Pont Neuf : Its A Wrap

It takes a lot to get Queerguru’s Paris Editor to leave his chateau on the Seine, ever since The Duchess of Windsor died in her Bois de Boulogne Mansion some 40 years ago …..(he has a VERY long memory).  This week, however, he made an exception to be the official Queerguru Guest to attend the unveiling of the city’s latest rather fabulous artwork.

The French artist JR labeled by the media as France’s Banksy, has shrouded the city’s oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, with swathes of fabric woven to look like the stone on which Paris is built.  It has been inflated over the bridge, creating an art installation called La Caverne. It is a direct tribute to Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude wrapping the Pont Neuf more than 40 years ago.

So now the city’s oldest river crossing is no longer just a bridge but also an overground cave.

The monumental installation by a very active JR, whose previous installations include making the Louvre pyramid disappear, placing large portraits of Israelis and Palestinians working in the same jobs facing each other along the separation wall and Kikito, a giant picture of a toddler peering over the US-Mexico border fence.

The only worrying aspect of this rather fabulous installation is that The Orange Man from The White House is currently in the City snorring his way through an international conference focused on advancing discussions around the Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution. The conference brings together global diplomats, policymakers, and international stakeholders to explore pathways toward a sustainable political settlement, including issues of security, recognition, borders, governance, and long-term peace frameworks. 

God forbid he gets wind of this project and adds it to the list of Monuments he wants to build in Washington to glorify himself