Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-95
Cologne: Taschen, 1996.
Deluxe first edition ("Special Edition") with fabric swatch mounted to back pastedown. 696 pp., profusely illustrated with color photographs. Oblong quarto, bound in publisher's silver cloth lettered in blue on spine. Fine. Housed in the original slipcase, printed paper and silver cloth, with spot of soiling to upper edge.
The story of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 24-year quest to wrap Germany's historic parliament building in woven silvery cloth held with blue rope. The two artists were known for their monumental fabric installations, of which this was the most iconic. The installation subverted the imposing dignity of the famous building, a Neo-Renaissance behemoth left in ruins by the Battle for Berlin in 1945. The building was stripped and restored by the West German government during the 1960s, then further repaired and crowned with a new glass dome in time for the new millennium. Before the new construction began, Christo and Jeanne-Claude finally gained permission to wrap the building after decades of lobbying. The effort was seen as a symbol of reunification, drawing millions of Germans to physically interact with what would once more be the seat of their government for the first time since 1933.
Price: $1,100