JR Turns Paris’ Oldest Bridge Into an Overground Cave

Summary

• French artist JR unveils his latest installation, “La Caverne du Pont Neuf”
• Inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1985 work on the Parisian bridge, the work wraps the structure in fabric to resemble a limestone cave
• Passersby can step into the installation, which also features an earthy soundscape by Thomas Bangalter and a custom olfactory atmosphere

A stone cave rises above the Seine River, courtesy of artist JR. The French artist, known for his colossal graphic interventions in the busiest of landmarks, just opened his latest work, “La Caverne du Pont Neuf,” transforming the 17th-century Pont Neuf bridge into an immersive, rocky tunnel of sight, smell, and sound.

After facing weather-related damages and delays, the piece was unveiled yesterday and is open around the clock through June 28. It’s created as a tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1985 “The Pont Neuf Wrapped,” in which the duo cloaked the entire bridge in golden fabric. JR’s piece, inspired by quarries from which much of the city’s architecture is built, similarly wraps the bridge using 18,900 square feet of fabric and the image of Lutetian limestone, turning Paris’ material history inside out.

Stretching 120 meters long in 80 inflated canvas arches, the structure is designed to disorient. “It is a symbolic crossing, a step into the unknown, a journey within oneself,” explains JR. “I designed the crossing of ‘La Caverne’ as an experience where fullness and emptiness exist in balance.” A custom electroacoustic soundscape by Thomas Bangalter (formerly of Daft Punk) and an olfactory design by expert perfumer Sarah Bouasse and Odore Scola elevates the surreal experience, evoking the ancient and earthy across the senses.

Of his most monumental works, the cave is a recurring motif for JR. “La Caverne du Pont Neuf” culminates a series the artist began in 2020, exploring themes of isolation and detachment through massive trompe-l’oeil architectural takeovers in Florence, Milan, and Rome. With this image of disillusionment, tied to Plato’s cave, is also that of humans’ early cave paintings, grounding the viewer in a shared history of art and connection. And such is the case with the ongoing Paris work: a contemporary landmark-turned prehistoric sanctuary that marries raw geological history with the urban elegance of its present.

“La Caverne du Pont Neuf” is now up in Paris, and to celebrate the moment, Galerie Perrotin has also mounted a companion exhibition of new works by JR, on view through July 25.