Palais de Tokyo needs a temporary home. So does a collective

Palais de Tokyo will close for roughly 18 months from July 2027 for a renovation costing about $50 million, aimed at insulation and waterproofing rather than new galleries. The building, a vast concrete structure raised for the 1937 World's Fair, has operated as a contemporary art institution since 2002 and last saw major work in 2011-2012.

Artnet News reported on 4 August 2026 that one site under consideration for a temporary home is a town hall annex in the 14th arrondissement occupied for seven years by La Générale, an artist-run collective founded in 2002 that supports around 150 residencies a year. Its lease expires on 31 December, and a petition to renew it has passed 1,400 signatures. The institution says it remains open to dialogue. The wider pattern matters more than the address: as maintenance costs rise, large publicly funded institutions look for flexible space, and the cheapest flexible space in any city is usually already occupied by artists.