PARIS.- The Groupe Emerige and its president, Laurent Dumas, announced the opening of Large in autumn 2026 within an exceptional architectural project devised by RCR Arquitectes (Pritzker 2017) in collaboration with the CALQ agency. Directed by Paula Aisemberg, Large is situated on the Point des Arts, an iconic site on the Île Seguin which will now be open to the public after a century of industrial activity.

The name “Large” has a double connotation, suggesting at once an important destination and a departure towards other horizons – as in the French expression “prendre le large” [“set sail”]. It not only points to the topography of the site in the middle of the Seine, where flowing water and open horizons suggest a sense of freedom, but also to an idea of openness: welcoming as broad a public as possible, expanding imaginaries and going beyond expected formats. Large is a place for creation, production and transmission, open onto the city and accessible to all, imagined as a space for dialogue, experimentation and sharing.

Supporting and promoting the french scene

Large is an invitation to take on new perspectives and broaden horizons. Its primary focus is on circulating and supporting art from the contemporary French scene in all its diversity, from emerging practices to major figures of the 20th century. A veritable point of convergence in terms of Emerige’s commitment to culture, the 5,000m² space – of which 2,500m² are dedicated to exhibitions – pursues a hybrid model to serve as both an space for exhibiting art and a boon to contemporary artistic vitality.

“Imaginary Engine”: an ambitious inaugural exhibition

For its opening exhibition, Large has entrusted its programme to internationally recognised curator Cecilia Alemani. Entitled “Imaginary Engine: From Masterpieces of the Collection Renault to Artists of Today”, the exhibition explores the symbolic heritage of the Île Seguin’s status as the historic home of the Renault factories. The selected artists and works explore the relationship between humans and machines, with a particular emphasis on the automobile. In partnership with the Fonds Renault pour l’Art et la Culture, the exhibition foregrounds works from the historic collection of the car manufacturer by artists such as Vasarely, Dubuffet, Tinguely and Doisneau alongside contemporary works.

In line with its commitment to contemporary art, Large has also commissioned 17 new works for this opening exhibition by artists including Théo Mercier, Sara Sadik, Bianca Bondi, Clément Cogitore, Bertrand Lavier, Mohamed El Khatib, Oliver Beer, Bertille Bak, Thu Van Tran and Giulia Andreani. Unfolding through five chapters – “The Factory of My Thoughts”, “Social Bodies”, “Motor Forces”, “Objects of Desire”, “The Human Machine” – the exhibition interrogates both the industrial utopias of the 20th century and contemporary technological and social transformations.





An architecture centred on sensory experience

The architecture of the building designed by RCR lends itself to a rich sensory experience of art. The spaces feature an interplay of volumes – between the compressed spaces of the coffee shop to the openness of the 1,000m² main gallery – and natural exterior light filtered by aluminium moucharabiehs. In this way, Large places an emphasis on sensation and physical encounters with works of art.

A space for art and for life

Large is set in La Pointe des Arts, a 53,000m² mixed use development created by Emerige in collaboration with Ardian Real Estate (lead investor) and AOG. La Pointe des Arts is a 53,000m² cultural and urban hub made up of the Large art centre, an 8-screen Pathé cinema, a 230-bed hotel and 20,000m² of office space as well as shops and restaurants.