The museum was established in 1825 thanks to the generosity of local painter François-Xavier Fabre (1766-1837) who established a major collection here. His and later donations by other local artists like Bazille and Soulages constitute over 800 European pictures and sculptures (Rubens, Zurbarán, Véronèse, Poussin, Géricault…). Renovated in 2007, the museum presents its collection chronologically.