des Baumettes was built in the former private mansion built in 1878 by the Russian Princess, Elizaveta Vasilievna Kochubey [ru].

Named for the artist Jules Chéret who lived and worked in Nice during his final years, the museum opened as the "Palais des Arts Jules Chéret" on 7 January 1928.

[2] The museum houses a collection of art spanning the past four centuries.

There are paintings by Chéret and other artists who lived and worked on the French Riviera, such as Alexis Mossa [fr], and his son Gustav-Adolf Mossa, who for many years were curators of the museum.

The small museum has sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, François Rude, Michel de Tarnowsky and Auguste Rodin, plus ceramic pieces by Pablo Picasso.