site.btaLIK Magazine Publishes French Issue Dedicated to Artistic Duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude

The issue of LIK magazine that was dedicated in June to Christo Javacheff-Christo (1935-2020) and his wife and collaborator Jeanne-Claude (1962-2009) has now been published in the French language. The edition was created on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of their birth.

The premiere of the French-language issue of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) will take place in June next year in Paris, when the immersive temporary installation by French artist JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf, will be presented. It is inspired by and pays tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s installation The Pont Neuf Wrapped. The project will be open to the public from 6 to 28 June 2026.

The publication of LIK magazine in French is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Air Transport Institute Ltd., St. St. Constantine and Helena Holding AD, and INORCOAT.

In addition to Bulgarian, this year the thematic issue “Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity” was published in translation into three languages - English, German, and French.

The German-language edition was presented on December 8 at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin, where the 30th anniversary of the wrapping of the Reichstag by the artistic duo was marked, along with Christo's birth anniversary. The Bulgarian National Gallery exhibition "The Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin (1971-1995)" was also displayed as part of a joint initiative with the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in the German capital and BTA.

In addition to marking 90 years since Christo's birth (June 13) and 30 years since the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin, the year 2025 has also been a time to celebrate two other art projects by the duo: the wrapping of the Pont Neuf in Paris 40 years ago and the installation "The Gates" in New York, shown 20 years back. These anniversaries are highlighted in the thematic LIK issue under the cover title "Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity".

The premiere of the Bulgarian edition took place on June 25 at the newly established Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre in Gabrovo, the hometown of Javacheff. Guests from BTA's Maksim Hall in Sofia and from the news agency's press clubs in Bulgaria and abroad also joined the event via video link. Among the authors of the edition are Evgenia Atanasova-Teneva, who has established herself as an expert on Christo's work and biography, Margarita Dorovska of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre, and journalist Daniel Nenchev.

Through a thematic chronology, the BTA publication traces the history of Christo Javacheff and his wife as it was reflected in the agency's news coverage over the years. Information about the beginning of their careers is difficult to find as it was usually circulating through confidential bulletins. Over the decades, however, journalists have become increasingly comfortable reporting about and commenting on the work of Jeanne-Claude and Christo. As a result, the LIK timeline includes information about some of their largest projects, including "The Gates" in New York and the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

LIK magazine has been freely accessible since January 2024. All issues from its revival in 2022 to the present can be downloaded in electronic format from the BTA website. The English-language issue on the theme "Christo and Jeanne-Claude at 90 in Eternity" is available at the following link: https://www.bta.bg/bg/lik-magazine/67