); Oceanfront in Newport, Rhode Island (1974); The Wall — Wrapped Roman Wall on Via Veneto and in the Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome, Italy (1973–1974); and Valley Curtain in Rifle, Colorado (1970–1972). The archival video materials, photographs, and documents from the wrapping of the Reichstag — the emblematic building that remains a symbol of democracy to this day — form a kind of historical narrative of this project.

With this exhibition, the National Gallery also commemorates three major anniversaries of the artists’ visionary projects celebrated in 2025: 20 years since The Gates in New York City, 30 years since The Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin and 40 years since The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris. These milestones represent not only significant moments in the artistic journey of Christo and Jeanne-Claude but also landmark events that transformed the cultural history of Europe.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Hristo Vladimirov Yavachev and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon were born on the same date — 13 June 1935 — in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, and in Casablanca, Morocco, respectively. During the communist regime, Christo studied at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia from 1952 to 1956, after which he left Bulgaria. His escape to the West took him through Prague and Vienna to Geneva, where he settled. In 1958, he moved to Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude. She became his wife and partner in the creation of monumental spatial works of art. Jeanne-Claude died on 18 November 2009, and Christo on 31 May 2020 in his home in New York, where he had lived for 56 years.

The work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude transcends the traditional boundaries of painting, sculpture, and architecture — from their early wrapped objects to their monumental outdoor projects: Wrapped Coast near Sydney (1968–1969), Valley Curtain in Colorado (1970–1972), Running Fence in California (1972–1976), Surrounded Islands in Miami (1980–1983), The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris (1975–1985), The Umbrellas in Japan and California (1984–1991), Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin (1972–1995), The Gates in Central Park in New York (1979–2005), The Floating Piers on Lake Iseo in Italy (2014–2016), The London Mastaba on the Serpentine Lake in London (2016–2018), and L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped in Paris (1961–2021).

Source: National Gallery in Sofia

In the photo above: Christo and Jeanne-Claude during the installation of Wrapped Reichstag. Berlin, June 1995. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation

Below. First row:

1. Christo. Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin), collage 1986. Pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, cardboard, fabric, thread, and architectural survey, 30.5 x 77.5 cm and 66.7 x 77.5 cm (12 x 30½ in and 26¼ x 30½ in). National Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo: André Grossmann© 1986 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
2. Christo and Jeanne-Claude discuss the Wrapped Reichstag project with Willy Brandt, former Chancellor of West Germany, at their home, New York City, October 04, 1981. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1981 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
3. Installation of Wrapped Reichstag. Berlin, 1995. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
4. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation

Second row:

1. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
2. Christo. The Umbrellas (Joint Project for Japan and USA), collage 1988 in two parts. Pencil, fabric, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint, and topographic map, 66.7 x 77.5 cm and 66.7 x 30.5 cm (26¼ x 30½ in and 26¼ x 12 in). Property of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. Photo: Christian Baur© 1988 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
3. Christo. Running Fence (Project for Sonoma County and Marin County, State of California), collage 1975. Pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen ink 106.6 x 165 cm (42 x 65 in). Property of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1975 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
4. Christo. The Pont Neuf, Wrapped (Project for Paris), collage 1984. Pencil, wax crayon, oil pastel, enamel paint, brown cardboard, photograph by Wolfgang Volz, and masking tape, 28 x 35.5 cm (11 x 14 in). Property of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. Photo: Wolfgang Volz© 1984 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation