View of the interior of La Caverne du Pont Neuf (Preparatory sketch), Paris, 2026. (Photo: Courtesy Atelier JR © 2026 Atelier JR)
Forty years after Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped Paris’ Pont Neuf in golden fabric, French artist JR has returned to the historic bridge with a monumental intervention of his own. La Caverne du Pont Neuf transforms the 17th-century landmark into a giant cave that visitors can explore free of charge, day and night.
In 1985, Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered the Pont Neuf with 40,000 square meters (over 430,00 square feet) of champagne-colored fabric, attracting 3 million visitors and creating one of the most iconic public art projects in history. JR takes a very different approach. Instead of concealing the bridge, he appears to crack it open.
Through a massive trompe-l’œil installation, jagged rock formations seem to burst from the structure’s arches. Stretching 120 meters (almost 394 feet) long, 20 meters (almost 66 feet) wide, and up to 18 meters (about 59 feet) high, the artwork covers 2,400 square meters (about 25,833 square feet) of printed inflatable fabric. Visitors can experience it from nearly every vantage point, whether walking across the bridge, cycling along the Seine, cruising on the water, or viewing it from nearby landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower.
The installation draws directly from the bridge’s history. Completed in 1607, the Pont Neuf was the first bridge in Paris built entirely without wood. Builders constructed it from Lutetian limestone, or pierre de Paris, quarried from beneath the city. With La Caverne du Pont Neuf, JR imagines the geological world hidden beneath one of Paris’ most recognizable landmarks.
To realize the ambitious installation, JR partnered with Air Toiles Concept, a Brittany-based workshop specializing in large inflatable structures. Together, they developed a lightweight system that protects the historic bridge while creating a walk-through cavern. The team printed the fabric in France using water-based inks and tested a 15-meter-high (49-foot-high) prototype inside an airport hangar before installation began. Once the project closes, organizers plan to repurpose all of the materials.
The experience extends beyond the visual. Inside the cave, visitors encounter an immersive soundscape by Thomas Bangalter, formerly of Daft Punk, who previously collaborated with JR at the Opéra Garnier. An augmented reality experience developed with Snap’s AR Studio Paris reveals additional elements of the artwork through mobile devices and AR glasses available on site.
Like Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s famous Pont Neuf project before it, La Caverne du Pont Neuf receives no public funding. JR finances the installation through the sale of his artwork and support from private partners. Created in collaboration with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, the project reimagines one of Paris’ most iconic landmarks while paying tribute to its history.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf will be accessible by the public from June 6 to June 28. To keep up to date with the innovative artist’s work, you can follow JR on Instagram.
Forty years after Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric, JR returns to the historic bridge with a monumental cave-like intervention.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf (Preparatory sketch), Paris, 2026. (Photo: Courtesy Atelier JR © 2026 Atelier JR)
JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf (esquisse préparatoire), Collage 2026, Paper cutout on paper, 25.5 x 41 cm (10 x 16⅛ in). Photo: Courtesy Atelier JR © 2026 Atelier JR.
The installation appears to crack open the landmark, revealing a fictional geological world inspired by the limestone hidden beneath Paris.
Production of the fabric for La Caverne du Pont Neuf by Air Toiles Concept in Plougoumelen.
Production of the fabric for La Caverne du Pont Neuf by Air Toiles Concept in Plougoumelen Britanny, 2026. (Photo: Éléa Jeanne Schmitter © 2026 Atelier JR)
JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf, Paris, 2026. (Photo: Éléa Jeanne Schmitter © 2026 Atelier JR)
JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf (esquisse préparatoire), Collage 2026, Paper cutout on paper, 25.5 x 41 cm (10 x 16⅛ in). (Photo: Courtesy Atelier JR © 2026 Atelier JR)
Alongside an immersive soundscape and augmented reality experience, La Caverne du Pont Neuf invites visitors to see one of the city's most recognizable monuments in an entirely new way.
JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf, Paris, 2026. (Photo: Éléa Jeanne Schmitter © 2026 Atelier JR)
JR, La Caverne du Pont Neuf, Paris, 2026. (Photo: Éléa Jeanne Schmitter © 2026 Atelier JR)
JR during the production of the fabric of La Caverne du Pont Neuf by Air Toiles Concept in Plougoumelen
Britanny, 2026. (Photo: Éléa Jeanne Schmitter © 2026 Atelier JR)
