Two Monuments, Two Cities

September — October 2021

Fabric panels are being unfurled in front of the outer walls of the Arc de Triomphe
Paris, September 12, 2021
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Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation

In Paris and Washington D.C., the Autumn of 2021 presented two memorials that reflected the process of memory, struggle and loss — most recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On September 18th after 60 years of planning, Christo and Jeanne-Claude posthumously unveiled “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961–2021” in the center of the Place de l’Étoile, located on the Champs-Élysées. This manifold masterpiece was on view for two weeks, until October 3rd, and transformed monumentality into an experience. Tourism to Paris was momentarily revived as citizens around the world traveled long distances to walk around this 19th-century arch of victory.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude
L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961–2021
Paris, 2021
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Photo: Benjamin Loyseau
© 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. In America: Remember. 2021. Photograph by Jonathan Thorpe.

From September 17th to October 3rd, Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg unveiled a sprawling temporary exhibit titled “In America: Remember”. Consisting of at least 660,000 small, white flags placed within the grounds of the National Mall, Firstenberg sought to remember each person who has been lost to the Covid-19 pandemic. “In America: Remember” is the largest work of public art on the National Mall since the AIDS Quilt. By the time Firstenberg’s installation concluded, the number of deaths due to Covid had reached beyond 700,000.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. In America: Remember. 2021. Photograph by Jonathan Thorpe.

Jill Conner, New York