JAVACHEFF CHRISTO The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City, 2003

Christo (Javacheff), born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, was renowned for his large-scale "wrapping" sculptures, created in collaboration with his wife Jeanne-Claude, born in Morocco on the same day (June 13, 1935). To combat biases against female artists, they promoted the work under Christo’s name. Despite the scale and controversy of their projects, they stated their art had no deeper meaning beyond aesthetic impact, aiming to create beauty and new ways of seeing familiar landscapes. Their bond grew through their joint art, and they famously flew in separate planes, ensuring one could continue their work if the other’s plane crashed.