In artist Christo posthumous tribute, Arc de Triomphe wrapped in silvery blue

Christo Javacheff was known for his larger-than-life installations — he wrapped up a stretch of coastline in Australia and the Reichstag parliament building in Berlin, and strung up a huge curtain in part of a canyon in Colorado.

Visitors to Paris were surprised on September 12 when strolling up the Champs-Elysees as dozens of workers began enveloping in a shimmering wrapper a posthumous installation by artist Christo at Arc de Triomphe monument. Workers were shuffling around the 50-metre high, 19th century arch setting up 25,000 square metres of silvery blue, recyclable plastic wrapping, which will be on view between September18 and October 3. Imagined decades ago in 1961 by the late Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his wife and fellow artist Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” was finally brought to life by Christo’s nephew, Vladimir Yavatchev at a cost of about 14 million euros ($16.54 million).