The edifice was designed in 1897 to house the collection and artwork of Bayonne artist Léon Bonnat (1833-1922), who made his fortune painting portraits of the upper classes of his era. The collections feature famous artists of the likes of: Rubens, Ingres, Degas, Delacroix, Géricault, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Murillo, Goya and El Greco...