Renault, 125 years of history in Flins: the museum with cars and works of art related to the brand is born

FLINS - The only absence at the presentation of the new home of Renault's history, to be built and opened to the public by 2027 on the outskirts of Paris, was that of Luca de Meo, the group's CEO who announced his farewell last week. A justified absence, therefore, despite remaining in charge of current affairs until July 15 and despite the fact that it was his idea to transfer 125 years of history of cars, objects and works of art linked to the brand into a new building. Certainly in agreement with President Jean-Dominique Senard, who, in the flagship factory of Flins transformed since 2021 into a Refactory dedicated to the circular economy, used important words to describe the "story of a project that represents the history of France".

Flins, founded in 1952, has given life to 18 million vehicles, from the Dauphine to the first generation of the electric Zoe to name just a few legendary cars, and now, by 2027, it will have in front of it an 11,500 square meter structure dedicated to the history of the brand, which began in 1898. Not a museum, for now they prefer to call it a “place”, “showcase”, “collections”.

“Flins is Renault, Renault is Flins,” says Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of the Renault brand, with some emphasis. The project is by architect Jacob Celnikier of the CGA studio, taking up the orthogonal forms of the factory designed by Bernard Zehrfuss, architect who won the Prix de Rome in 1939. Inside the structure, there will be hundreds of vehicles from the Renault Collection mounted on pallets (as shown in the renderings), arranged vertically, “9 for each floor like shelves up to 15 meters high,” explains Arnaud Belloni, marketing director of the brand. On different floors, the building will house two other Collections, one of archive objects and documents that tell other stories of the brand, one of works of art, through temporary and permanent exhibitions.

“This place has been desired by several CEOs, thank you Luca, thank you Senard,” says Catherine Gros, Renault vice president for art and heritage. As part of a patronage typical of multinationals, in June 2024 the manufacturer created a Renault Fund for Art and Culture, to be used also for the works of the Collection expanded with contemporary artists, in particular exponents of Street Art.

Among the works on display are photos by Robert Doisneau, who was associated with Renault for several years around the Second World War, the work of the painter and sculptor Arman on the 1967 Renault 4, the series by the Icelandic artist Erró dedicated to the Renault 5, pieces by the French-Hungarian painter Victor Vasarely and works inspired by Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut.