The Cone Sisters of Baltimore: an Eye for the Avant-Garde March 5, 2009

Avid friends and collectors of Picasso and Matisse, admirers of the paintings of Manet, Gauguin, and Cezanne, and intimate friends of Gertrude Stein, sisters Claribel and Etta Cone assembled a large collection of innovative 19th- and 20th-century art even though avant-garde works enraged the public and were widely ridiculed. Although they did not have formal artistic training, the sisters' extraordinary collection was eventually acclaimed, as was their keen vision and unwavering taste. Dr. Nancy Hirschland Ramage will discuss the Cone sisters' collection, as well as their German-Jewish social and artistic circles.