Christo



Christo was born Christo Vladimir Javacheff on June 13, 1935, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. He left Bulgaria for Prague, Czechoslovakia, and escaped to Vienna, Austria, in 1957, before moving to Geneva, Switzerland. In 1958, Christo went to Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who become not only his wife, but also his life partner in the creation of monumental environmental works of art. Jeanne-Claude passed away on November 18, 2009. Christo passed away on May 31, 2020, at the home and studio he shared with Jeanne-Claude in New York City since 1964.

Photo of Christo at The Floating Piers in June 2016 by Wolfgang Volz. Copyright and courtesy Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.