JR's Caverne du Pont-Neuf: 6,4 million viewers and 535,000 visitors in just 13 days

The results for the Caverne du Pont-Neuf are impressive. The monumental installation by artist JR, which closed on June 28, attracted 6,4 million people between May 20 and June 28, according to an estimate by Paris Je t'aime, the Parisian tourism office, based on data from Orange Flux Vision Tourisme. This figure includes visitors who discovered the artwork from the banks of the Seine. In a joint statement, the City of Paris, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, JR, the Amicale des Ponts de Paris (Paris Bridges Association), and the tourism office emphasize that these results are "all the more significant given that the period was punctuated by twenty-one days of intense heat," which encouraged Parisians to stay home and prompted many travelers to cancel their trips. For comparison, the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe by Christo and Jeanne-Claude's nephew five years ago was seen by 6 million people.

535,000 visitors in 13 days, more than the Louvre on a daily basis

The interior opening of the Caverne du Géant, initially scheduled for June 6, was postponed after powerful gusts of wind and a hailstorm tore the exterior canvas on June 2. After nine days of repairs carried out in workshops in Brittany, the first visitors were able to enter the structure on June 15. In just thirteen days of operation, 535,000 people passed through this 120-meter-long trompe-l'œil grotto, an average of 41,154 visitors per day—more than the Louvre, which is limited to 30,000 visitors daily. Several nationalities were overrepresented compared to the same period in 2025: Argentinians (+54,7%), Canadians (+23,3%), and Americans (+14,1%). From an environmental standpoint, the organizers had set a target of reusing 90% of the materials. The interior structure will be preserved by the JR studio near Paris, while the decarbonized steel panels will be recycled. The exterior canvas, meanwhile, "will have a second life befitting the shared emotions," according to the press release, "in France, in Paris as well as in the regions," along three lines: connecting, sheltering, and inspiring.