Musée Bonnat-Helleu

The Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne houses one of France's finest collections of Old Master drawings outside Paris, earned through the generosity of local painter Léon Bonnat. Born in Bayonne in 1833, Bonnat became one of France's leading portrait painters and an obsessive collector. When he died in 1922, he had already donated his vast holdings to his hometown, including paintings, sculptures, and over 3,500 drawings by masters from Leonardo to Ingres. The museum opened in 1901 in a purpose-built structure.

The drawing cabinet rivals the Louvre's, with sheets by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Dürer, and Rembrandt. Paintings by El Greco, Gustave Doré, and Géricault fill the galleries. Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle by Doré shows French Romantic drama. Bonnat's own portraits and history paintings document his career. The museum closed in 2011 for major renovation and reopened in late 2025 with doubled exhibition space. The "Helleu" in its name honors Paul César Helleu, whose works entered through later donations. Locals call it "the little Louvre."