After nearly 35 years of stalled efforts, the Île Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, just southwest of Paris, is poised for a new chapter with the opening of Large, a contemporary art center launching this Saturday. The center will debut with “Moteur Imaginaire” (“Imaginary Engine”), an exhibition featuring 124 works drawn from the Renault collection and that of Laurent Dumas, president of Large.

Situated approximately 3.5 miles from the Eiffel Tower, Île Seguin has a rich, varied history. Under Louis XIV, it was part of the king’s route to Versailles; later, it was home to leather tanneries and clay-pigeon shooting grounds. However, its most defining period came during the 20th century as the site of Renault’s flagship factory. Opening in 1929 and nationalized in 1945, the factory produced notable models such as the 4CV, Dauphine, and Renault 4, famously assembling a new car every 90 seconds at its peak. Employing around 40,000 workers during the 1950s and 1960s, it became a symbol of industrial labor and political activism, notably during the worker and student protests of May 1968.

The factory ceased operations in 1992 after a period of decline, leaving the island largely abandoned. The transformation of the site into a cultural destination has been a lengthy, complex process marked by political negotiations and administrative challenges. Laurent Dumas, founder and majority owner of the real estate firm Emerige, has led the recent efforts to revive the island, securing official approval in 2016 to develop the art center as part of a broader initiative dubbed the Pointe des Arts. This €450 million project also includes a recently opened eight-screen Pathé multiplex cinema featuring an IMAX theater, as well as plans for a four-star hotel and restaurant slated for 2027.

Designed by RCR Arquitectes—whose founders won the 2017 Pritzker Prize—the Large building features a flowing, organic form clad in copper-colored anodized aluminum that reflects its surroundings. Its interiors emphasize openness and natural light, offering views over the densely populated Boulogne-Billancourt to the right bank of the Seine, and the greener Meudon on the left. Dumas, a longtime art collector, sees Large as a way to support the French contemporary art scene and make art accessible without elitism. Approximately 40% of the center, including its lobby, mezzanine, and a cafe and terrace designed by Constance Guisset, will be open to the public free of charge.

Cultural officials in the region describe Large as the centerpiece of the “Vallée de la Culture,” a string of institutions west of Paris that also includes La Seine Musicale, a live performance venue inaugurated in 2017, which attracted over 500,000 visitors last year, as well as the Manufacture de Sèvres, Rodin’s former studio in Meudon, and the Albert-Kahn Museum.

Almost no physical traces of the Renault factory remain, aside from a few elements preserved for display, such as rusted doors painted by street artist Jérôme Mesnager and iconic steel letters from the factory’s facade slated for reinstallation on a nearby bridge.

Renault itself has a longstanding tradition of commissioning art, beginning in 1967, but much of that collection remained in storage until recently. Catherine Gros, director of the Renault Foundation and president of the Renault Fund for Art and Culture, which was established in 2024, has made it a priority to bring these works back into public view. The fund plans to unveil a dedicated Renault museum next year in Flins-sur-Seine, about an hour from Paris.

Paula Aisemberg, director of Large and artistic projects at Emerige, expressed hope that the center will become a Parisian counterpart to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, showcasing local contemporary artists—both emerging and established—and reaffirming the city’s role as a vibrant hub for modern artistic expression.