LONDON, ENGLAND.- Tate Modern will present "Matisse Picasso", on view from May 11 to August 18, 2002. Matisse and Picasso are the acknowledged twin giants of modern art, between them having originated many of the most significant innovations of twentieth-century painting and sculpture. Now a major exhibition will explore their relationship, which is revealed as much closer and more complex than has been thought. In spite of their initial rivalry, each came to acknowledge the other as his only true equal. In old age they became increasingly close personally, and increasingly important to each other artistically. The exhibition is a collaboration between Tate, the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée Picasso with the Musée national d'art moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. As a result Matisse Picasso, which will be shown in all three cities, starting in London, will be exceptionally rich in major masterpieces by both artists that have never before been brought together. The exhibition focuses primarily on painting but there will also be sculptures interspersed throughout, and a section dedicated to works on paper.