BOOK:Wrapped Trees, Taschen Publications

A limited edition book is a book that is released in a limited quantity print run, usually less than 1000 copies. The term connotes a level of scarcity or exclusivity. The term also implies that no further additional printings of the book will be released with the same design treatment.

By Efi Michalarou

Taschen Publications presents “Wrapped Trees”, a Limited Multilingual Edition of 1,000 copies worldwide, each numbered and signed by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Wolfgang Volz with an original cibachrome and a piece of the original fabric. Christo & Jeanne-Claude have worked in collaboration since 1961, and lived in New York City since 1964. Starting on 13/11/98, 178 trees were wrapped with 55.000 m² of woven polyester fabric, used every winter in Japan to protect trees from frost and heavy snow and 23 km of rope. The wrapping was completed on 22/11. The trees are located in the park around the Fondation Beyeler and in the adjacent meadow as well as along the creek of Berower Park, northeast of Basel, at the German border. The project was organized by Josy Kraft, project director and by Wolfgang and Sylvia Volz, project managers, who also surveyed the trees and designed the sewing patterns for each tree. As they have always done, Christo and Jeanne-Claude paid the expenses of the project themselves through the sale of original works to museums, private collectors and galleries. The artists do not accept any sponsorship. Wolfgang Volz has worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude as the exclusive photographer of their works since 1971. He was also project director with Roland Specker for the project “Wrapped Reichstag”. This volume traces the conception to the realization via preparatory drawings, collages, and plans as well as photographs of the Wrapped Trees.