the highlight of the museum is the cone collection, brought together by baltimore sisters dr. claribel (1864–1929) and etta cone (1870–1949). accomplished collectors, the sisters amassed a wealth of works by artists including henri matisse, pablo picasso, paul cézanne, edgar degas, paul gauguin, vincent van gogh, and pierre-august renoir, nearly all of which were donated to the museum. the museum is also home to 18,000 works of french mid-19th-century art from the george a. lucas collection, which has been acclaimed by the museum as a cultural "treasure" and "among the greatest single holdings of french art in the country."