Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Custodia Foundation was founded in 1947 by Dutch art historian Frits Lugt (1884-1970) and his wife Jacoba Lugt-Klever, to transfer their private collection of art works and their wealth. Located in the hotel Turgot (18th century) and the hotel Lévis-Mirepoix (1895), at 121 rue de Lille in Paris, it perpetuates its heritage by exhibiting more than 7,000 drawings, 15,000 prints, and 450 paintings, mainly Dutch and Flemish schools of the 16th to 16th centuries. The name Custodia ("good custody" in Latin) reflects their conservation mission.

Frits Lugt, a specialist in drawings and prints, published a reference catalogue on collection brands, still in use today. Inspired by American foundations and Amsterdam's Maison Descartes, he designed the Foundation as a Dutch cultural centre, financially supported by the Dutch government until 2013. After the closing of the Dutch Institute that year, the Foundation will focus on its collections, organizing exhibitions, lending works, and welcoming researchers and amateurs by appointment.

The collections include major works by Rembrandt, Watteau, Claude Lorrain, or Van Goyen, as well as an exceptional collection of 55,000 artists' letters (from Michelangelo to Matisse). The library, specializing in Western fine arts (1450–1900), completes this fund. The Foundation continues to enrich its acquisitions, while preserving the Lugt heritage in a historic architectural setting.

Since 1947, the Foundation has been led by experts in art history, including Carlos van Hasselt (1970–1994), Ger Luijten (2010–2022), and Stijn Alsteens (from April 2024). Its model combines heritage conservation, academic research, and cultural diffusion, while maintaining a strong link with the Netherlands, the home country of its founders.

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