Many of you are probably familiar with the work of the artist Christo (website). What I did not know is that back in 1994 Christo wrapped a Leica M4 camera for the birthday of his photographer Wolfgang Volz. That same wrapped Leica M4 camera will be listed at the upcoming Wetzlar Camera Auction on October 12th, 2024.
Additional information:
Christo + Jeanne Claude – who doesn’t know them? The spectacular installations of the now deceased artist couple are world famous. Last but not least, the large-scale projects of the wrapped cultural monuments Arc de Triumphe in Paris or the Reichstag in Berlin caused a worldwide sensation and attracted millions of enthusiastic visitors.
In contrast to the temporary installations of the large-scale projects that later became the focus of his work, the Christo design sketches for the wrappings, as well as his earlier Wrapped Objects, are the lasting works and which are among the sought-after rarities on the art market today. Editions were created, such as the Wrapped Books, but also unique pieces.
The German Leica photographer Wolfgang Volz officially accompanied the Christo + Jeanne Claude projects. In the almost 50-year collaboration, not only the photographic documentations of the projects were created, but photography also became an integral part of them. In the case of temporary installations, the photographs are ultimately what remains and are therefore part of the overall work of art.
On the occasion of Wolfgang Volz’s birthday on January 17th 1994, his Leica M4 itself became a wrapping object – as a gift from Christo to “his” highly valued photographer. Up until then, a number of documentations of Christo projects had been created with this camera.
Some time before the wrapping, Wolfgang Volz had redesigned the originally silver chrome-plated Leica M4 with a Summicron 35 mm lens into red/blue – the reason for this was a job commissioned by the German news magazine “Der Spiegel” in the New York Bronx. Volz wanted to take the photos for this series as unobserved as possible and had too many concerns about the eye-catching silver chrome-plated camera. Through the wrapping foil, signed by Christo, with the original cord fastening, the red/blue Leica M4 appears impressively mystic and beautiful.
This previously never-seen unique piece will be sold at our auction number 6, which will take place on October 12th 2024.
