It opened its doors to the general public in 1999 and made the lovers of modern art discover the most beautiful works of artists who marked the first half of the 20th century: André Beaudin, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier, André Masson, Pablo Picasso.
Art historian, general curator of heritage, then artistic director of one of the most prestigious modern art galleries in Paris, the Galerie Louise Leiris, formerly Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, On September 3, 1997, Maurice Jardot gave 112 works to the City of Belfort, including paintings, sculptures, watercolours, gouaches and engravings from his collection.