New art centre Large opens on former Renault island near Paris
Paris is getting a new home for contemporary art on an island that used to build cars.
Large, a six-storey wedge-shaped art centre, opens on 17 October on the Ile Séguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, just west of Paris, according to The Art Newspaper. The building holds 2,500 sq m of exhibition space and forms the centrepiece of the Pointe des Arts development, which also includes an eight-screen cinema, shops and offices.
The complex was designed by Spanish studio RCR Arquitectes in collaboration with Paris-based CALQ. The wider tip of the island crescent has been renamed the Pointe des Arts. A sculpture garden at the centre of the islet was inaugurated in January 2026, according to Franceinfo.
Large is a philanthropic venture from French property group Emerige. It is run as a non-profit without its own collection. No buying and selling. The stated focus is public access and artists living and working in France, whatever their nationality.
The director is Paula Aisemberg. Emerige's founding president Laurent Dumas previously set up the Révélations Emerige prize in 2014 for unrepresented artists under 35.
The opening show is titled Imaginary Engine and is curated by Cecilia Alemani, curator of the High Line in New York. It pairs works from the Fonds Renault pour l'Art et la Culture, the art fund of carmaker Renault, with 17 new commissions, works made specially for the occasion.
That pairing nods to the island's past. Renault owned the Ile Séguin from 1919 to 1992, when it was the site of the company's main factory. The centre has been a decade in the making, according to Designboom.
For visitors, this means a full day out rather than a quick gallery stop. The opening show runs from 17 October 2026 to 7 March 2027, according to Paris je t'aime. Large is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm, with late opening to 9pm on Fridays.
Standard admission is €15, with reduced admission at €10 and free entry for visitors under 26. Entry to the opening weekend on 17 and 18 October was free with prior registration, according to the centre's website.
