Bulgarian-born artist Christo, who wrapped world landmarks, died

Artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known as Christo, died of natural causes on May 31 2020 at the age of 84, at his home in New York City.

Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it, a statement from his office says on Facebook.

Christo was born on June 13, 1935 in the town of Gabrovo in Bulgaria. He left the country in 1957. His artistic talent established him as a world artist in Paris in the late 50's and early 60's. There he met his partner Jean-Claude, with whom he lived in the United States for 56 years, since 1964. The two created large-scale temporary works in the open air and became an emblem of shared creativity and their own, unique model of independence from the rules of the art world. They believe that the sole purpose of their works is to bring "joy and beauty."

Together with Jeanne-Claude, they wrapped iconic landmarks in fabric, such as the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1985 and the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995. In 2018, Christo unveiled "The London Mastaba," a floating installation on the Serpentine Lake in London. It was made of more than 7,000 oil barrels. His next project was the long-awaited wrapping of one of the world's most famous war memorials, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, planned for 2021.