"I made this photograph from the right bank side of the Pont du Carrousel in Paris on a cold, early morning in February 1987. The exposure looks as though it was about ten minutes as the water has been transformed into mist which mirrors the early morning haze. Light is reflecting on the water from the low sunlight just beginning to break through. This was back in the days before people started to attach many thousands of locks to the Pont des Arts railings. After declaring love to and with their respective partners, the lock was attached to the bridge railing and the key thrown into the River Seine. Very romantic indeed, but perhaps not such a good look for the Pont des Arts. Eventually, there were so many locks attached to the railings that something had to be done. The original railings were detached and taken away, along with the locks. Having recently walked over this beautiful bridge, I can attest that the railings are now very different, with some sort of reinforced glass. I don't think I could ever repeat this photograph.

This print was one of my most popular. The first print was made in 1987 and the edition of 45 sold out 1995. I know that a copy of the print was privately resold for $10,000 on the secondary market back in the early 1990s. A print is in the permanent collection of the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut, USA."  Michael Kenna 2019