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CHRISTO: SHOW CASES, SHOW WINDOWS AND STORE FRONTS: 1963 - 1966: On view now at Cahiers d'Art in 14 & 15 Rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris

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  • For his new exhibition at Cahiers d’Art, Christo, who is best known for his monumental-scale work made in collaboration with fellow artist and life partner Jeanne-Claude, wished to revisit his rarely shown, intimate and enigmatic works from the 1960s.  On view at the galleries on rue du Dragon are four of Christo’s Show Cases, realised in Paris in 1963, two large Show Windows and a life-scale Store Front from his early New York years (1965-1966). Being one of the last projects the artist worked on before his passing, the exhibition also includes the installation Covered Windows – a real Store Front imagined by Christo especially for the Cahiers d’Art gallery space. 

  • SHOW CASES

    Paris Years

    In 1963, making his way through a popular Parisian flea market, Christo stumbled upon a collection of medicine cabinets and small glass vitrines. Intrigued by their obscure charm, he acquired several and began reworking their dusty, tarnished insides. Having first lined them with rich silks and satins, the artist further experimented by adding internal lighting fixtures and, occasionally, jewelry pieces, also second hand. Enclosed with glass and semi-covering paper sheets affixed to their surfaces, the once discarded objects were reborn as the lucent Show Cases.

     

    With these closed vitrines, their interiors decadent yet inaccessible, Christo reversed the object’s function, playing with the viewer’s desire to see and touch. The crucial feature of the Show Cases, was no longer the exterior or the vitrine’s outer shape, but rather, what was taking place inside; the potential presence of an unknown object behind the covering. Christo recalled in the interview given to Cahiers d’Art in May this year:  « I think of that process as something that comes from a sort of “voyeuristic” idea.  (…) You can’t see what’s behind the door, neither can you open the door, and it’s like you’re witnessing a change of status, a transformation that questions the meaning and the function (…)» 


    In a reversal of his previous works, the wrapping process in Show Cases was essentially turned inward -- as if to oppose the curious gaze of the onlooker, whose impulse is being converted into an experience of him/herself as a result of this artistic encounter.

     

     

  • Christo Show Case (125), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in (CHRI0012) (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (125), 1963 CHRI0012 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (126), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in CHRI0013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (126), 1963 CHRI0013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo, Show Case (134), 1963 Wood, metal, Plexiglas, fabric, kraft paper, tape and electric light. 80 x 50 x 20 cm l 31 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 7 7/8 in CHRI0014 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (134), 1963 CHRI0014 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (124), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in CHRI0011 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (124), 1963 CHRI0011 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (125), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in (CHRI0012) (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (125), 1963 CHRI0012 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (126), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in CHRI0013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (126), 1963 CHRI0013 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo, Show Case (134), 1963 Wood, metal, Plexiglas, fabric, kraft paper, tape and electric light. 80 x 50 x 20 cm l 31 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 7 7/8 in CHRI0014 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (134), 1963 CHRI0014 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (124), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in CHRI0011 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (124), 1963 CHRI0011 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Case (125), 1963 Wood, metal, glass, fabric, paint, paper, electric light and tape. 60 x 46 x 13.5 cm l 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 5 1/4 in (CHRI0012) (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Show Case (125), 1963 CHRI0012 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Christo
    Show Case (126), 1963

    CHRI0013

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  •  

  • SHOW WINDOWS & STORE FRONTS

    New York Years

    The intimate sizes of the Show Cases are perhaps reflective of their Parisian origins; Christo’s move to New York in 1964 marked a shift in his practice to larger, more architectural dimensions. Impressed by the gigantic scale and the brusque nature of the Manhattan buildings, he began investigating the use of industrial materials as well as incorporating bulky waste items and scraps from demolished construction sites in his work. For his highly celebrated series Show Windows and Store Fronts, realized in New York, Christo and Jeanne-Claude would often start with an intervention. Working in situ, they would construct a facade for a gallery or other pedestrian-facing space that gave the air of a closed retail outlet due to the covered-up vitrines – at once referencing the aura of his newly-adopted home and the classic tropes of art history. 

    As Matthias Koddenberg observed in his essay for the latest Cahiers d’Art Revue:“These early facades with their patinated surfaces exuded the charming flair of the old and worn and appeared as a romantic tribute to New York’s past, although their anonymous look made no reference to the city. With their covered windows and locked doors, they turned their back on all those windows in art history – ranging from Jan Vermeer to Caspar David Friedrich – that had been depicted as sources of glistening light or had opened up an alluring vista of the world”.


    Christo’s Show Windows and Store Fronts embody pioneering efforts to challenge the concept of a gallery space and to realise the idea of a work of art that would incorporate elements of time, light and specificity of place, in addition to the usual three space dimensions.

     

    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Exhibition view: Cahiers d'Art, 2020 In the picture: Christo, Show Window, 1966 & Christo, Store Front Corner, 1965 Photo: Claire Dorn (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Exhibition view: Cahiers d'Art, 2020 In the picture: Christo, Store Front Corner, 1965 & Christo, Store Front, 2020 Photo: Claire Dorn (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Window, 1965 Galvanized metal, aluminum, fabric, Plexiglas, lacquered Masonite and wood. 213.4 x 122 x 8.9 cm l 84 x 48 x 3.5 in  CHRI0016 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Window, 1966 Galvanized metal, wood, Plexiglas, Kraft paper, Masonite, aluminum and tape. 213 x 122 x 9 cm l 83 7/8 x 48 1/8 x 3 1/2 in CHRI0015 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Store Front Corner, 1965 Galvanized metal, aluminum, Plexiglas, fabric, polyethylene, rope, wood, paint and electric light. 222 x 150 x 58.5 cm l 87 3/8 x 59 1/8 x 23 1/8 in CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Exhibition view: Cahiers d'Art, 2020 In the picture: Christo, Show Window, 1966 & Christo, Store Front Corner, 1965 Photo: Claire Dorn (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Exhibition view: Cahiers d'Art, 2020 In the picture: Christo, Store Front Corner, 1965 & Christo, Store Front, 2020 Photo: Claire Dorn (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Window, 1965 Galvanized metal, aluminum, fabric, Plexiglas, lacquered Masonite and wood. 213.4 x 122 x 8.9 cm l 84 x 48 x 3.5 in  CHRI0016 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Show Window, 1966 Galvanized metal, wood, Plexiglas, Kraft paper, Masonite, aluminum and tape. 213 x 122 x 9 cm l 83 7/8 x 48 1/8 x 3 1/2 in CHRI0015 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Store Front Corner, 1965 Galvanized metal, aluminum, Plexiglas, fabric, polyethylene, rope, wood, paint and electric light. 222 x 150 x 58.5 cm l 87 3/8 x 59 1/8 x 23 1/8 in CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Christo Detail of: Store Front Corner, 1965 CHRI0010 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Exhibition view: Cahiers d'Art, 2020
    Pictured: Christo, Show Window, 1966 & Christo, Store Front Corner, 1965
    Photo: Claire Dorn

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    %3Cp%3EExhibition%20view%3A%20Cahiers%20d%27Art%2C%202020%3Cbr%20/%3EPictured%3A%20Christo%2C%26%23160%3B%3Cem%3EShow%20Window%2C%20%3C/em%3E1966%20%26%20Christo%2C%3Cem%3E%26%23160%3BStore%20Front%20Corner%2C%20%3C/em%3E1965%3Cbr%20/%3EPhoto%3A%20Claire%20Dorn%3C/p%3E
  • CHRISTO: LA REVUE

    2020
  • Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...
    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020 This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers...

    Cahiers D’Art Revue - 44th Year (EN), 2020
    This special issue of the Cahiers d'Art Revue dedicated to Christo offers a selection of never- or rarely-seen before works. Christo opened the doors to his New York studio, situated on 48 Howard Street. The Revue includes texts by Matthias Koddenberg, Ingrid D. Rowland, Lorenza Giovanelli and Bernard Blistène, as well as the last interview given by the artist to Hans Ulrich Obrist and Staffan Ahrenberg, May 22, 2020, nine days before his passing. Christo created the cover especially for Cahiers d'Art.

    CLICK HERE TO ORDER
  • HOMMAGE À L'ÉTRANGER (2020)

    CHRISTO x CAHIERS D'ART
  • ‘Hommage à l’Etranger’ is a series of 9 original handprints from Christo. Each of them unique and with visible fingerprints,...

    ‘Hommage à l’Etranger’ is a series of 9 original handprints from Christo. Each of them unique and with visible fingerprints, they are the very last works from the artist but also his ultimate signature. Visceral, in ochre hues, created with oil directly on cardboard paper, they represent the very act of painting.

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Editions Cahiers d'Art

14 et 15 rue du Dragon 75006 Paris

 T. +33 (0)1 45 48 76 73

info@cahiersdart.com 

www.cahiersdart.com

​Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Ouvert du Mardi au Samedi  de 11H - 19H

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