Film Screening & Discussion

Christo at 75 (2010)

Special Guest:
Toma Tomov (journalist)

More About Christo at 75:

2010, 52 min.
Author: Toma Tomov
Director: Jezko Davidov
Operator: Emil Topuzov

Synopsis:
Christo, one of the most successful Bulgarian artists, shares his views on life and love, on ownership as an enemy of freedom and on the intensive 16 hour working days. The author, Toma Tomov, uses dialogue in order to reveal some unique details of Christo’s life.

During the film, Christo Yavashev tells us about his childhood in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, and about his impressions as a student in the Academy of the Arts. His ambition to see something more sends him to Prague, where he first sees originals by Klee, Miro and Picasso, and makes the decision not to return to Bulgaria.

At the beginning of his artistic life, the Christo supports himself by painting portraits of members of renowned families in Geneva. Then follow his first exhibitions of rough sculptures made from ordinary, everyday objects. Later on, during his partnership with Jean-Claude, he realises his much larger projects, many of which took him years to complete.