 The town of Montpellier was given thirty paintings in 1802 which formed the basis of a modest municipal museum under the Empire, moving between various temporary sites.In 1825, the town council accepted a large donation of works from Fabre and the museum was installed in the refurbished "Hôtel de Massillian", officially opened on 3 December 1828.Fabre's generosity led others to follow his example, notably Antoine Valedau who donated his collection of Dutch and Flemish masters to the city.