Maker(s): | Christo (Christo Vladimirof Javacheff)
| Culture: | American born Bulgaria (1935 - 2020)
| Title: | Wrapped Tree (Project for the Garden of Peppino Agrati)
| Date Made: | 1971
| Type: | Drawing
| Materials: | Collage, polyethylene, crayon, staples, twine, charcoal, ink, graphite and acrylic on smooth white mat board
| Place Made: | United States
| Measurements: | sight: 28 1/4 in x 22 1/4 in; 71.755 cm x 56.515 cm
| Narrative Inscription: | title, signature and date in pencil across top: Wrapped Tree (PROJECT FOR THE GARDEN OF PEPPINO AGRATI, VEDUGGIO, NE - MILANO - ITALY) / Christo 1971
| Accession Number: | SC 2012.1.4
| Credit Line: | Gift of The Pokross Art Collection, donated in accordance with the wishes of Muriel Kohn Pokross, class of 1934 by her children, Joan Pokross Curhan, class of 1959, William R. Pokross and David R. Pokross Jr. in loving memory of their parents, Muriel Kohn Pokross, class of 1934 and David R. Pokross
| Museum Collection: | Smith College Museum of Art
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Description: diatonal image of a long tree with roots wrapped and branches wrapped
Label Text: Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude (1935–2009) combined their talents to create monumental installations that bring attention to the landscape and the built environment. Many of their projects require years of planning in order to receive backing from a large variety of constituents. The projects are completely self-funded through the sale of prints and drawings, which are executed by Christo.
Some of the earliest works by Christo and Jeanne-Claude were “wrappings” in which the artists wrapped a variety of objects in tightly bound fabric, creating abstract sculptures out of everyday items. Wrapped Tree (Project for the Garden of Peppino Agrati) is an outgrowth of these early works.
The Italian industrialist Peppino Agrati first met Christo at a gallery show in 1970, where the artist was showing drawings for some projects he had proposed for the city of Milan. Christo devised the Wrapped Tree project for Agrati’s villa in Veduggio, although it was never executed.
A single tree is laid out on a strong diagonal. The wrapping completely changes the character of the tree, from a living entity to an object. The leafless branches are tightly compressed by layers of clear plastic, and the monumental root ball, encased in silver, serves as a dynamic counterweight.
Tags: vegetation Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+2012.1.4 |