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Near Paris: new contemporary art centre Large opens on Île Seguin, free opening weekend
The new contemporary art centre Large opens on Oct 17 on Île Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, with free admission on its opening weekend (Oct 17–18) by advance registration. Designed by Pritzker laureates RCR Arquitectes, its inaugural exhibition "Imaginary Engine," curated by Cecilia Alemani, brings together 55 artists from 23 countries in dialogue with Renault's historic art collection, running to March 7, 2027.
Why it matters
A brand-new contemporary art centre, "Large," opens on Oct 17 on Île Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, just outside Paris. The island hosted a Renault car factory for nearly a century and is now being redeveloped as the arts-focused mixed-use district "Pointe des Arts" (more than 53,000 m²); Large's completion is a landmark step in that transformation and adds a new cultural destination to the Paris art scene.
The building
Large was designed by Catalan firm RCR Arquitectes (2017 Pritzker Prize laureates) — their first project in Paris. The 5,000 m² building devotes half its area to exhibitions: a 1,000 m² column-free main hall, two 500 m² galleries, a 370 m² atrium, plus a café, bookshop and education spaces; around 40% of the centre is free to access, including a café terrace with panoramic views of the Seine.
The inaugural exhibition
"Imaginary Engine" (Moteur imaginaire) is international curator Cecilia Alemani's first exhibition in France, bringing together about 120 works by 55 artists from 23 countries in dialogue with the historic Renault art collection — 50 masterpieces, some never before shown in France. Responding to the island's industrial past, the show explores the relationship between humans and machines and the car as a symbol of innovation and social change; it runs until March 7, 2027.
Visiting
Admission is free on the opening weekend (Oct 17–18) with advance registration. Renault notes the centre was developed by the Emerige Group and builds on a century of the Renault Fund for Art and Culture's collaboration with artists — from Robert Doisneau's work as a factory photographer at Billancourt in the 1930s to Victor Vasarely's design of the 1972 diamond logo.
Sources
Renault Group official art collection page (opening announcement); ArchDaily (July 8, 2026 architecture report); Arquitectura Viva (Oct 13, 2026).
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