Collecting paintings by Matisse and by Picasso in Britain before the Second World War

Through the use of empirical data, this article provides a fuller account of the patterns of collecting in Britain of paintings by Matisse and by Picasso. It assembles and analyses for the first time information that is widely scattered and sometimes difficult to access and it shows that between 1910 and 1940 paintings by both artists were acquired in far greater numbers by British collectors than had previously been acknowledged. The article further explores the similarities and differences in Britain in the patterns of collecting of these two artists' work.