The Oldest Bridge in Paris Was Swallowed Overnight by a Giant, Inflatable Cave in the Latest Artwork by the ‘French Banksy’
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The Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, has been transformed into an illusion of a giant cave by street artist JR. This temporary art installation, titled La Caverne du Pont-Neuf, features an immersive experience with audio by Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter. The installation will be open to the public from June 6 to June 28, coinciding with several major events in Paris.
- ▪JR's installation uses fabric and air to create the illusion of a rocky cave over the historic bridge.
- ▪The project is inspired by the bridge's history and previous artistic transformations, including one by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1985.
- ▪Visitors can enter the cave and experience a unique soundscape created by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk.
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The Oldest Bridge in Paris Was Swallowed Overnight by a Giant, Inflatable Cave in the Latest Artwork by the ‘French Banksy’ French street artist JR chose the Pont Neuf bridge as the canvas for his latest larger-than-life art installation, created with audio accompaniment by a Daft Punk musician Michele Debczak | Correspondent May 21, 2026 3:04 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source La Caverne du Pont-Neuf under construction in Paris Luc Castel / Getty Images After presiding over the Seine River for more than 400 years, the oldest bridge in Paris is now unrecognizable. The French street artist known as JR transformed the famous Pont Neuf into an illusion of a giant, rocky cave using fabric and a whole lot of air.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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