Henry Walters bought works by Ingres

Dr Claribel Cone and her sister Etta built up a remarkable collection of late 19th Century and early 20th Century French work.

They amassed 42 paintings, 18 sculptures and 36 prints which they bequeathed to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Businessman William T Walters was another fascinated with the French after initially collecting contemporary American art.

His exile in Paris during the American Civil War sparked his interest, leading to his collection which included Delacroix, Millet, Corot and works from the Barbizon School.

His son Henry continued and expanded the collection by buying works by Gerome, Ingr�s, Sisley and Degas.

Their entire collection of some 22,000 pieces was left to the people of Baltimore.

Snapshot

The exhibition at the RA spans more than 100 years of French painting giving a snapshot of the development of the period.

The early signs of impressionism are on show, such as Monet's Windmills Near Zaandam (1871) with its cold greys and muted greens.

This is in contrast to his later impressionist work Waterloo Bridge: Effect of Sun with Smoke.

Despite the cold subject matter of smog-soaked London, Monet has imbued it with soft pinks to lessen its harshness and give it warmth.

Well-recognised pieces in the exhibition include Van Gogh's striking Landscape with Figures (1889) with its severe brushstrokes and unnatural colours; Matisse's Large Reclining Nude (1935) and Edouard Manet's The Caf�-Concert.

Abstract

The exhibition gives visitors a rare chance to see Gauguin's The Player Schneklud (1894) with its abstract setting and bright orange cello, threatening to take over the whole picture.

One painting which sticks out is Gerome's The Duel After the Masqerade which depicts the death of a Pierrot following a fancy dress ball.

The white-faced clown blends with the wintry woodland as his companions assess his wounds. The detail and colour of just one character brings life to the scene.

The fact that the works in the exhibition come from a variety of sources is clear in its range and dimension.

No one collector would buy such differing pieces that at times sit awkwardly together.

Van Gogh's A Pair of Boots seems to be the odd one out in this exhibition, sitting uncomfortably between the abstract and modernism of C�zanne and Matisse.

The exhibition is neatly broken into four gallery spaces, dividing the different periods.

Although not especially large, the exhibition holds interest throughout, giving a keen insight into the development of French art.

Ingr�s to Matisse opens at the Royal Academy of Art, London on 30 June and runs until 23 September