The David Collection was founded by C. L. David, a prominent lawyer who left his art collections to posterity in the building that had been his own home. The museum is owned and administered by the C. L. David Foundation and Collection.

Since David’s death in 1960, the area covered by the museum has increased significantly in keeping with the acquisition of numerous new works of art. The Collection of European 18th-Century Art is now complete. First and foremost, however, the Collection of Islamic Art has been consolidated and expanded, making it the museum’s most important.