JR's Cave on the Pont-Neuf partially dismantled: repairs are progressing, but no opening date has been announced.

On Monday, the spectacle offered by La Caverne on the Pont-Neuf was, to say the least, disappointing. The trompe-l'œil outer canvas that gave JR's installation its rocky appearance had been removed from both ends of the bridge, revealing the white inflatable structure along almost its entire 120-meter length. Only the central third of the artwork still retained its mineral-like designs. "It's a bit sad to look at today," sighed a passerby from the bridge, according to France Télévisions. JR, for his part, is refraining from announcing a new opening date. On Instagram, he only confirmed that an exceptional weather event on June 2nd had indeed damaged the installation.

A string of bad luck from the start, repairs currently underway in workshops in Brittany

Bad luck has plagued La Caverne from the start. On May 11, during the first stage of packing the pillars, the nighttime temperature was three degrees Celsius. The inflation of the structure then had to be postponed three times due to excessively strong winds. A heat wave complicated the teams' work, before the temperature plummeted, causing the damage on June 2. During the night of June 5-6, the torn sections of the canvas left Paris for the workshops of the Breton company that had manufactured it. The repair of the inflatable structure itself is expected to be carried out on-site. In the meantime, some thirty mediators, whose contracts were already signed before the incidents, are permanently stationed near the Pont-Neuf to answer questions from curious onlookers and visitors. Scott Cohen, an American artist who has worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude, to whom the artwork pays homage, is one of them. "There are bound to be unforeseen circumstances in this kind of project," he says. “In fact, it’s even part of the process,” he smiled to France Télévisions. “Christo was all about negotiating permits. JR, on the other hand, is all about the weather!” While awaiting the reopening, JR invites his fans to discover the sketches of the installation at the Perrotin Gallery, 76 rue de Turenne in Paris, until July 25 (Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 18 p.m.).