Author(s): Susan Fillion

Kid's Classics

This is the fascinating story of two sisters and their amazing collection of modern art. What could be more unlikely than a tale of two unmarried sisters from a German-Jewish family in Baltimore amassing one of the major collections of modern art in America? But Etta and Claribel Cone saw the potential of young artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso when few people, or institutions, in America even knew they existed. Etta and her sister had fallen in love with art on their first trip to Italy, after which they began collecting in earnest. Buying without advice or counsel, trusting their eyes and instincts, they began concentrating on the avant-garde, befriending and supporting artists. For decades, their treasures remained hidden. Claribel died in 1929, and in 1934 Etta published a catalogue of the stunning collection she would ultimately bequeath to The Baltimore Museum of Art in 1949. Only then was the amazing breadth of their vision revealed.