Throughout the entire period when the artwork is on display, as well as during its preparation, the space beneath the Arc de Triomphe over the consecrated stone slab, where, since 1923 the Eternal Flame has burned in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, will be fully maintained. As always, veterans associations and volunteers committed to the values of the French Republic will ensure the continuity of remembrance and of the daily ceremony of rekindling the flame, paying homage to the Unknown Soldier with the appropriate solemnity.
As a prelude to the production of this work, a major exhibition was presented at the Centre Georges Pompidou, from 18 March to 15 June 2020, retracing Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s years in Paris from 1958 to 1964 as well as the story of the project The Pont-Neuf Wrapped, Project for Paris, 1975-1985. “The exhibition at the Centre Pompidou will reveal the historical context of the period during which we lived and worked in Paris,” said Christo.
The Centre des monuments nationaux, the government institution that manages and conserves the Arc de Triomphe, is pleased about the realisation of a project that demonstrates its commitment to contemporary creation and that honours one of the most emblematic monuments in Paris and in France.
The Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped will be self-financed by Christo through the sale of his preparatory studies, drawings, collages of the project as well as scale models, works from the 50s and 60s and original lithographs dedicated to other subjects. The installation will not receive any public or private funding.