Paris's Oldest Bridge, Pont Neuf, Transformed into a Colossal Inflatable Cave

French street artist JR has created a massive inflatable cave installation beneath Paris's oldest bridge, Pont Neuf. The work, titled "La Caverne du Pont Neuf," is dedicated to the memory of legendary artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The installation opens to the public on 6 June.

A striking street art installation in Paris has rendered the city's oldest bridge, Pont Neuf, entirely unrecognizable — French artist JR has created an enormous inflatable cave beneath the bridge that invites visitors to feel as though they are in an underground world.

The installation, titled "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" or Pont Neuf Cave, opens to the public on 6 June. The work is dedicated to the memory of two legendary conceptual artists — Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon — who are best known for wrapping large public structures and landscapes.

What makes the connection to Christo and Jeanne-Claude particularly symbolic is that they wrapped Pont Neuf in golden fabric in 1985 as one of their most renowned art projects. JR's new work honours that legacy by giving the bridge once again a new, unique artistic form.

JR is internationally recognized for his large-scale street photography and installations that dominate urban space and bring the art world to a wider public. The Pont Neuf cave is among his most ambitious works to date.