The most outstanding Catalan collector of the 20th century, sculptor Frederic Marès (1893-1991), donated his collections to the city of Barcelona in 1944. Two years later, this museum was opened in a section of the former Palau Reial dels Comtes de Barcelona.

This legacy constitutes an extensive collection of Hispanic sculpture; part of the work by Marès himself (exhibited in his study-library) and a large collection of objects mainly from the 19th century (fans, pipes, watches, jewellery, photographs, toys, keys to locks, medication pots and reliquaries), known as the Collector's Cabinet.