Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso are among the most important artists of the 20th century. Their influence on each other’s work has been the focus of countless exhibitions around the world and looks set to intrigue generations to come.

Printmaking formed an integral part in both artist’s development of ideas and style. Each artist produced thousands of prints during their lifetimes, and with painting prices now soaring into the increasingly inaccessible tens of millions of pounds, this has created a competitive market for their prints.

This weekend an exhibition of prints from the vast catalogues of Picasso and Matisse opens in the county.

Despite coming from different backgrounds with contrasting artistic training, the artists kept a keen eye on the other’s work, provoking each other to paint the same subjects, sometimes even with the same title.

There are many ways to describe their relationship. It could be called a rivalry, a dialogue, a chess game. Matisse himself compared it to a boxing match, but it also became a friendship of two artists who dared to paint the ugly and transform the sense of beauty.

The exhibition runs at Ramsgate’s UpDown Gallery in Elms Avenue, from Saturday, January 31 until Sunday, March 1. For more information visit www.updowngallery.co.uk or call 01843 588181.