The Bulgarian Cultural Institute (BCI) in Paris Thursday hosted an event titled “The Bulgarian Image of Christo“ as a tribute to Bulgarian-born artist Christo Javacheff.
Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev and Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation Director Vladimir Yavachev were special guests. As part of the event, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev presented the French-language edition of BTA’s LIK magazine, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity.“ Last June, LIK devoted a special issue to the two artists on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of their birth.
“The Bulgarian Image of Christo“ revisited interviews with Christo by journalists Evgenia Atanasova-Teneva, Daniel Nenchev and Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov.
Speaking at the event, Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev said that Jeanne-Claude and Christo’s art symbolizes high art that reaches millions. “This evening is special because it is dedicated to one of perhaps the most recognizable Bulgarian artists in the world, Christo Javacheff, and Jeanne-Claude,” Miloshev said. He spoke of the artists’ exceptional sense of freedom and spirit, saying their work was about loving, believing and creating in a way that touches millions of people around the world.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation Director Vladimir Yavachev said that the most important legacy of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, apart from the memory of their projects, is their attitude to art in public space and the way it can awaken the interest of people who are not directly connected with art. Addressing Miloshev, he called for continued support for art in public space and for more projects aimed at young artists. “It is important for the public that this happens and continues to happen,” Yavachev said.
BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said that Christo can give Bulgarians confidence that their success can make them world-famous. “Christo was not only born in the Bulgarian city of Gabrovo 90 years ago, on June 13, 1935, but was also raised and educated in Bulgaria. This is not grounds for chest-thumping patriotism, but for a humble recognition that the talent capable of creating universal art can be born anywhere, including in Bulgaria,“ Valchev said.
BCI Director Desislava Bineva expressed her gratitude to Valchev and his team for publishing LIK’s special issue dedicated to Christo and Jean-Claude.
Journalist Daniel Nenchev stressed that Christo’s story began in Gabrovo. He recalled that when the artist left Bulgaria in 1956, he was escaping “a prison“ and a regime that dictated what artists could paint, say, and create. “To have such a powerful drive for freedom, one must be escaping something that is not freedom. Christo managed to do this brilliantly,“ Nenchev said.
Journalist Evgenia Atanasova said that the fact that so many people attended the event shows that Christo’s art continues to bring people together and remains alive. “Christo had a unique ability to connect people who had absolutely nothing to do with art. His work inspired individuals from all walks of life to engage with his world and to follow his artistic journey for the rest of their lives,” she said. Atanasova shared that her own encounter with Christo and Jean-Claude changed her life forever. “What I find particularly exciting today is that many artists are embracing the approaches pioneered by Christo and Jean-Claude,” she added. Christo has passed on valuable creative tools to younger generations of artists, enabling them to forge their own paths and develop their own artistic language, the journalist said.
Among those attending the event were Bulgaria’s Ambassador to France, Radka Balabanova-Ruleva; Laure Martin-Poulet, Director of L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped; and Didi Yavasheva. The audience, which completely filled the hall of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute, included representatives of Bulgarian schools in France, Bulgarian-born artists, architects, lawyers and writers, and French citizens.
For the French-speaking members of the audience, live interpretation was provided by Kamelia Triboulin-Konaktchieva, principal of the Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian School in Paris.
The event coincided with the presentation in Paris of La Caverne du Pont Neuf, an installation by French artist JR that pays tribute to the work of Christo and Jean-Claude. The project was inspired by their landmark 1985 installation The Pont Neuf Wrapped.
At the end of the evening, Miloshev, Valchev, Yavashev, Bineva, Atanasova, Nenchev, and other guests visited La Caverne du Pont Neuf.
BTA’s LIK magazine issue Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity was published in three translated editions: English, German and French. The French edition was published with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Institute of Air Transport, Sts Constantine and Helena Holding, and INORCOAT.
Since January 2024, LIK magazine has been freely accessible. All issues published since its revival in 2022 can be downloaded in electronic format from BTA’s website. The French issue on Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity is also available on BTA’s website.
