ABSTRACT
If we are to appreciate fully the cultural and historical significance of Sigmund Freud’s art collection, we must not only pay attention to the ancient deities and other objects Freud chose to collect, we must also remark on the striking art objects, many of them of great interest to us 70 or more years later, that were readily available at the time, yet which he had no interest in collecting. If we pursue this via negativa, we can broaden the canvas against which his collection is viewed and open up the further question, What light does the collection — particularly the interests and tastes that it displays — throw on the significance and impact of his psychoanalytic work?
