The engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Dillon initially conceived of a bridge which would resemble a suspended garden, with trees, banks of flowers, and benches.

[1] On 17 March 1975, the French Ministry of Culture listed the Pont des Arts as a national historic monument.

The bridge has sometimes served as a place for art exhibitions, and is today a "studio en plein air" for painters, artists and photographers who are drawn to its unique point of view.

In 1991, UNESCO listed the entire Parisian riverfront, from the Eiffel Tower to the end of the Ile Saint Louis, as a World Heritage Site.

[3] Since late 2008, tourists have taken to attaching love locks with their first names written or engraved on them to the railing or the wire netting on the side of the bridge, then throwing the key into the Seine river below, as a romantic gesture.

In February 2014, Le Monde estimated[6] that there were over 700,000 locks; with the 2014 summer tourist season, many thousands more have since been added, creating a serious safety concern for city authorities and an aesthetic issue for Parisians.

Health and Safety officials said "the romantic gestures cause long term Heritage degradation and danger to visitors".

[12] Street artists like Jace, El Seed, Brusk or Pantonio have been chosen to paint the new panels that replaces the old railings with locks.

The bridge has also been featured in the 2013 Hollywood heist adventure film Now You See Me, directed by Louis Leterrier, where Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) is met by Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).

On the other bank is the Louvre, built continuously from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century: classical architecture at its most splendid and assured.

The bridge served as a prominent venue for the iconic performance by internationally renowned French superstar Aya Nakamura during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.