Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes, Rennes

Among the changes brought about by the French Revolution was the creation of most French museums. The museums needed art collections and there was a bumper crop of these. The Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes, established in 1794, received the collection of Christophe-Paul de Robien, former president of the Parlement of Brittany.

At the time of the Revolution, the Robien collection was one of the largest in Europe. Drawings, prints, paintings, antiques, and sculptures, all went to the museum, which today is in the former University Palace located at 20 Emile Zola Quay. The building dates from 1847. Since 1911 is devoted entirely to the museum collections.

The museum collections cover the 14th to 20th centuries. Primitive and Renaissance works include the School of Fontainebleau. The 17th-century art features French, Italian, Dutch, and Flemish masters. The 18th-century collection centers on French and Italian schools. More than 300 19th-century works show interest in landscapes and legends.

Twentieth-century paintings and sculptures show Fauvism, Cubism, Abstractionism, and Surrealism art movements. The drawings are the treasures of the museum. They include pieces from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bellini, and Durer to Watteau, Denis, and Picasso.