The Arc de Triomphe is finished, remember? It was 2021 and, Parisians or not, it was very difficult not to see it, there were so many images on the media and social networks. From 18 September to 3 October 2021, the Arc de Triomphe was adorned with silverwhich appears to float gracefully above the Étoile roundabout, packaged as part of a great artistic project they imagined, before their deaths, by the artist couple Jeanne-Claude and Christo.
An ambitious project of which it was the origin many controversies on its usefulness, on its cost (14 million euros, of which not even a cent is paid by taxpayers) and questioning the durability of the materials used. And for good reason: we have been talking about sustainability and adaptation to climate change for several years an important issue for the art worldwho until recently were in the habit of imagining sets for ephemeral exhibitions, which generally ended their life in the dumpster.
What will happen to the fabric and rope used for the made-up Arc de Triomphe?
The second life of 25,000 million2 of fabric and 3,000 m of rope used for packaging, announced by Anne Hidalgo on Monday 18 September on her X account (formerly Twitter) is therefore excellent news, which also responds to the wishes of the artists.
The kilometers of fabrics and ropes will therefore be transformed into tents, umbrellas and sheds from an NGO, equipment that will be used during the events coming to the capital, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games which will take place in 2024. The wood and steel used for the substructure had already been reused by Charpentiers de Paris, ArcelorMittal and Derichebourg Environnement.
A decision that the mayor of Paris welcomed, specifying that it is ” excellent example of art adapting to climate issues “.
Jeanne-Claude and Christo: a textbook case of the invisibility of women in art
But another controversy had also marred the packaging of the Arc de Triomphe, and obviously Anne Hidalgo didn’t keep it. As the cultural content creator pointed out Margaux Brugvin in an Instagram post published a few days before the inauguration, the name of Jeanne-Claude, Christo’s partner, but above all co-creator of the work, had been purely and simply canceled by the media and the teams responsible for communicating the event:
“However, the Center Pompidou, the Center of National Monuments and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris have chosen to communicate only with the male half of the duo. The official hashtag of the event is #christoparis. The media pick up these elements and contribute to them, article after article erase Jeanne-Claude’s name.
A nice demonstration of how we continue to make female artists invisible and, literally, erase their names from history.
Dear communications teams managing this project, the inauguration will take place on Saturday [18 septembre 2021], there’s still time to update your hashtag. Dear media, there is still time to change your headlines. »
Information that does not appear to have reached the ears of Anne Hidalgo or her communications team since then only Christo is mentioned in the mayor of Paris’ tweet. Enough to silently perpetuate the invisibility of female artists…
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
