Package on Wheelbarrow

Christo

1963

A weathered wooden wheelbarrow tightly wrapped in cloth and bound with rope and twine, this sculpture turns a humble tool into a sealed, enigmatic package that both conceals and celebrates everyday form.

You first notice the contrast between the soft, bulging white fabric and the rough, flaking wheel and handles—the ropes pulled taut give a sense of arrested motion and domestic labor frozen into an intimate, mysterious object.

An early instance of Christo’s wrapping practice, it reframes ordinary utility as art by emphasizing concealment, temporality, and the poetic transformation of found objects that would lead to his later large-scale public works.

Palette

Art Terms

Sculpture Found object Assemblage Readymade Textile Conceptual art

Exhibitions

Christo Wraps the Museum

1968

For 20 Years: Editions Schellmann

1989

Reinstallation of the Contemporary Galleries

1985

Painting and Sculpture: Recent Acquisitions

1986