The Final Christo: Original Works for the Arc de Triomphe Sotheby’s Exhibition of 25 Never-Before-Seen Works by Christo is Now Open to the Public

Middle East: Sixty years ago, Christo and Jeanne-Claude dreamt the impossible: wrapping Paris’s monumental Arc de Triomphe. Now, art lovers and Christo fans around the world are able to unlock an entirely new experience of Christo’s landmark installation, courtesy of Snap’s advanced augmented reality technology. 

Sotheby’s and Snap recently launched the ‘The Final Christo: Original Works for The Arc de Triomphe’ global portal Lens, which overlays Snap’s ground-breaking AR onto Christo’s original works. Available on the main Camera screen of Snapchat, with access from the Snap Map coming early next week, the Lens transports Snapchatters around the world straight to the Place de Charles de Gaulle via their smartphone, enabling anyone to experience the wrapping of the Arc, as well as learn about the 60-year-long artistic process. 



This partnership comes on the heels of Snap’s announcement of its up and coming AR Studio set to launch in Paris. Through this initiative, Snap is excited to drive greater awareness around the potential of augmented reality in France, as well as increase its impact across local arts, education and culture. 

‘The Last Christo: Original Works for The Arc de Triomphe’ global portal Lens showcases how the Snap Camera continues to play a transformative role in how people experience what’s around them, combining what they see in the real world, with all that’s available to them in the digital world.

Sotheby’s Exhibition: The Final Christo 

Coinciding with the opening of Christo’s showstopping public installation, Sotheby’s Paris staged The Final Christo: Original Works for the Arc de Triomphe, an exhibition of 25 never-before-seen artworks created in preparation for the wrapping.  

Sotheby’s exhibition, now open to the public until 3 October, tells the story behind Christo’s six-decade-long odyssey to realise the wrapping of the Arc, and demonstrate the unique genius of an artist who defied all convention. From the germ of an idea through its final execution, and exploring different perspectives, scales, moods and times of day, these are the original works that helped Christo to understand and explain this legendary project as he prepared to bring it to life. The ‘The Final Christo: Original Works for The Arc de Triomphe’ global portal Lens is available to visitors by scanning a Snapcode, located throughout the exhibition. 

For the first time, Sotheby’s is able to reveal the full list of artworks in the exhibition, which come direct from the studio of the artist. Please click here to discover the full list. Images are available on request. 

Each work will be available for private sale with proceeds to benefit both the L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped project, and the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, established to safeguard the artists’ legacy for future generations. Discover more about Sotheby’s exhibition here.