Fondation Custodia: Paris's Hidden Art Treasure

Founded in 1947 by Dutch collector Frits Lugt and his wife Jacoba Klever, the Fondation Custodia in Paris houses over 100,000 works, including 7,000 drawings by masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Bruegel, 15,000 prints by Van Dyck, Goya, and Parmigianino, 450 paintings by artists such as Francesco Guardi and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, and 55,000 autograph letters from Michelangelo, Dürer, Manet, and Gauguin. Located in the 18th-century Hôtel Turgot near the Musée d'Orsay, the foundation preserves drawings in a room evoking a classic print cabinet, protecting them from light and humidity. Highlights include rare pen sketches by Rembrandt, a Leonardo da Vinci drawing from 1475-1482, and a red chalk study by Guercino. The collection, continuously enriched by donations and acquisitions, serves as a resource for curators, researchers, and art lovers.