Three million visitors came to admire the Pont Neuf when it was dressed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1985. For the fortieth anniversary of this event, the Pont Neuf will be transformed once again to pay tribute to the two artists, and JR, famous for his monumental trompe-l’œil, will create “La Caverne du Pont Neuf”.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf ” is an amazingly lifelike inflatable structure: 2,400m2 in surface area – 120 meters long – 18 meters high – 18,900m2 of fabric – 20,000m3 of air – 5 tons – 80 structural arches – 800 technicians.
To understand the work, we need to go back to the Covid pandemic. The epidemic had raised JR’s questions about confinement, rupture and rebirth, and his inspiration led him to create La Ferita in Florence (2021), Punto de Fuga in Rome (2021) and La Nascita in Milan (2024). These works, with their giant breaches, suggested the abyss while offering the public a space of freedom towards art, at a time when access to museums had become difficult.
A dialogue between past and present
For this creation, which brings his “post-pandemic” series to a close, JR was inspired by the Lutecian limestone from the Oise region, used to build the bridge in 1607. To reinforce the mineral character of the work, he will be collaborating with Thomas Bangalter, ex-member of Daft Punk, who will produce a new electro-acoustic sound material for the occasion, as well as an augmented reality experience using a simple smartphone.
Sales of works by JR and a partnership with the Amicale des Ponts de Paris endowment fund have made this possible. It will be a sensory and extraordinary plunge into a Pont Neuf revisited, where Victor Hugo’s phrase, ” Anyone who looks deep into Paris is dizzy. Nothing more fantastic, nothing more tragic, nothing more superb “It’s all very meaningful.
Free tours 24 hours a day – June 6 to 28, 2026 – Pont Neuf – Paris
Photo credits: JR
