Christo (1935-2020), 1959
Surface d'Empaquetage (Packing surface)
Signed and dated lower right 'Christo '59'
Paint and lacquer on paper, mounted to watermarked laid paper
25 x 18 1/2in (62 x 47cm)
Footnotes:
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Matthias Koddenberg on behalf of the Estate of Christo V. Javacheff.

Provenance
Dr. Alexandre Torodov Collection, Alabama (a gift from the artist).
A gift from the above to the present owner.

Dr. Alexandre 'Sacho' Todorov and Christo were childhood friends in Bulgaria, and later they roomed together in Geneva in the late 1950s where Dr. Todorov was in medical school. Their friendship continued when they both emigrated to America. Over the years, Christo gifted Dr. Todorov various works.

An important, early drawing and one of the first examples that is signed 'Christo' (previously he signed his works 'Javacheff'). Created in 1959, it marks the artist's transition from figuration to abstraction, done at the same time as he began his Wrapped Cans series. In his interview with Matthias Koddenberg (see Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Early Years, 2020, page 30), Christo said that it was not so much about making (or wrapping) an object, but about 'the texture of the object itself.' The title of the drawing translated as 'Packing Surface' makes clear the artist's intentions.