Artist Jeanne-Claude dies aged 74

Jeanne-Claude, and husband Christo, met in Paris in 1958

Artist Jeanne-Claude, whose dramatic installations included wrapping fabric around the Reichstag in Berlin, has died at the age of 74.

The US artist, who worked alongside and under the name of her husband, Christo, died as a result of complications following a ruptured brain aneurysm.

A statement on the couple's website said he was "deeply saddened", but was committed to continuing their work.

"The art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude will continue," he wrote.

The couple - who met in Paris in 1958, and shared the same date of birth - had lived in New York for 45 years.

Recent work included 2005's The Gates, a highly-publicised installation which saw 23 miles of saffron drapes hung from a series of specially designed frames in New York's Central Park.

More than five million people saw The Gates in Central Park in 2005

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg called The Gates "one of the most exciting public art projects ever put on anywhere in the world."

"New York City lost one of our great artists," he added.

The pair were well-known for their temporary "wrapping" installations, which saw them encase the Reichstag in Berlin, a Roman wall in Italy and a series of islands off the Florida coast with fabric.

Another project - in 1991 - involved thousands of yellow and blue umbrellas positioned across miles of inland valleys in Japan and California.

Currently unfinished installations include the Over The River project, spanning the Arkansas river in the state of Colorado, and The Mastaba in the United Arab Emirates, a pyramid-like structure made of 410,000 brightly-coloured oil barrels.

"Each project is a child of ours," Jeanne-Claude once said, adding that their favourite was "the next one".

The artist's body will be donated for scientific research in accordance with her wishes.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.