The Camden Town Group was founded in 1911 and was led by the artist Walter Sickert. The name came from a run-down area of London where several of the artists lived. The group is known for scenes of contemporary urban life sometimes thickly painted in bright colours. There were only three Camden Town Group exhibitions before it was absorbed by the London Group in 1913, but it is still seen as a key moment in the development of British modern art. Southampton holds the best collection of Camden Town paintings outside London.