The museum's paintings were curated from 1890 to 1938 by a magistrate, Maurice Magnin, and his sister, Jeanne, an art critic. Their aim was to collect paintings by unknown yet talented painters. The collection, boasts some 1 500 paintings by Flemish, Italian and French artists, and works by Old Masters (Tiepolo, Géricault) rub shoulders with less well-known artists, all of which within the walls of an elegant 17C mansion.