The Pont Neuf Wrapped
Used for both planning and fundraising purposes, this particular work was created by Christo in advance of a stunning, complicated project on which he worked collaboratively with his partner, Jeanne-Claude, and dozens of engineers and city planners called The Pont Neuf Wrapped, conceived in 1975 and executed in 1985. Christo and Jeanne-Claude are pioneers in the field of environmental art, envisioning radically new forms of outdoor public art. In the case of The Pont Neuf Wrapped, they wrapped the oldest bridge in Paris, a major cultural monument, with 450,000 square feet of woven polyamide fabric, silky in texture and golden in appearance. The fabric both obscured and abstracted the bridge, lending it a shimmering, almost celestial appearance that echoed the effect of light on the Seine beneath. The installation lasted fourteen days, and it survives only in the form of photographs and maquettes like this one.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Pont Neuf Wrapped
- Artist: Christo (American (born Bulgaria), Gabrovo 1935–2020 New York)
- Date: 1975
- Medium: Graphite, wax crayon, fabric, string, gelatin silver photograph and commercially printed paper on paperboard.
- Dimensions: 28 × 22 1/8 in. (71.1 × 56.2 cm)
- Classification: Works on Paper
- Credit Line: Gift of Mireille and James Levy, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.2.6
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.