Artwork Description
Christo and Jeanne-Claude – Wrapped Venus, Project for Villa Borghese, Rome
Dimensions: 3.75 x 15.75 x 2″ framed / 28 x 22″ paper
Year: 1975
Medium: etching and lithograph with collage of transfer paper
Edition: AP 11/12
This Wrapped Venus, Project for Villa Borghese, Rome, has a fantastic story. Jeanne-Claude told Jack Lemon, who printed this image, that she and Christo had been in Rome while Christo was working in an art studio. She went out to get the couple coffee, and in the process she passed by the Villa Borghese and saw this sculpture. She rushed back and told Christo they simply must wrap it! Later that day the couple went back to the Villa Borghese and in fact, wrapped the scuplture. The Italian police appeared and insisted the couple stop. But Jeanne-Claude enabled the sculpture to remain wrapped for at least a while, by telling the police that the sculpture was dirty, and they were cleaning it! Turner Carroll also holds the original negative from Jeanne-Claude’s photograph showing Christo wrapping the sculpture.