The bridges of Paris. Episode 1 : The Pont Neuf
37 links between two banks, sometimes giving the impression they are preventing the islands from following the current and flowing into the sea with the Seine. The often have their feet in the water, seven-league boots that resist and endless current. When you stop in front of their piers, you see these prows, motionless yet cutting through the waves as if they returning to their source. Every bridge has it own story, of course, but some deserve a little more attention.
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Episode 1 : The Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is the oldest of all bridges that can be seen today in Paris. Other older wooden bridges have disappeared. Other, built after it, have also been destroyed and replaced. Construction began under Henry III in 1578, and was completed in 1607 un Henry IV, whose equestrian statue, inspired by antiquity, stands between the two parts of the bridge. It was melted down during the Revolution and restored…during the Restoration. The Bridge has stood the test of time and shows no signs of weakness. Its foundations are made of wood, like those of Notre Dame or Venice, consisting of forests of piles driven into the bed of the Seine. Together with the Place Dauphine (name after the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII), it constitutes one of the first urban development projects in Paris.
Giuseppe Canella – Ile de la Cité and the Pont-neuf, seen from the quai du Louvre, 1832 (Carnavalet Museum)
This bridge was new, not because it had just been built, wich was the case for all bridges at the beginning of their career, but new in terms of its novelty and modernity. Is was the first to be built of stone in a long time; the first to have sidewalks, allowing people to walk safely ans sheltered from the dirt of the roadway; the first not to be covered with houses. The were indeed shops above each pier, like the watchtowers of a fortified castle, but they were few and far between and had no upper floors.
Under these stalls were storage rooms and cellars, nestled in thickness of the piles and connected to each other by underground passageway beneath the bridge deck.
The alcoves overlooking the Seine were cleared, of the shops that occupied them in the 19th century, and they are now among the most beautiful public benches in Paris. As a teenager, it was one of my favorite destinations for bike or moped trips. I would sit there for hours, overlooking the Seine, reading and basking in the sun.
And since I’m on the subject of personal memories, I really liked Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s wrapping of the bridge in 1985. At the time, I was studying for my exam to move up to the second year of architecture school. My school was very close by, on the left bank. The stairs leading down to the Square du Vert Galand had also been covered in canvas; the sounds of the city were muffled there. Sitting on the steps, I found a place to concentrate, which was quite precious to me.
On the massive retaining wall that contains this staircase, below, downstream a small plaque reads that Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned here in March 1314. The pyre was probably somewhere under the current Place Dauphine.
We do not know what his last words were to Pope Clement and King Philip (IV, also known as the Fair), but Maurice Druont, in Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings) depicts him cursing his executioners with these words :
“Pop Clement! Knight Guillaume! King Philip! Within a year, I summon you to appear before the court of God to receive your juste punishment. Damned! Damned! May you all be damned to the thirteenth generation of your races!.”
The mascarons of the Pont-Neuf
With the mascarons of the Pont, the Samaritaine pump, the Monnaie lock-dam, and undoubtedly many other curiosities, this end of the Ile de la Cité, this floating cradle of Paris, is a dense place, always at the forefront… Is it a bow or a stern? It all depends on your point of view.
View of the Pont Neuf and the Samaritaine Pump in Paris in 1743 – Hyacinthe de la Peigne – Museum of Fine Arts of Vienna
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The article is written by Philippe Fournié
To mark the exhibition devoted to Malian photography currently on view at Quai de la Photo, photographer, academician and frequent traveler Françoise Huguier, who also initiated the Biennale de Bamako, climbed aboard Murano for a symbolic voyage down the Seine. Known for her visual narratives from the far reaches of the world, she spoke of her intimate relationship with rivers, navigation, creation and memory. This journey became a privileged moment for exchange and reflection on her artistic universe and the importance of travel in her photographic approach.
Does navigation or the idea of the river bring to mind any particular memories of your travels?
The first river that brought to mind a whole life story was the Mekong, in 1950 in Cambodia, when I was a prisoner of the Việt Minh at the age of 8. To get to the camp in a virgin forest, they took us by pirogue from Kompong-Tiam to Kratié.
And in 1980, I was lucky enough to get a visa for Burma. I travelled by boat on the Irrawaddy, from Mandalay to Pagan, a major Buddhist archaeological site, with numerous monasteries, pagodas and temples. I was able to photograph the ports of call at each of the rather long stopovers.
Mali, like other places you’ve visited, is often crossed by rivers. Has this proximity to water influenced your way of seeing or photographing?
The Niger River flows through Mali… Malick Sidibé’s photos of bathers on the banks of the Niger, particularly women in bathing suits and even naked, gave me the idea of taking the boat from Koulikoro, which is the port of Bamako, and going as far as Timbuktu. Before that, I was inspired by Mopti and the whole Peul region, where the locals would come into the water to offer us fruit and vegetables. This enabled me to photograph people up close. In Timbuktu, I knew there were hippos in the Niger, so I took a pirogue to go and photograph them. Unfortunately, when hippos are in the water, you can only see two small ears. But as luck would have it, on the other side of the river, a herd of dromedaries passed by, so I took pictures repeatedly, and the last dromedary passed by just as the bozo piroguier lowered his head. That’s when I pressed the shutter release. And that photo, where everything happens on the left, became an iconic image.
“The Bozo fisherman, Timbuktu, 1988. Cover of Françoise Huguier’s book “Sur les traces de l’Afrique fantôme” (ed. Maeght, 1990) © Françoise Huguier
How do you see the link between travel, observation and creation in your work?
Before traveling, I read a lot – L’Afrique fantôme, in the footsteps of Michel Leiris, or about polar Siberia for Kommunalka. Reading gives me ideas. And what’s important to me are the people, the light, the framing… I’ve never been influenced by other photographers, rather by film directors, such as Tarkovsky for polar Siberia.
If you had to associate a word or image with the Seine today, which would you choose?
What stands out for me when I’m at the Quai de la Photo are all the barges that go by. I thought there were fewer and fewer of them, but every time I sit down and look around, I still see lots of them. It reminds me of Jean Vigo’s film L’Atalante.
© crédit photo : Marion Briffod
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L’exposition « Un autre Mali dans un autre monde » est à découvrir à Quai de la Photo jusqu’au 1er juin 2025.
Every year, new adventures are written on the Seine. Aboard each of Seine Avenue’s boats, passionate men and women work hard every day to offer you special moments suspended out of time, between sky and water, heritage and poetry. Today, I invite you to discover the men and women who make the heart of our fleet beat faster.
At the helm of this 2025 season you will find a tight-knit duo formed by Yoan and Arthur, both operations managers. They join forces to ensure fluid synergy between the crews and operations.
On board, Balthazar and Rosa embody the elegance and mastery needed to welcome passengers with professionalism and kindness, accompanied by Térence and Claire, attentive deckhands, bringing their attention to the smallest detail.
Our captains Laura, Nils, Arthur (yes, a second one!) and Jules take the helm with unfailing skill, carefully ensuring that each cruise runs smoothly.
Philippe, founder of Seine Avenue, continues to instill his vision into the whole project, ensuring the continuity of a beautiful human and nautical mechanism. He is accompanied by Gauthier, our sales manager, whose energy is focused on development and partnerships
Behind the scenes is Éloïse, our customer relations manager. She is your first voice and your first smile when you contact us. And Martin, our administrator, ensures the stability of internal operations.
We wish you a great season and a wonderful time aboard our boats! 🌊
Derrière la caméra
My name is Marion, and if you happen to see photos of this wonderful team (whether candid or posed!) chances are I’m the one behind the lens. My role is to capture the everyday moments of those who bring unforgettable experiences to life on the Seine.
Through my images, I strive to reflect the soul of this human and floating adventure, between reflections and truths, gestures and smiles. See you soon for the rest of the season, either on the water or through my images!
© crédit photo : Marion Briffod
We had the privilege to receive french photographer Franck Desplanques aboard Murano, whose works are currently on display at Quai de la Photo. This encounter along the Seine was the opportunity to explore his universe and to understand how the voyage feeds his look and artistic approach.
The Murano thus turned into a place for discussion and reflection while we talked about travelling and photographing. A moment out of time, as the artist shared his experiences on the way each journey feeds his inspiration, how it changes the way he looks at the world.
Franck Desplanques captures through his lens the diversity of indigenous cultures all around the globe. His work isn’t only limited to a documentary approach, it also aims at reaching beyond the usual code and practices to provide a sensible and immersive view upon the daily life of these communities. Far from the cold objectivity of a photoreport, his images are filled with a visual poetry that rightfully renders the deep ties between a population and its environment.
At the heart of his approach, the voyage is a constant encounter: with territories, faces, and ways of life. Observing is not enough, one needs to feel, listen and understand. Franck’s pictures are the result of this immersion, of the proximity that he develops with the inhabitants of the landscapes he comes across. Each image thus becomes a fragment of a journey, an invitation to discover tales and traditions that are often overlooked.
Through his exhibition, Franck Desplanques offers us the possibility to dive into the heart of each of these worlds, where each picture tells a singular story. His compositions play with light, matter and colors to translate the essence of each moment. This sensibility turns his work into a real visual odyssey, between reality and fantasy.
Franck Desplanques’ exhibit is an invitation to travel in a different manner, through the sensibility of a gaze that transcends the barriers and reveals the beauty of cultures all across the globe. des cultures du monde.
© crédit photo : Marion Briffod
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