Early Christo works to be exhibited in 18th century London townhouse

Pieces reveal the artist's early interest in every day objects

Outside 4, Princelet Street, London, where the works will be shown. Photo: Gagosian

A brass candelabra and a pair of leather-healed shoes wrapped in plastic packaging are among the objects the artist Christo chose to express ideas of movement, migration and preservation.

They form part of a presentation of early work by Christo by the Gagosian gallery, which will go on display in a grade two listed Georgian house in East London in October

Produced in the 1960s and 1970s, these early sculptural works reveal the artist's interest in mundane, every day objects years before he began making the large-scale public works that he became known for.

Christo Javacheff was a political refugee who escaped Stalin-era Bulgaria to Prague, then relocating to Vienna, Geneva, Paris and eventually New York. This defined him as an eternal wanderer – “l’etranger”, as he referred to himself.

He and his wife Jeanne-Claude Genat de Guillebon became known for their monumental collaborative contemporary art works. These often involved wrapping large landscapes and buildings in fabric.

Among their most famous works was the wrapping of Berlin's Reichstag, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the gates of New York City's Central Park. A 150m high prismatic sculpture by Christo and Jeanne Claude is planned to be built in the Abu Dhabi desert.

Together, they came to redefine the relationship between art and public space, expanding the possibilities of scale and transforming familiar landscapes.

The exhibition will reveal how the artist, even at this formative stage of his career, responded creatively to domestic and urban environments, drawing attention to overlooked details by obscuring them from view.

The exhibition is part of Gagosian Open, a new series by the gallery showcasing artworks in unusual spaces. In this case, the choice of 4, Princelet Street in the East End was an opportunity to attract audiences and visitors beyond the traditional collector circles in London's Mayfair.

Christo's story is echoed by the exhibition venue itself, which has been home to successive migrant families.

The property was first constructed in 1723 to house Huguenot migrants – the UK’s first refugees. The area has since welcomed Irish linen workers, Eastern European Jews, Jews from the Netherlands, and most recently members of Spitalfields’s large Bangladeshi community.

The presentation will coincide with another Gagosian presentation at their gallery in Basel, that gathers other sculptures by Christo alongside preparatory drawings and collages for large-scale projects.

Selected Works marks the 25th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s last project in the city in 1998, when they wrapped 178 trees around the Fondation Beyeler in 55,000 square metres of woven polyester fabric.

Selected works from both exhibitions will be for sale through the gallery.

The exhibition at 4, Princelet Street, London, runs from October 6 to 22.