Matisse and Picasso were widely recognized during their lifetimes. They became cultural icons, distinguished not only by their different art but also by their contrasting lifestyles.

Matisse, known for his intense need for solitude, propriety, and discreetness, created art that transcended everyday life and conveyed a sensuality that resided in a fantastic and ethereal realm. In contrast, Picasso became an example of intense eroticism, the theatricality of art as a medium for autobiographical confession that was often charged with violence and explosive emotionality.

In the book Matisse - Picasso, Jack Flam explores the fascinating, competitive, parallel lives of these two artists, and their differing attitudes towards the significance of artistic greatness, towards the women they loved, and ultimately, towards death.

Jack Flam examines the complex relationships and the art of the two giants of 20th-century modernism through a combination of meticulous historical and insightful psychological analysis.