How JR Transformed Paris's Oldest Bridge Into a Massive Grotto

JR has installed La Caverne du Pont Neuf on Paris’s Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge over the Seine and the city’s first stone bridge. The installation, measuring 120 meters long, 20 meters wide, and up to 18 meters tall, will welcome guests starting June 6. Inside, sound and augmented reality will be available to visitors. The project follows a five-year run of large-scale trompe l'oeil works across Florence, Rome, and Milan. It is inspired by The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris (1975–85) by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, with support from their foundation. The L'Amicale des Ponts de Paris endowment fund led the effort with contributions from Snap Inc., Bloomberg Philanthropies, Paris Aéroport, and Salesforce. JR also links the work to Retour à la Caverne (2023) and to his practice of partnering with the public.

"Still warm from unveiling his facade for the Venice Venice Hotel during the Venice Biennale, JR's hotly awaited hometown installation La Caverne du Pont Neuf (2026) measures 120 meters long, 20 meters wide, and, in some spots, 18 meters tall. On June 6, it will start welcoming guests inside, where sound and augmented reality await. More than 800 people would have helped pull it off."

"This artistic undertaking concludes a five-year series of large-scale trompe l'oeil works by JR, spanning La Ferita (2021) in Florence, Punto di Fuga (2021) in Rome, and La Nascita (2024) in Milan. This latest project takes its cue from The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris (1975-85), the beloved installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, with the blessing of the late artists' foundation."

"The L'Amicale des Ponts de Paris endowment fund spearheaded for the project, with contributions from Snap Inc., Bloomberg Philanthropies, Paris Aéroport, and Salesforce. JR has also said that this latest installation concludes inquiries initiated by Retour à la Caverne (2023), a similarly rocky public artwork on the facade of Paris's Opéra Garnier, which dancers activated that same year."

"There's no way JR could have created Retour à la Caverne alone. When addressing how to put his own spin Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Pont Neuf Wrapped, he looked to the iconic bridge at its most basic level, endeavoring to reunite its Lutetian limestone with the Paris Basin it was once quarried from. Realistically, illusion would be necessary."

Read at Artnet News