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Origin and history

The Musée des Beaux-Arts Antoine-Lécuyer, located in Saint-Quentin (Aisne), was founded thanks to the bequest of banker Antoine Lécuyer (1793-1878), who in 1876 offered his collection and his mansion to exhibit the pastels of Maurice-Quentin de La Tour. Inaugurated in 1886, the museum was designed by architect Charles-Napoleon Pinguet-Védie, with rooms dedicated to the pastelist's works and the donations of the brothers Le Sérurier.

During World War I, the building was destroyed by bombardment in 1917, but the pastels, evacuated to Maubeuge by the Germans, were saved. The reconstruction, carried out between 1928 and 1932 by Paul Bigot (Prix de Rome), inspired Parisian mansions of the 18th century. David David-Weill, president of the Société des amis du musée, played a key role in this renaissance, enriching the collections with acquisitions and deposits of the Louvre.

The museum now houses a hundred pastels of La Tour, as well as paintings, sculptures and art objects from the 17th to 18th centuries. Among the notable works are Les Déviduses d'Henri Martin, La Mort de Lucrece d'Antonio Zanchi, and portraits by Louis Tocqué. Its architecture, combining classicism and modernity, makes it a setting for French art, attracting visitors such as the brothers Goncourt or Henri Matisse, former pupil of the neighbouring high school.

The collections also reflect local history, with faiences and legacies bearing witness to Picardy patronage. The museum, labeled Musée de France, remains a reference place for studying the work of La Tour and decorative art of the Lights. Its archives, lost during the war, however, limit the precise knowledge of some old acquisitions.

Temporary exhibitions and publications, such as the Collection Guide (2024) or Hervé Cabezas' work on the 1914-1918 war, highlight his heritage. The museum thus participates in the valorisation of Hauts-de-France, between historical memory and cultural influence.

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