×

Subscribe to our newsletter

Highlights From the Previous Week, Partnered Events and Haikus. View our Newsletter archive

The Mastaba by Christo and Jean-Claude

Following the success of the “Floating Piers”, Christo and Jean-Claude are presenting the “Mastaba” at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

Scroll right to read more ›
Text by

Artist duo Christo and Jean-Claude made a splash this summer with the “Floating Piers“, a temporary large-scale installation in Lake Iseo, Italy. From 18 June – 3 July, visitors from the world over flocked to the island of San Paolo, flooding social media with images of the golden causeway. But the instantly iconic spectacle isn’t the only new work by the Christo and his late partner/collaborator this summer, who are also presenting a sculptural installation at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, just outside Nice in the south of France. At nine meters high, 13 meters long, and 9 meters wide, the “Mastaba” is on view in the institution’s Giacometti courtyard until 27 November.

Christo and Jean-Claude are perhaps best known for their use of textiles, primarily as a means of “wrapping” buildings but also in terms of tracing pathways, as in the “Floating Piers” and the “Central Park Gates” (2005). Yet they have been using oil barrels as a kind of building material since 1961, with “Dockside Packages” in Cologne, and the “Wall of Oil Barrels” in Paris. The name “Mastaba” refers to the form itself — a kind of truncated trapezoidal pyramid — which harkens back to ancient burial structures.

Despite their visual differences, the “Mastaba” and the “Floating Piers” have similar origin stories. Both were originally conceived nearly 50 years ago, by Christo and Jean-Claude. Their shared practice spanned half a century until her unfortunate passing in 2009. In fact, the concept for the Mastaba dates back to the late 60’s, predating the original idea for the “Floating Piers” by a few years. As with the project at Lake Iseo, Christo eventually hopes to realize the original vision for a full-fledged, 150-meter tall “Mastaba” — made from over 400,00 oil barrels — in Abu Dhabi.

In the meantime, visitors can experience the “Mastaba” in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude also includes drawings, collages, photographs, and other documentation of the artists’ rigorous process. For more information, see the Maeght Foundation website.

Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Le Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Projet d’intervention dans la cour de la Fondation : 595 tonneaux métalliques. Collage 1967-1968 : 56 x 71 cm. Photographies collées, gouache, crayons de couleur et crayon de papier sur carton. Photo Roland Michaud - Archives Fondation Maeght. © Christo 1968
Projet d’intervention dans la cour de la Fondation : 595 tonneaux métalliques. Collage 1967-1968 : 56 x 71 cm. Photographies collées, gouache, crayons de couleur et crayon de papier sur carton. Photo Roland Michaud - Archives Fondation Maeght. © Christo 1968
The Mastaba, Project for the Fondation Maeght, St-Paul. Dessin 2015 : 66.7 x 77.5 cm. Crayon, crayon gras, peinture émaillée et crayon de cire. Photo André Grossmann © Christo 2015
The Mastaba, Project for the Fondation Maeght, St-Paul. Dessin 2015 : 66.7 x 77.5 cm. Crayon, crayon gras, peinture émaillée et crayon de cire. Photo André Grossmann © Christo 2015
Abu Dhabi Mastaba, Project for the United Arab Emirates. Dessin 1977 : 56 x 71 cm. Crayon, crayon de cire, pastel et fusain. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 1977
Abu Dhabi Mastaba, Project for the United Arab Emirates. Dessin 1977 : 56 x 71 cm. Crayon, crayon de cire, pastel et fusain. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo 1977
Projet d’intervention dans la cour de la Fondation : 520 tonneaux métalliques. Collage 1967-1968 : 71 x 56 cm. Photographies collées, gouache, crayons de couleur et crayon de papier sur carton. Photo Roland Michaud - Archives Fondation Maeght. © Christo 1968
Projet d’intervention dans la cour de la Fondation : 520 tonneaux métalliques. Collage 1967-1968 : 71 x 56 cm. Photographies collées, gouache, crayons de couleur et crayon de papier sur carton. Photo Roland Michaud - Archives Fondation Maeght. © Christo 1968
Christo et Jeanne-Claude, The Gates,Central Park, NewYork City, 1979-2005. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo et Jeanne-Claude 2005
Christo et Jeanne-Claude, The Gates,Central Park, NewYork City, 1979-2005. Photo Wolfgang Volz. © Christo et Jeanne-Claude 2005
Christo, The Floating Piers (Project for Lake Iseo, Italy). Collage 2014 : 55,9 x 43,2 cm. Crayon, crayon de cire, peinture émailée, photo de Wolfgang Volz, cartes techniques, échantillon de tissu et du ruban adhésif. Photo: André Grossmann. © Christo 2014
Christo, The Floating Piers (Project for Lake Iseo, Italy). Collage 2014 : 55,9 x 43,2 cm. Crayon, crayon de cire, peinture émailée, photo de Wolfgang Volz, cartes techniques, échantillon de tissu et du ruban adhésif. Photo: André Grossmann. © Christo 2014
Christo in front of the Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght en construction. Photo Wolgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Christo in front of the Mastaba de la Fondation Maeght en construction. Photo Wolgang Volz. © Christo 2016.
Back

Articles you also might like