Situated in the leafy Villeneuve d'Ascq park on the outskirts of Lille, the Lille Métropole Museum of Modern Art houses an extensive and varied collection of 20th-century and modern art. Works originate from various donations, including the Masurel and Aracine collections.
Fervent art aficionado Roger Dutilleul (1873-1956) started collecting avant-garde artwork in the early 1900s. He was one of the first to collect Cubist art, buying works by Braque and Picasso, who were still relatively unknown at the time. He also had a strong interest in figurative representation (Modigliani, Buffet, Dodeigne).
Dutilleul's nephew, Jean Masurel, started collecting in the 1920s and inherited the majority of his uncle's collection. In 1979 he donated the 219 drawings, paintings, engravings and sculptures to the city of Lille, for its purpose-built Museum of Modern Art.
The museum has since developed a strong collection of contemporary art, and, in 1995, it received a substantial donation of art brut, including work by Carlo Zinelli, Paul End and Madge Gill. Finishing off this well-rounded art space is an enchanting sculpture park, which boasts Picasso's Femme aux bras écartés.