The city’s latest addition to its mural programme lives in an unexpected place: a highly frequented traffic tunnel. But that’s not all…
David Lisnard is convinced that public art belongs everywhere, not just in galleries, and he has spent over a decade embellishing the city he governs with murals and sculptures from local and international, known and unknown artists. But unlike the cinema-focused frescoes that decorate many building facades across Cannes, this 23rd mural in the ongoing programme of public art installations shifts the aesthetic entirely:
A 172 metre (188 yards) long manga-inspired piece now adorns the Ferrage tunnel, one of central Cannes’ busiest traffic routes beneath the voie rapide.
Photos © Mairie de Cannes
Artist Yannick Bretin, a young illustrator known for his work focused on sustainable development and the environment, has turned 447 square metres (4,800 sq.ft.) of once utilitarian concrete into a monumental mural. Vivid colours and dynamic forms blend pop art, street art, and the psychedelic graphics of the 1970s and 1980s with unmistakable references to 1980s Japanese manga and cartoons.
The Ferrage tunnel sits beneath the voie rapide and serves as one of central Cannes’ busiest traffic routes, handling constant vehicle flow to the municipal car park and the Pont Carnot intersection. The location is purely functional. Bretin’s mural doesn’t change that purpose but radically alters the experience of passing through.
Photos © Mairie de Cannes
Mayor Lisnard describes the project as proof that art can inhabit everyday spaces. The fresco uses dibond panels rather than direct wall painting, a practical choice given the tunnel environment. Before installation, the city renovated the tunnel’s walls and upgraded the lighting system to properly illuminate the artwork. The new lighting illuminates Bretin’s work without glare, creating conditions for the mural to function as intended.
Prior to this piece, Cannes’ mural programme has always centred on cinema. The 22 existing works scattered across the city pay tribute to actors, directors, and films connected to the annual Film Festival and its stars. Among the most widely recognizable faces and scenes: Jean-Paul Belmondo dominates 170 square metres of facade at 7 rue Jean Jaurès. Marilyn Monroe appears on Boulevard d’Alsace. Charlie Chaplin and the Kid gaze from Boulevard Vallombrosa. At Pont Alexandre III, “The Piano” and “Pulp Fiction” share space as Palme d’Or tributes. The passage Pierre Sémard houses a mural inspired by the 1954 Disney adaptation of Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, complete with the Nautilus and Kirk Douglas battling a giant octopus. And at 95 avenue du Docteur Picaud, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable recreate the kiss from “Gone With the Wind” in a 45-square-metre work by Elodie Iwanski completed in late 2024.
Photos © Mairie de Cannes
These murals reinforce Cannes’ identity as cinema capital, visible throughout the year when the Festival crowds disperse. The Ferrage tunnel mural breaks from this cinema tradition entirely but its 1980s manga references create a different kind of accessibility, familiar to anyone who grew up watching Japanese animation during that era. But while the manga characters provide moments of recognition for those who know the references, the overall composition works independently of specific cultural knowledge. That way, it creates a new shared memory across generations. And it demonstrates the city’s creative and open-minded spirit.
Placing such artwork in a tunnel is a courageous choice. Unlike building facades visible from the street, this work exists in transit. Drivers experience it whilst moving through the space it occupies. The effect is brief but memorable – a flash of colour brightening an ordinary journey across the city. Pop art and street art might seem far removed from red carpets, but they share the same purpose: making art visible, accessible, and part of daily life.
*** Note: This tunnel is not accessible to pedestrians! ***
All photos courtesy and © Mairie de Cannes
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