Art Collection: Edward G. Robinson was famously a very shrewd and passionate art collector. By the time of his death, Robinson had amassed what was widely considered one of the greatest collections of French Impressionist paintings. He started purchasing art in the 1930s. In the 1940s, he built his own art gallery to house a growing collection. By 1953, his collection included works by Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse and Van Gogh. Robinson reportedly went into debt to finance his art collection. He also lost half the collection in a 1956 divorce, though he was eventually able to buy many of his paintings back. A portion of his collection was purchased after his death for $5 million, which is the same as around $30 million today.
