The Pont Neuf Wrapped

Christo American, born Bulgaria

1975

Not on view

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

Overview

Inscriptions and Markings

Provenance

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

By Christo

From the same time and place

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Wrapped Roman Sculptures, Project for Die Glyptothek, München

Christo

Jeanne-Claude

1991

Wrapped Building, Project for 1 Times Square, Allied Chemical Tower, New York, Christo American, born Bulgaria, Lithograph with collage of fabric, thread, transparent polyethylene, staples, photograph, map (chine collé), and masking tape; charcoal and white chalk additions — Wrapped Building, Project for 1 Times Square, Allied Chemical Tower, New York
Christo
Jeanne-Claude
1991

Wrapped Newspaper, Christo American, born Bulgaria, Newspaper and cardboard wrapped in plastic and tied with knotted and glued twine — Wrapped Newspaper
Christo
1980–81

Over the River (Project for Arkansas River, Colorado), Christo American, born Bulgaria, Collage of adhered and taped cut paper and printed papers (inkjet prints), wax crayon, acrylic paint, and graphite on paper — Over the River (Project for Arkansas River, Colorado)
Christo
2001

Wrapped Walkway (Two Park Project, Sonsbeek), Christo American, born Bulgaria, Collage of cut, taped, and stapled silver gelatin photographs and folded and stapled fabric, colored pencil, and opaque white paint on board — Wrapped Walkway (Two Park Project, Sonsbeek)
Christo
1970

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