“Roubaix had a small collection of 17th century paintings, Lille Musée des Beaux Arts had a lot, so we decided to focus on 18th and 19th century paintings” says Gaudichon. “We distributed our 17th century paintings to museums in the north. In 1924 a local textile magnate donated a large collection of paintings and furniture. Since then we’ve built up a superb collection of 18th and 19th century works. Now with the Henri Bouchard atelier, and some wonderful sculptures including by Camille Claudel (bought by public subscription), we have a truly spectacular museum offering”.