The work of Christo (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) has much in common with architecture and urban planning, and the immense impact it has on our perception of buildings and urban space is one of the artists’ key objectives.

For the first time, this volume zooms in on Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s urban projects. By presenting preparatory drawings, collages and scale models, the book showcases many of the artists’ early works, some of which were never carried out, such as the planned wrapping of several New York City skyscrapers, as well as the spectacular large-scale projects of later years, such as the wrapping of the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris in 1985, the wrapping of the Reichstag building in Berlin in 1995 and the 2005 installation The Gates in New York’s Central Park.

In two detailed essays, the authors of this publication explore Christo’s extraordinary talent for draughtsmanship and investigate the artists’ ambivalent approach to the urban environment, which oscillates between a powerful critique of, and a tribute to, the liberal, democratic use of public space.