baltimore sisters claribel and etta cone amassed one of the most important collections of modern art in the u.s. and gave it to the bma in 1949. etta cone began the cone collection in 1898 with the purchase of five paintings by american impressionist theodore robinson to decorate their baltimore home. soon after, the sisters began to make annual trips to paris where they visited museums, salons, and the studios of emerging artists. in 1906, etta purchased her first work by henri matisse during a visit with the artist arranged by gertrude stein’s sister-in-law, sarah stein. the cone sisters were among the artist's first patrons and etta, in particular, collected works throughout his entire career. their collection of approximately 3,000 objects included 500 works by matisse, as well as masterworks by pablo picasso, vincent van gogh, and paul cézanne, which were displayed in their baltimore apartments prior to coming to the museum.