30 years after the veil: Christo and the power of art!

30 years after the veil: Christo and the power of art!

On June 18, 2025, the world looks at an important art project that changed the Berlin skyline 30 years ago. From June 24 to July 7, 1995, the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered the Reichstag with 100,000 square meters of silvery shimmering fabric. This action was not only a spectacular visual event, but also a strong political statement.

The idea for covering enabled a redesign of the perception of one of the most important buildings in Germany. She goes back to a proposal by the US historian Michael Cullen, who already encouraged Christo to cover the Reichstag building in 1971. After 24 years full of doubts and planning, the Bundestag voted in 1994 after a long discussion with 292 votes for the project, while 223 MPs were against it.

The long way to cover

The way to implement was characterized by resistance and criticism; Numerous prominent politicians, including Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel, spoke out against the avant -garde project. However, Rita Süssmuth's election process as President of the Bundestag in 1988 and the fall of the Berlin Wall marked a turning point that strengthened support for the project. Süssmuth and the former Chancellor Willy Brandt vehemently joined the work of art and emphasized its role as a sign of peace and cultural reconciliation.

Christo, who came from Bulgaria, and Jeanne-Claude, who had French roots with Moroccan influence, always worked as an equivalent partner. They financed their solutions through the sale of drawings and designs. The Reichstag project combined the two with their specialty to create temporary art campaigns in public space. Hundreds of climbers and fitters were involved in the comprehensive approval process, which was regarded as an integral part of the art form.

a transient sign of change

The covering was understood as the central element of art; The work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude shapes impermanence. The installation offered a unique experience and attracted over 5 million visitors. The goal was to make the building re -experienced instead of hiding it. After only two weeks, the work of art was dismantled again, which underlined the transience and transient character of the installation. This temporary art campaign was extensively interpreted as a political sign of change and reconciliation.

The upcoming anniversary in 2025 inspired posterity to create new forms of memory of the heritage of the artists. Planned events include image projections on the west facade of the Reichstag, which are to take place from June 9th to 20th, 2025. This immersive experience is supplemented by apps to digitize the memories of the work.

reports on the "Wrapped Reichstag" are part of a wider landscape of art installations in Berlin, which have given the city their international reputation as an artist paradise. Large cultural projects, such as the East Side Gallery or Christo's tribute, stand out for creative expression in public spaces.

Christo died in 2020, Jeanne-Claude as early as 2009, and both artists would have turned 90 in 2025. Her work continues to live through the memory of exciting and transformative art projects. With a look at its most important installations in Berlin, the idea of art in public space is further valued and promoted, while new artistic visions are created in the context of urban development.

For more information about the covering of the Reichstag, the background and the importance of the artists, the articles on Kleine Zeitung , iheartberlin