The London Mastaba

On Sunday, we made a quick day trip from Dublin to London to see the Mastaba.  The Mastaba is a temporary art project on display at London's Hype Park from 18 June to 23 September 2018.  It is made of 7,506 barrels stacked horizontally on a floating platform on Lake Serpentine.

Christo, a Bulgarian artist, managed to escape to Vienna, via Prague, in 1957.  He moved to  and eventually married Jeanne-Claude Denat de Gullebon who many thought to be just his manager but it was later revealed that she was his co-artist.  In 1973 Christo became an American citizen.

For almost 50 years they have collaborated on grand but temporary works across the world.  Their projects tend to be large and sometimes controversial.  They include wrapping the Berlin Reichstag and Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris and curtains in New York City's Central Park.  She passed away in 2009.

I believe that this is his first public work on display in the UK.  The Mastaba is entirely funded by Christo through the sale of his work.  Public money is never used and he doesn't accept sponsorship, so that outside influence can't influence his artistic vision.

Hyde Park is 140 hectares (350 acres) located in Central London.  It is the largest of the four Royal Parks.  Henry VIII established the park as a hunting ground in 1536.In 1637 it was opened to the public.

The Mustaba was impressive!  Plus London is always a great place to spend a nice sunny Sunday.  Here's a short video I found out on YouTube about Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

©Quartz