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In 1825, the painter and art dealer François-Xavier Fabre (1766–1837) donated his collection to the city of Montpellier and became the first director of the museum that bears his name (opened 1828). The 224 paintings Fabre acquired during his extended stay in Florence included some Flemish and Dutch works, a significant number by artists who had visited Italy, such as Thomas Wijck, Jan Frans van Bloemen, Pieter van Bloemen, and Jacob de Heusch. This original collection was enhanced by further acquisitions made by Fabre up to 1837, and above all by a gift from collector Antoine Valedau (1777–1836) of emblematic works by David Teniers (II), Gerard Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Frans van Mieris (I), and Jan Steen. Other more isolated contributions continued to expand the collection, in particular those of Alfred Bruyas (1821–1877), who bequeathed works by Louis de Caullery and Pieter Bruegel (II), and François Sabatier (1818–1892), who left a panel by the Master of the Dreux Budé Triptych. The collection of prints and drawings benefited most importantly from the legacy of Jules Bonnet-Mel (1795-1864), comprising twenty-three sheets including attributions to Abraham van Diepenbeeck and Gabriel Metsu.
Matthieu Fantoni, Curator of Flemish and Netherlandish paintings (April 2025)
Collection catalogues
Tableaux flamands et hollandais du Musée Fabre de Montpellier
Buvelot, Quentin, Michel Hilaire and Olivier Zeder
Paris 1998