Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani… chances are that Maurice Mendjizky isn’t the next name in that lineage that comes to mind when thinking about the two Schools of Paris. The first “school,” active before World War One, made Paris the center of the art world. Mendjizky was part of this electric artistic circle, but he has been largely forgotten since his death in 1951 (the second School of Paris operated after World War Two and includes the likes of Soulages, de Stäel, and Hartung).

Now a new museum is setting out to give Mendjizky a place in art history. Founded by the artist’s son, Serge, and his wife Patricia, the Musée Mendjisky-Ecoles de Paris opens to the public Friday April 11. It is housed in a former artist’s studio designed by Robert Mallet-Stevens, in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital. The first exhibition is dedicated to Mendjizky. The collection is currently composed of works by Mendjizky and his son, also a painter, but the fledgeling foundation is hoping it will soon grow “thanks to acquisitions and donations,” according to a statement.