The museum was founded in 1875 fit of nineteenth century regional pride. Its permanent collection and building were bequeathed in 1878 by a local shipping magnate JoshuaStevens.
It consists of a converted large townhouse in a C shape with a West and East wing. Entrance is usually through the main gate in the courtyard in the center of the C. The building has three above ground stories and basement. The top storey (old servant quarters) is given over to office space for the staff and some storage. The basement is empty -- it is too damp to use for storage even if the musuem had enough stuff to need storing!
The West wing contains the permanent collection. This consists mostly of a selection of second rate European academic paintings from the sixteenth century to the late nineteenth. The centre pieces of the collection are David's protrait of General Étienne-Maurice Gérard (the then Marshal of France) (actually at the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOnezoom.asp?dep=11&zoomFlag=0&viewmode=1&item=65%2E14%2E5 ) and a Monet Water-Lily pond (these are all over the place, for example http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG4240 ). There are some works by (as yet unamed and uninvented) local artists.
The East wing has a downstairs gallery that contains a visiting exhibition. The upstairs is used as a library, but the study areas can be cleared out of the way for large exhibitions or practical sessions.
The director is DrDavidEdwardson. StaceyGrove is the Assistant Curator.