Bulgarian Artist Christo and Wife Jeanne-Claude Immortalized in Central Paris

A square in the heart of Paris will soon bear the names of Bulgarian-born artist Christo (Christo Vladimirov Javacheff) and his wife and creative partner Jeanne-Claude. The decision was taken by the Paris City Council and endorsed by Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The square is situated at the center of the historic Pont Neuf - Paris’s oldest standing bridge - where Christo and Jeanne-Claude famously realized one of their most iconic projects 41 years ago by wrapping the bridge in fabric.

On the official Facebook page dedicated to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the announcement was met with a brief but meaningful message, describing the naming of the square as a tribute “in honor of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who met in Paris in 1958 – the city where their artistic partnership began.”

The Pont Neuf spans the Seine and links both banks of the river, with a prominent statue of King Henri IV serving as one of its key landmarks. It is a site with symbolic resonance for the couple’s work and legacy.

Paris was also the location of their final joint artistic project - “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” - which was posthumously completed in 2021, one year after Christo’s death. Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, yet Christo continued to credit all subsequent projects in both their names, preserving their creative unity.

Christo, born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff on June 13, 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, came from a family of industrialists. He studied at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia. In 1957, he left Bulgaria and settled in Paris the following year. There he met Jeanne-Claude, who would become his wife and lifelong collaborator in the realization of monumental environmental installations, often involving the wrapping of buildings, bridges, and large-scale structures in fabric.