He became interested in art after seeing the Hugh Lane collection on exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 1917. However, his career as a collector started in 1922 following an exhibition of French art at the Burlington Fine Arts Club. Courtauld was one of the first collectors to display interest in French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. During the 1920s, he assembled an extensive collection including masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh ("Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" and "Peach Blossom in the Crau" previously owned by Anna Boch ), Édouard Manet ("A Bar at the Folies-Bergère"), Paul Cézanne ("Montagne Sainte-Victoire") and Pierre-Auguste Renoir ("La Loge"). The core elements of his collection were acquired between 1926 and 1930, though his passion dwindled somewhat following the death of his wife Elizabeth (known as Lil) in 1931. Samuel founded the Courtauld Institute with Viscount Lee of Fareham and Sir Robert Witt in 1930.