World renowned artist and visionary Christo has created a floating 'mastaba' installation within the iconic setting of the Serpentine Lake.

This is the artist's first major public, outdoor work in the UK. The artist, born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria, is best known for having wrapped the entire Reichstag in Berlin and the Pont Neuf in Paris as well as creating a floating dock wrapped in shimmering yellow fabric that connected various points on Italy’s Lake Iseo.

The temporary sculpture coincides with an exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work (19 June to 9 September 2018), which includes sculptures, drawings, collages and photographs spanning more than 60 years. Both projects draw on Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s history of barrel artworks and is an unprecedented opportunity to experience the work of one of the most pioneering artists. 

Inspired by trapezoidal structures that originated in Mesopotamia, this Mastaba is 20 metres tall, 30 metres wide and 40 metres long and covers about 1% of the lake’s total surface - consisting of 7,506 horizontally stacked barrels on a floating platform. Set to challenge where art can be encountered and by whom and - together with the Serpentine show - provides an unprecedented insight into Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work.

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