Paris: “La Caverne du Pont-Neuf” by artist JR damaged, opening to the public postponed

The Cavern of Pont Neuf, which wraps the eponymous building in Paris, an ephemeral installation designed by the artist JR, was damaged Tuesday afternoon and its opening scheduled for Saturday is postponed, indicated the project partners in a press release sent to Figaro. The canvas of the work was partly torn, revealing the inflatable structure which overlooks the bridge below, according to images posted on social networks.

“The project’s technical and engineering experts are actively working to determine the precise causes”wrote the Atelier JR, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation and the Amicale des Ponts de Paris in a press release. These partners did not specify the extent and origin of the damage, although a gust of wind and showers crossed the capital earlier in the afternoon. “As soon as the situation has been assessed, we will inform you”they assured. Four days before the launch, “the decision was taken to postpone the opening of the work to a date later than June 6, which will be defined in the light of the conclusions of the inventory”they also announced.

Skip the ad

Controversial work

The Cavern of Pont-Neuf has imposing dimensions: 120 m long, 20 m wide, 2400 m2 of floor space and a height varying between 12 and 18 m. She draws the rocky appearance of a cave in trompe l’oeil by mixing white, black and different shades of gray. It was designed to be borrowed on foot free of charge 24 hours a day by the curious and passers-by, an immersion whose sound universe was entrusted to the electro composer Thomas Bangalter, ex-member of the duo Daft Punk.

This monumental work is a tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the artist couple, now deceased, who wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric in 1985, attracting millions of visitors. It was imagined by JR, 43, who became famous with his XXL photographic collages and trompe l’oeil paintings that he exhibited in favelas from Rio to New York via Nepal. According to him, she “will juxtapose the raw and wild with the refined elegance of Paris, creating a dialogue between past and present”.