Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World: The Story of Two Groundbreaking Environmental Artists

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World: The Story of Two Groundbreaking Environmental Artists
Author(s)
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Age Range
6+
Release Date
March 28, 2023
ISBN
978-1536216615
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From Coretta Scott King Honor recipient G. Neri and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Haidle comes an exploration of love, art, and the gifts that two brilliant creators gave the world.

Their projects made people smile or made them mad. They made people see again.

When they first met, Christo was a poor refugee, and Jeanne-Claude knew nothing about art, but they were both rule-breakers and kindred spirits. Christo’s innovative creations—everyday objects wrapped to make people reconsider them—sparked Jeanne-Claude’s imagination. Thus began their lifelong partnership as husband and wife, and as artistic collaborators whose once-in-a-lifetime public installations captivated viewers and asked: What is art? Who does it belong to? And how can it help us reimagine the world around us? Accompanied by Elizabeth Haidle’s wonderfully stylish illustrations, award-winning author G. Neri takes readers through the remarkable career of a daring duo and a fascinating discussion about the nature of art itself. Realized as an imagined conversation between Christo and Jeanne-Claude, this compelling book features back matter about the couple, an author’s note, a bibliography, and a collection of fun facts about the artists and their work.

Editor review

1 review
Hide to See
Overall rating
 
4.3
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
4.0
Learning Value
 
5.0
This is a biography of Christo and Jeanne Claude and their unusual idea for art. This book supports that art is made by an artist and that anything can be considered art and that even discussing what you see adds to the art. It started with the idea that we do not notice the everyday objects in our world but that if you hide them by wrapping them up it becomes new and exciting. You wonder and question what is underneath and it becomes a gift of possibility. The idea is fascinating and the illustrations are lovely but I would have loved to see photographs of some of their later projects that were bold and all-encompassing in scope. By the end, it was an event and transitory that they wrapped nature, buildings, and statues to name a few of the more unconventional things they wrapped. The books said they had many critics and that some people understood their message and others were mad and disdainful. I am not sure that if I had seen it in person if I would have understood the deeper meaning of their endeavors, but I appreciate that the book details their perspective as well as their accomplishments so that I can understand what they were reaching for by wrapping the ordinary to help us see and notice the wonder of the world again.
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