Christo Drawings: A Gift from the Maria Bechily and Scott Hodes Collection at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) on view through June 11, 2023

Christo. Surrounded Islands, Project for Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1983. Drawing in two parts. 15 x 96 inches and 42 x 96 inches. Pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint, fabric sample and photostatic map
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift from the collection of Scott Hodes and Maria Bechily. Photo: Eeva-Inkeri. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.



Christo. The Wall, Project for 13,000 Oil Barrels Wall, Gasometer, Oberhausen, 1999. Collage. 11 x 14 inches. Pencil, enamel paint, photograph by Wolfgang Volz, wax crayon, technical data and tape, on brown cardboard
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift from the collection of Scott Hodes and Maria Bechily. Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.



Christo. The Umbrellas, Joint Projects for Japan and USA, 1989. Collage in two parts. 30 ½ x 26 ¼ inches and 30 ½ x 12 inches. Pencil, pastel, enamel paint, fabric, wax crayon, charcoal and map. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift from the collection of Scott Hodes and Maria Bechily. Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift from the collection of Scott Hodes and Maria Bechily. Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.



Christo. The Umbrellas, Joint Projects for Japan and USA, 1989. Collage in two parts. 30 ½ x 26 ¼ inches and 30 ½ x 12 inches. Pencil, pastel, enamel paint, photograph by Wolfgang Volz, fabric, crayon, charcoal and map
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift from the collection of Scott Hodes and Maria Bechily. Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.



Christo. The Floating Piers (Project for Lake Iseo, Italy), 2014. Graphite, charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, enamel paint, fabric sample, topographic map, and adhesive tape. Two parts: 15 x 96 inches (top); 42 x 96 inches (bottom)
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, promised gift of Scott Hodes and Maria C. Bechily. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.



Christo (born Christo Vladmirov Javacheff) and his wife and artistic collaborator Jeanne-Claude made an inestimable impact on the history of art since the mid-20th century. Together, they created large-scale, ephemeral, public art projects, involving dramatic interventions in carefully selected outdoor locations. With a career that spans nearly six decades, their work has helped to expand the definition of art beyond paintings and sculptures, envisioning instead a radically democratic art form capable of speaking directly to broad audiences across a full spectrum of society in public space.

This exhibition presents stellar works gifted to PAMM by Christo’s longtime friends Maria Bechily and Scott Hodes. These are fine examples of Christo’s drawing practice, which constitutes a pivotal aspect of his production. Christo and Jeanne-Claude declined all financial support from governments, institutions, single patrons, and foundations, choosing to fund their massive projects through the direct sales of drawings such as these. These works memorialize the projects and represent an alternative to the traditional funding structures for art. Collectively, the drawings exemplify an expansive overview of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s oeuvre, comprising their major projects spanning from the late 1960s to the early 2000s.


Organization and Support

Christo Drawings: A Gift from the Maria Bechily and Scott Hodes Collection is organized by former PAMM Curator María Elena Ortiz.