Situated in Quebec City’s National Battlefields Park, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) is a multifaceted art museum comprising four interconnected buildings, including the historic Charles Baillairgé Pavilion, once a provincial prison. When it was established in 1933, the institution initially housed art, natural science collections, and provincial archives. Over the decades, it refined its focus exclusively on art, leading to earning its current name in 2002.

The MNBAQ’s permanent collection spans more than 40,000 works, showcasing Quebec’s artistic evolution alongside select Canadian and international pieces. Each pavilion specializes in a distinct era: historical works in the Gérard-Morisset Pavilion, modern art in the Charles Baillairgé Pavilion, and contemporary art in the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, a striking glass structure completed in 2016.