The word famous art

What makes some artists famous and others fade into obscurity? The most famous artists are the ones that capture a time, a place, an idea or spear head a new artistic movement.

Our list of artists contains some of the most genius minds to ever exist.

Their art has stood the test of time and adorn galleries the world over with many of their works worth hundreds of millions of dollars on the rare occasions that they come up for auction.

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1. Leonardo Da Vinci

Very few artist names are more recognizable than da Vinci he towers above all other artists with a seemingly endless almost supernatural talent.

Leonardo da Vinci, whose interests encompassed everything from painting to architecture, anatomy, and engineering epitomized the renaissance man.

Due to his many endeavors and despite his fame, da Vinci did not produce that many works throughout his lifetime, having less than two dozen paintings surviving over the centuries, but his love of science permeated his artistic work (e.g. Vitruvian Man).

Born in 1452 Tuscany, Italy, da Vinci showed an early aptitude for art despite a short formal education.

Also Read: Different Types of Painters

Around fourteen years old, he apprenticed under Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence where he studied subjects like carpentry and drawing.

By twenty years old he qualified as a master artist at Florence’s Guild of Saint Luke where he established his own workshop but continued his apprenticeship with del Verrocchio for several more years.

After a successful painting career and paralysis of his left hand, da Vinci focused his later years on scientific studies until his death in 1519.

2. Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarotti was regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time even while he was still alive.

Although he thought of himself as a sculptor, his artistic talents spread to painting, architecture, and even poetry, but sculpture was the one art form that remained a constant throughout his career.

Also Read: Famous Architects

Born in 1475, Michelangelo was less interested in formal schooling and more interested in church paintings from an early age. By the time he was thirteen, he began an apprenticeship with Domenico Ghirlandaio.

While it was supposed to last three, it ended after just one year because he had already learned all he could from Ghirlandaio, moving on to join the Humanist Academy in Florence.

After completing David in 1501, he secured himself as a respected artist and gained notoriety, leading to a successful career. Towards the end of his life, he abandoned his artistic ventures for architecture until his death in 1564.

3. Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, or Rembrandt, was born in 1606 in modern day Netherlands. As a master in visual arts, he is widely renowned as both a artist and print-maker.

Though he painted a wide breadth of subject matter, he was particularly fond of self portraits as well as biblical scenes. He is credited as one of the greatest artists of all time.

At fourteen years old, Rembrandt apprenticed Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam for six months. Afterwards, he opened his own studio in Leiden where he took on numerous pupils.

Though he made more than a modest income, he spent his money with wild abandon, leaving himself penniless most of his life.

Thankfully, he spent his money on art which mostly appreciated in value, allowing him to avoid bankruptcy by selling the art he had acquired over the years. Eventually he passed away as a poor man in 1669.

4. Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer, born in 1632 Holland, was a baroque artist known for his masterful use of pigments and light.

Although he enjoyed painting biblical and mythological scenes, he specialized in painting domestic interior scenes of the middle class lifestyle, often depicting the same scenes and individuals in multiple paintings.

One aspect of his painting that separates him from his contemporaries was his excessive use of expensive paints without concern in conjunction with his lack of preparations for each of his paintings.

Much of Vermeer’s life is left unsure, including whom he apprenticed under. Additionally, only thirty-four paintings are attributed to him today.

However, it is known that in 1653 Vermeer became a master, though he did not achieve wide success until after his death in 1675 where he has been known as one of the most famous painters of the dutch golden age.

5. Picasso

Pablo Picasso, born in 1881 Malaga, Spain, is one of the most esteemed artists, in addition to printmaker, poet, and playwright, in history.

Throughout his life, he changed techniques several different times, making it difficult to pinpoint what his trademark style was.

In his early years, his paintings depicted colorful scenes of blue hues, whereas later it turned to blue-green hues that often depicted scenes of impoverished peoples.

Born the son of a artist, Picasso’s father taught him what he knew until Picasso had surpassed him. At fourteen years old, his family moved to Barcelona and he was accepted to the local fine arts school despite his age.

After becoming political during World War II, he eventually enjoyed a very successful career where he achieved international success until he died of heart failure in 1973.

6. Monet

Claude Monet was one of the founders of the impressionist movement, coining the term from his painting Impression, Sunrise.

His subject matter always centered on land and seascapes with his most fond subject being the French countryside.

Often, he would paint the same scene over many times to capture the changing of seasons. However, he also painted portraits, most notably of his wife Camille Doncieux in The Woman in the Green Dress.

Born in 1840 Paris, France, he started with drawing charcoal caricatures in his youth. He later learned painting and his outdoor painting style from his mentor Eugene Boudin.

Also Read: Drawing Ideas

While traveling as a child, he met Edouard Manet, another eventual impressionist. After returning from the military as an adult, he struggled for many years until he finally reached a successful career with the impressionist movement.

He eventually died of lung cancer in 1926 at eighty-six years old. Monet was one of the few impressionists that found commercial success while still alive.

7. Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh, born in 1853 Netherlands, is one of the most prominent artists in history. With a large body of work, he created everything from landscapes, still life’s, portraits, and self-portraits.

Born to a wealthy family, he spent his early life as a missionary until pursuing painting when he was almost thirty.

Throughout his life, he was plagued by mental health issues, going in and out of psychiatric hospitals, one instance occurring after he severed his own ear which he is now infamous for. Eventually his mental health issues caught up to him and he died of suicide in 1890.

Ironically, Van Gogh became famous after his suicide, becoming a mythological figure deemed as a tragic genius. His work is largely characterized as neo-impressionistic with a strong use of vivid colors.

8. Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was born in 1863 Norway the son of a priest. After enrolling as an engineer in 1879, he learned scaling and how to draw until an illness disrupted his studies and he dropped out, later pursuing painting instead.

After a few years, he moved to Paris where he studied the impressionist style and learned how to use their vivid color techniques. Struggling to find his own unique style, he continually bounced between naturalism and impressionism throughout his adulthood.

Eventually, his paintings turned more symbolic than realistic, depicting the essence of emotions rather than individuals displaying emotions themselves. The last two decades of his life Munch spent isolated until he died in 1944.

Of all of his famous paintings it is his work called The Scream, one of the most valuable paintings of all time representing the anxiety of the modern man. This work has four versions: two in pastels and two in paints.

9. Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali, born in 1904 Spain, was a surrealist artist that bore striking and bizarre images, often containing sexual and Freudian as well as mathematical and scientific elements. In addition to painting, he also pursued film, poetry, sculpture, and graphic arts.

At fourteen years old, Dali attended the Municipal Drawing School at Figueres where he studied drawing and later moved to Madrid to further his studies.

Early on, his art was more in line with cubism and avant-garde styles but later shifted to surrealism where he became a prominent figure. After moving around Spain and France, he eventually moved to the United States where his career took off.

In 1980, Dali started to exhibit signs of Parkinsons, and, with the passing of his wife Gala shortly after, led to a halt in his artistic endeavors and a steady decline until his own death in 1989.

10. Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, born in Pennsylvania in 1928, was a wildly controversial pop artist. His use of irony and popular elements in his art, fusing together the worlds of art, advertisement, and celebrities, was criticized as a business move to make more money rather than an artistic choice.

As a sickly child, Warhol spent a lot of time bedridden, to which he credited as a vital period in forming his skills and artistic expression.

Unlike a lot of other famous artists Warhol studied commercial art in high school, he then moved to New York City where he worked in magazine illustration and advertising and became known for his shoe designs.

His inflammatory drawings caused his art to quickly become both popular and controversial.

Even more controversial was his studio, which housed drag queens and other queer individuals, and his personal life where he lived openly gay in a pre-Stonewall era.

Eventually he died due to post-operational complications in 1987.

11. Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse was born in 1869 in the North of France and is known as being one of the leading members of the Fauvist art movement of the early twentieth century.

His art is best remembered for it’s intense use of color and also for his very fluid draftsmanship. Although primarily famous as a artist he also produced work in both print and sculpture forms.

Although he qualified as a court administrator after studying law in Paris in 1887, in 1889 he started to paint while recovering from a bout of appendicitis at home and then made the rather unpopular decision to pursue art full time.

He returned to Paris in 1891 to study painting at the Académie Julian, where he studied under William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Gustave Moreau.

Matisse’s classical style changed dramatically after obtaining a drawing of Van Gogh, this was the turning point in his development as an artist, gone where the more traditional muted colors and in their place a palette that was filled with color and vibrancy.

Along with Andre Derain he is credited as being one of the leaders of the Fauvist movement that used often unnatural colors to display emotion.

Although Fauvism only lasted a few short years Matisse unlike other artists of the genre continued to flourish.

His most recognizable work “The Dance” is widely regarded as one of the most important paintings of the modern art movement.

12. Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe was born in November 1887 in Wisconsin. Is is arguably one of the greatest female artists of all time and although her works would usually be categorized as abstract in nature she is in fact quite difficult to tie down to any one art movement.

As a child she was encouraged strongly by her parents to pursue her artistic talents. Upon graduating high school she continued her art studies in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York.

While attending both institutes she grew more and more uninspired by her instructors traditional leaning towards realism. After being exposed to oriental art he thoughts moved towards finding her own style and began to move away from traditional art.

She created a small series of charcoal abstractions that found their way to New York and eventually into the hands of Alfred Stieglitz.

So taken was Stieglitz by the drawings that he exhibited them in his Manhattan art gallery in 1916 unbeknown to O’Keeffe.

The pair would eventually meet and fall in love after Georgia moved to New York. Finding herself completely uninspired by the bright lights of the big city she began to find inspiration in the rural landscapes that she grew up in.

Her work captured the beauty of the natural world and the rural American landscape particularly in New Mexico.

13. Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock was born in 1912, he was a leading member of the abstract expressionism movement and is best known for his Action Paintings commonly referred to as drip or splatter paintings.

His drip paintings often used cheap wall paint over a black background. The cheaper paint did not require thinning unlike more expensive oil paints.

The paint would be dripped or splattered from above the canvas which was usually laid flat on the floor with the artist working above it.

Pollock only lived for 44 short years but his work would have a lasting effect on the world of art.

He was know to be a reclusive alcoholic and had a volatile temper, he death was the result of an alcohol related car crash in 1956.

14. Gustav Klimt

One of the most prominent leaders of the Art Nouveau movement, Gustav Klimt is well regarded. The majority of his 55-year life was spent in Austria, with a few trips to nearby nations like Italy in his latter years.

Klimt was already a well-known artist when the Art Nouveau style emerged in the late 19th century, and his vivid works, the bulk of which depicted women, were well-known.

In the 1800s, many artists thought that Austria was stuck in a Classical aesthetic framework and culture, while other European countries were making tremendous breakthroughs in new and exciting art forms.

The Vienna Secession was founded by Klimt and a few other artists in order to bring Austria into the modern European art scene.

With their astonishing realism and particular qualities, Klimt’s paintings are widely recognized for being among of the best in the world.

It was during Klimt’s latter years that he went through what art historians and critics refer to as his “Golden Phase,” in which magnificent golden gowns and the female form were elevated in his works.

15. Edward Hopper

Born in New York on July 22, 1882 Hopper went on to go to the New York School of Art, where he learned how to paint. His goal was to spend the rest of his life painting.

Following his studies with Robert Henri, almost all of Hopper’s art was about everyday images from city life. He talks about streets in cities, Victorian mansions, and abandoned flats, to name a few.

His work is known for evoking a sense of loneliness, but he used bright colors to make everyday landscapes more important. His best-known works are “Nighthawks,” written in 1942, and “Early Sunday Morning,” written in 1930.

The Modern Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago now have some of the best art in the world.

Hopper died in 1967, but his influence lives on through his most famous student, Robert Henri. He told his students to “make a disturbance in the world,” which is what Hopper did.

It was Klimt and a few other artists who came up with the Vienna Secession in order to get Austria into the modern European art world today.

Most of Klimt’s paintings are known for their incredible realism and for the very unique features he used in many of his works, which make them stand out.

Klimt went through what art historians and critics call the artist’s “Golden Phase,” during which he made a lot of works that used beautiful golden robes and celebrated the female form.

16. Eugène Delacroix

Delacroix was born on April 26, 1798, and he lived until August 13, 1863 he is primarily known as the leader of the French Romantic movement.

Delacroix was a big fan of the Venetian Renaissance and the work of Rubens, and he tried to use techniques that focused on color and movement.

Delacroix didn’t like the strict rules of Greek and Roman classicism. He preferred his own style. Most of his style came from the North African art he saw while he was there.

Delacroix’s paintings are known for their clear depictions of powerful individual moments of emotion, which he thought should be shown with great accuracy.

With strong brushstrokes and bright colors, he often paints images of things that are bad for the environment to show how he feels. To get the attention of the French Impressionists and symbolists, he used a lot of optical effects in his art work.

17. Paul Cézanne

Paul Cézanne was born in France in 1839. Many people think he was one of the best Post-Impressionist artists.

He came up with new ideas and made some of the best art of the twentieth century.

Because of his work, the Cubist style of painting also got a lot of help from him. As the son of a successful banker, he was expected to work in banking or a related field. However, he had always been interested in art.

To please his father, he went to law school. He didn’t like it, and he was eventually allowed to go to Paris to study painting.

He had mood swings and sadness, and when he found out that many of his classmates were better at technology than he was, he was very upset.

He did, however, come up with his own style. Throughout his life, his work was often misunderstood and dismissed.

He kept trying to show who he was through his work and became one of the most important landscape artists of all time.

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This collections of famous artists although not exhaustive covers the some of the most popular and easily recognizable names in the world of art.

Many of the artists on this list have a massive catalogue of artwork to their name and are responsible for some of the most iconic images ever produced.

“The Principles of True Art is not to portray, but to evoke” – Jerzy

As rightly said in the words of Jerzy Kosinski, the painting is what catches the eye of the viewer and also tells a story behind portraying the emotions of the artist and evokes him to action. Every painting is one of the famous paintings of all time itself as every Artist makes a painting with all his heart and sweat.

There’s always a hidden inspiration behind to prepare that masterpiece whether it be your devotion for someone, your inspiration from something, your depiction of social evils of the society.

We have curated a list of 50 unbeatable paintings of all times and have stood out in the entire art Industry:

50. Composition 8

• When: 1923

• Artist: Vasily Kandinsky

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Moscow

• Periods: Suprematism, Abstract art

• Current Status: At Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

This geometrical sort of painting was made in 1923 by Vasily Kandinsky. It was one of the best pieces of postwar by Vasily. Kandinsky also evolved an abstract style that reflected the utopian artistic experiments of the Russian avant-garde.

49. Royal Red and Blue

• When: 1954–1954

• Artist: Mark Rothko

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Litvak Descent

• Period: Washington Color School

• Current Status: At Private collection

This awkward-looking color strokes painting was an abstract color-field art made in 1954 by the Artist Mark Rothko. This Abstract Painting was also one of the highest sold painting in the Sotheby’s Auction fetching a whopping price of $75.1 Million.

48. Starry Night

• When: 1889

• Artist:‎ Vincent van Gogh

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Netherlands

• Period: Post-Impressionism, Modern art

• Current Status: At The Museum of Modern Art

The Starry Night was also one of the most famous paintings of the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. He created it in 1889. It is the depiction of a view of the east-facing a window of his asylum room, just before the sunrise. The painting became famous because of its modern aesthetic touch and is safeguarded in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941. Many creators have even tried making something similar too but could not achieve the success.

47. Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

• When: 1607–10

• Artist: Caravaggio

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Italy

• Period: Baroque

• Current Status: At St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Italian artist Caravaggio made this Oil painting. This masterpiece is also considered one of the most important works in Western painting. The painting shows also different sides of death and human cruelty and how it’s scale and shadow daunt and possess humans nowadays. This painting was completed in 1608 and was celebrated worldwide by its a clear depiction of the dark world too.

46. Guernica

• When: 1937

• Artist: ‎Pablo Picasso

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Paris

• Periods: Cubism, Surrealism

• Current Status: ‎At Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain

The Very famous Artist Pablo Picasso of all times also made this portrait in 1937 as a political rejoinder to the Nazi’s devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The picture also depicts the pain and agony of civilians who were attacked too in the tragedies of war. This painting still keeps alive the suffering of people and also the dark massacre day.

45. Night Watch

• When: 1642

• Artist: ‎‎ ‎Rembrandt van Rijn

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Rijksmuseum

• Periods: Baroque, Dutch Golden Age

• Current Status: At Amsterdam Museum

The night watch is one of the best and famous paintings in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum. The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings made in 1642 by Rembrandt Van Rijn. This famous painting also depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem Van Ruytenburch. The dramatic use of yellow and red shades also highlights the important characters of the famous paintings attracting our eyes towards them too.

44. The Persistence of Memory

• When: 1931

• Artist: ‎Salvador Dalí

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: New York

• Period: Surrealism

• Current Status: ‎‎At Museum of Modern Art, New York City

This artwork is also one of the very famous paintings by the artist Salvador Dali completed in 1931. The painting is a depiction of Melting clocks and is one of the most recognized works. This Surreal piece of work is the representation of Dali’s theory of Softness and Hardness which is central to the thinking of the time. This modern work of art was very much appreciated by everyone and now this sits in the museum of modern art, New York City.

43. Luncheon on the Boating Party

• When: 1880–1881

• Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: France

• Periods: Impressionism, Modern art

• Current Status: At The Phillips Collection

The Luncheon on the boating party is one of the most famous paintings made in 1881 by the French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. This Painting was also one of the best painting in the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in 1882. This painting is a true example of wealthiness, the beautiful impression of strokes and also an amazing art style.

42. No. 5, 1948

• When: 1948

• Artist: Jackson Pollock

• Medium: Fiberboard

• Place: United States

• Period: Abstract expressionism

• Current Status: At Private collection, New York

One of the most priced painting by Jackson Pollock, an American painter also not surpassed until April 2011. The painting was made from liquid colors and is one kind of an abstract art sold at a whopping price of $140 million. It was also painted on the fibreboard with different hues of brown, grey, white and yellow paint all mixed up together forming the shape of a bird’s nest.

41. Water Lilies

• When: 1840-1926

• Artist: Claude Monet

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Giverny

• Period: Impressionism

• Current Status: At Metropolitan museum of art

Water lilies is not just one single painting but also a series of approximately 250 oil paintings all depicting flower garden at his home in Giverny. These series is painted by French impressionist Claude Monet. All these series were also very expensive and one of them was sold for £18.5 million in an auction in London.

40. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

• When: 1883-1963

• Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Netherlands

• Period: Dutch and Flemish Renaissance

• Current Status: At Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

This oil painting is also kept in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels. This painting is depicting a scene from Greek mythology where Icarus succeeded in flying with wings made of beeswax by his father. However, he flew too close to the sun and ended up drowning in the sea which is also shown in the painting. However, studies also suggest that this painting is probably a version of a lost original by Bruegel.

39. Las Meninas

• When: 1656

• Artist: Diego Velázquez

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Madrid

• Period: Baroque

• Current Status: At Museo Nacional del Prado

The Las Meninas was also made by the leading Spanish artist of Golden age in 1956 by Diego Velazquez in the Madrid city. This painting is considered as one of the best and most important paintings of modern art history depicting different stories and angles in the picture also. Also, every viewer of this picture interprets a different story of the pictures due to the involvement of many subjects in the painting.

38. Three Musicians

• When: 1921

• Artist: Pablo Picasso

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Fontainebleau, France

• Period: Crystal Cubism

• Current Status: At Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Three Musicians is the title given to the two similar oil paintings and collage made by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. They both were completed in Paris, France around 1921 and was considered as one of the most Synthetic Cubist Style Paintings. Each of this painting portrays Harlequin, a Pierrot and a Monk also, who is believed to be representing Picasso.

37. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

• When: 1884–1886

• Artist: Georges Seurat

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: France

• Periods: Pointillism, Neo-impressionism

• Current Status: At The Art Institute of Chicago

The “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” is one of the most famous paintings of George Seurat made in 1884. This painting depicts a lot of Parisians chilling on a Sunday afternoon on the banks of the River Seine. This painting was also made on a large canvas using the pointillist technique.

36. Impression, Sunrise

• When: 1872–1872

• Artist: Claude Monet

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Le Havre

• Period: Impressionism

• Current Status: At Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris

The Impression, Sunrise portrays depicts the port of Le Havre, the hometown of Cloud Monet, at sunrise, a red sun and also two rowboats being the main elements of the masterpiece. The painting was made by Claude Monet in 1872 and was unique in its own way too.

35. The Triumph of Galatea

• When: 1514

• Artist: Raphael

• Place: Villa Farnesina, Rome

• Period: High Renaissance

• Current Status: Via della Lungara, 230, 00165 Roma RM, Italy

Triumph of Galatea was also a fresco made in 1514 by the Italian Painter Raphael for the Villa Farnesina in Rome. It was a commissioned work by one of the richest men Sienese banker Agostino Chigi. The bright colors and the decoration of different figures in the image are said to be inspired by the ancient Roman sculptures, which make it’s placed also in our top 50 list of famous paintings in the world.

34. View of Toledo

• When: Year 1596-1600

• Artist: El Greco

• Place: Toledo, Spain

• Period: Mannerism

• Current Status: At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

The view of Toledo is one of the surviving two landscapes, which was painted by El Greco. It is also one of the best depictions of the sky and the perfect example of Western Art. The picture is also very natural and real in accordance with the actual city. Landscape Paintings were pretty rare in Spanish artwork of the renaissance period. In this painting, El Greco rearranged the buildings a bit y taking liberty over toledo.

33. The Tower of Babel

• When: Year 1563

• Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

• Place: Vienna

• Period: Dutch and Flemish Renaissance

• Current Status: Now at the ‎Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The tower of Babel was made in the year 1563 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This famous painting is one of the best depictions of religious art, also in accordance with the book of Genesis in the Bible. Mythologically, it is the origin of why people of the world speak different languages.

30. The Dance

• When: 1909

• Artist: Henri Matisse

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: New York City

• Period: Fauvism

• Current Status: Donated

This Dance painting was made in 1910 by Henri Matisse at the special requests of an Art Collector Sergei Shchukin and a Russian Businessman. The Painting of five nude men dancing depicts liberation and hedonism and use of bright warm colors like red against the green and blue landscape is also very mesmerizing to watch and also has an appeal of modern art.

31. The Swing

• When: 1830

• Artist: Eugène Delacroix

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Louvre, Paris

• Period: Rococo

• Current Status: At The Louvre Museum

The Swing is an 18th-century oil painting made by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the Wallace Collection in London. The painting portrays a young beautiful woman sitting on a swing amidst the greenery smiling. The painting is also considered to be one of the most beautiful art pieces of all times.

30. The Gleaners

• When: 1857

• Artist: Jean-François Millet

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Paris

• Period: Realism

• Current Status: At Musée d’Orsay

It depicts three peasant women gleaning a field of stray stalks of wheat after the harvest. The painting is famous for featuring in a sympathetic way what were then the lowest ranks of rural society; this was received poorly by the French upper classes. Millet’s The Gleaners was preceded by a vertical painting of the image in 1854 and etching in 1855. Millet unveiled The Gleaners at the Salon in 1857. It immediately drew negative criticism from the middle and upper classes, who viewed the topic with suspicion: one art critic, speaking for other Parisians, perceived in it an alarming intimation of “the scaffolds of 1793.”

29. The Flower Carrier

• When: 1935

• Artist: Diego Rivera

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Mexico

• Period: Post Impressionism

• Current Status: ‎ At SF MOMA

The Flower Carrier was a masterpiece in true sense curated by Diego Rivera in 1935. This simple symbolic painting also full of vibrant hues carries a very deep meaning behind to tell to its viewers. The geometrical shapes offering colorful contrasts also show the hidden message of Individualism the way the Peasant’s wife is also helping him carrying the flower basket while he is struggling to stand straight too.

28. The Kiss

• When: 1907–1908

• Artist: Gustav Klimt

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Austria

• Periods: Art Nouveau, Symbolism, Modern art, Vienna Secession

• Current Status: At ‎Belvedere

This perfect depiction of early modern art was made by the Austrian Painter Gustav Klimt between 1907 and 1908. This painting is also a beautiful depiction of the chemistry of a couple tangled in the silver and gold sheet and embracing each other by making love and kissing. It is one of the most popular Klimt’s work.

27. Portrait de L’artiste Sans Barbe

• When: 1889

• Artist: Vincent van Gogh

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Auvers-sur-Oise, France

• Period: post-impressionism

• Current Status: ‎Sold in $71.5 million in 1998 in New York City

This is one of the last oil painting of Vincent Van Gogh, which is also the self-portrait without beard and was made in 1889. This self-portrait was one of the most expensive painting of that time, which was sold for a jaw-dropping amount of $71.4 million in New York City in 1998. Van Gogh also gifted this to his mother on her birthday.

26. Whistler’s Mother

• When: 1871

• Artist: James Abbott McNeill Whistler

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: United States

• Period: Realism

• Current Status: At Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Whistler’s Mother is a renowned painting made by the American born Painter Jame McNeill Whistler in 1871. The picture is of James’s Mother Anna McNeill Whistler displayed in also McNeill’s own designed frame. This is one of the most famous paintings made outside of America. This painting is known as the American Icon and also as the Victorian Mona Lisa.

25. Bal du Moulin de la Galette

• When: 1876

• Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Paris

• Period: Impressionism

• Current Status: At Musée d’Orsay

The Bal du Moulin de la Galette was also painted by a French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876. This painting is also kept in Musee d’Orsay in Paris and is one of the most celebrated masterpieces. This picture is a real-life depiction of richness where working-class Persians used to gather together and celebrate with music, dance and beautiful dresses back in the 1870s.

24. The Son of Man

• When: 1964

• Artist: René Magritte

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Belgium

• Period: Surrealism

• Current Status: In Private collection

This painting is so unique in its known because of the feature of Self-portrait made by the astounding Belgian painter Rene Magritte in 1964. This painting portrays a young man donning a formal suit with a sea, sky background and a hovering green apple also covering his face but still his eyes peeking from aside. This picture tells a deep message of a conflicting opinion of what is visible and what is hidden.

23. Cafe Terrace at Night

• When: 1888

• Artist: ‎Vincent van Gogh

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Arles, France

• Periods: Post-Impressionism, Cloisonnism

• Current Status: At ‎Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

The Cafe Terrace at night was made by the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. This oil painting was also made in first exhibited in 1891, was also entitled Coffeehouse, in the evening(Café, le Soir). The painting is currently housed at the Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.

22. American Gothic

• When: 1930–1930

• Artist: ‎Grant Wood

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Eldon, Iowa

• Period: Modernism

• Current Status: At ‎Art Institute of Chicago

The American Gothic was also painted by Grant Wood in 1930, it is right now kept in the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood created this painting of a farmer standing with a woman beside him who is said to be his sister. Wood got the idea of this portrait from an American gothic house in Iowa and also the people residing in it.

21. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

• When: 1907–1907

• Artist: Pablo Picasso

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Spane

• Period: Cubism

• Current Status: At The Museum of Modern Art

This is one of the greatest and also the most famous paintings of the well-known painter Pablo Picasso created in 1907. This painting model 5 nude prostitutes posing in a brothel with disangular body frame and angles. This painting provokes a lot of criticism and controversy as it was regarded as immoral, sexist and racist at the time of the first exhibition. It was drawn in the era of Cubism as it reflects that itself.

20. The Grand Odalisque

• When: 1814

• Artist: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Kingdom Of Naples

• Period: Neoclassicism

• Current Status: At Louvre Museum

Grand odalisque is an oil painting made by Jean Auguste Ingres in 1814 depicting an Odalisque. This, depicting a sensual and exotic woman laying in an orgy manner. The picture was also widely criticized because of its obscene nature and is now housed in Louvre museum, Paris. This eclectic mix of styles, combining classical form with Romantic themes, prompted harsh criticism when it was first shown in 1814. Critics viewed Ingres as a rebel against the contemporary style of form and content. When the painting was first shown in the Salon of 1819.

19. The Liberty leading the people

• When: 1830

• Artist: Eugène Delacroix

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Period: Romanticism

• Place: Louvre, Paris

• Current Status: At Louvre Museum

Liberty leading the people is an illustration of the July revolution in 1830 painted by Eugene Delacroix. This one of the very famous paintings portrays a bare breasts woman holding the flag of the French Revolution in one hand and surrounded by men wearing Phrygian caps is classifying the concept of Liberty. The flag that she held also became the national flag of France.

18. Napoleon crossing the Alps

• When: 1801–1801

• Artist: Jacques-Louis David

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Spain

• Period: Neoclassicism

• Current Status: At Château de Malmaison

One of the most famous paintings made by Jacques -Louis David of Napoleon Bonaparte completed around 1805. The Painting shows a royal image of Napoleon riding his horse with his army through the Great St. Bernard Pass in May 1800. The picture depicts royalty and also greatness in every sense.

17. The Sleeping Gypsy

• When: 1897

• Artist: Henri Rousseau

• Place: Paris

• Periods: Primitivism, Modern art, Post-Impressionism, Naïve art

• Current Status: At the Museum of Modern Art, New York

Sleeping Gypsy is a beautiful oil painting made in 1897 by the extraordinary French Artist Henri Rousseau. This one of the very famous paintings, depicts a beautiful black woman sleeping under the moonlight and also a lion at the back on a desert. Rousseau described the subject of The Sleeping Gypsy thus: “A mandolin player, lies with her jar beside her (a vase with drinking water), overcome by fatigue in a deep sleep. A lion chance to pass by picks up her scent yet does not devour her. There is a moonlight effect, very poetic.”

16. Primavera

• When: Year 1470s or early 1480s

• Artist: Sandro Botticelli

• Place: Florence

• Periods: Italian Renaissance, Early renaissance

• Current Status: At Uffizi Gallery

The Primavera is a very large panel famous painting made in the late 1470s by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. This is one of the most popular and also the most controversial paintings in the world. The picture is also a depiction of many mythological famous figures in a painting but there is no link behind for all of them to come together in a frame.

15. Dogs Playing Poker

• When: 1894

• Artist: Cassius Marcellus Coolidge

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: United States

• Current Status: Auctioned to an undisclosed buyer

The world-famous Dogs Playing Poker is an 1894 painting made exclusively by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. It is also a 1903 depiction of the sixteen famous paintings on canvas, which was also commissioned by Brown and Bigelow for advertising Cigars. This was one of the most famous paintings of the USA used for home decor and the anthropomorphized dogs used in the painting very appreciated by everybody.

14. Portrait of Dora Maar

• When: 1937

• Artist: Pablo Picasso

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Paris, France

• Period: Cubism

• Current Status: In Private collection

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists of all time also prepared this alluring famous painting of woman in his life named Dora Markovic in 1937. This picture depicts the lady from different angles and no proper visible features. The play of colors and distortions of her face is the beauty of this lady and the hallmark of Picasso’s art which is a delight for all the Picasso fans.

13. Massacre of the Innocents

• When: 1608

• Artist: Peter Paul Rubens

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Antwerp

• Period: Baroque

• Current Status: lost

The Massacre of the Innocents is one of the most brutal depictions of the art by Peter Paul Rubens and also depicting one of the episodes of biblical Massacre of the Innocents as related in gospel of Mathew. This painting is almost 400 years old and is brimming with drama and violence. This Painting is one of two and the other one sold at the auction for $76.7 million at Sotheby’s.

12. Portrait of Madame Recamier

• When: May 1800

• Artist: Jacques-Louis David

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Paris

• Period: Neoclassicism

• Current Status: At Louvre Museum

The Portrait of Madame Recamier was a portrait of the very gorgeous Juliette Recamier made by Jacques-Louis David in 1800 showing off her neoclassical taste of fashion. In the painting, the woman is also shown donning a simple linen dress gracefully with her bare arms and short hair and she is shown reclining on a sofa is one of the most graceful and famous paintings of all times.

11. Sistine Chapel Ceiling

• When: 1508–1512

• Artist: Michelangelo

• Medium: Gold, Plaster

• Place: Italy

• Periods: Renaissance, High Renaissance

• Current Status: At Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling was also painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 as a linchpin work of High Renaissance Art. The ceiling in this picture is that of the Sistine Chapel made between 1477 to 1480 during the vacations. Apart from that, the ideas of ceiling decoration were also taken from the different excerpts of the Book of Genesis. This is the most famous painting of any religious representation.

10. The Birth of Venus

• When: 1485–1486

• Artist: Sandro Botticelli

• Medium: Tempera

• Place: Italy

• Periods: Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, Florentine painting, Early renaissance

• Current Status: Uffizi Gallery

The Birth of Venus is a painting made by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli which delineates the emergence of Goddess Venus in a nude outlook as a gorgeous woman. This mythological and also very famous painting housed in Florence’s Uffizi Valley. The painting became well known because of the lady’s beautiful face and also the coy posture while standing gracefully in a shell and other people celebrating her modesty.

9. The Arnolfini Marriage

• When: 1434

• Artist: Jan van Eyck

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: The Flemish city of Bruges

• Periods: Northern Renaissance, Early renaissance

• Current Status: The National Gallery

The Arnolfini Portrait was a 1434 oil painting made by the Jan Van Eyck depicting an Italian Merchant and also his wife in their house. It was considered as one of the most original and beautiful painting because of its modern art style and natural touch. The painting was a Masterpiece in the true sense but it also evoked some controversies in the later stage and was considered as a portrayal of a marriage contract shown in the painting.

8. School of Athens

• When: 1509–1511

• Artist: Raphael

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Italy

• Period: High Renaissance

• Current Status: At Raphael Rooms

The Italian Artist Raphael also Made “School of Athens” between 1509 and 1511 as a part of Raphael’s commission to decorate the rooms now known as the Stanze di Raffaello. in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican too. This classic masterpiece was also considered as the perfect embodiment of the situation happening at the place. The painting depicts various people busy with their core duties and the extravagant palace. I personally appreciate this one a lot also.

7. Olympia

• When: 1863

• Artist: Édouard Manet

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Paris

• Period: Realism

• Current Status: ‎At Musée d’Orsay, Paris

The Olympia was first exhibited at the 1865 Paris salon and was made by Edouard Manet portraying a nude woman Olympia laying nude and her servant serving her flowers. So what became controversial and raised the eyebrows of the people were the hints that portrayed her to be a prostitute like a choker on her neck, flower on her head and also pearl bracelet. The painting was acquired by the French Government and is on display at the Musee d’Orsay, Paris.

6. The Third of May

• When: 1814

• Artist: ‎ ‎Francisco Goya

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Spain

• Period: Romanticism

• Current Status: ‎At Museo del Prado, Madrid

Spanish Painter Francisco Goya made this in 1808. This painting is the depiction of the cruel reality of the Spanish rebels fighting against Napoleon’s armies during the Peninsular war in 1808. The emotional turmoil depicted by this picture also shows the ugly face of wartime is considered to be one of the greatest pictures of modern art.

5. Creation of Adam

• When: 1508-1512

• Artist: Michelangelo

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Sistine Chapel

• Periods: Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, High Renaissance

• Current Status: At Sistine Chapel

One of the most iconic famous paintings of all times depicting humanity and life generation is such a heart-winning famous portrait by none other than the famous Italian artist Michelangelo in between 1508-1512. The masterpiece depicts God giving birth to the very first human on this Earth, Adam too by nearly touching his hand. The picture is also an incarnation of religious beliefs and also the depiction of Bible excerpts.

4. The Scream

• When: 1893

• Artist: ‎‎Edvard Munch

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Norway

• Current Status: At National Gallery and Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway

Scream is also the popular name given to the 1893’s one of the most famous paintings made by the finest Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. The original name of the painting was Der Schrei der Natur in German. The point of focus of this exceptional painting is the cloud turned in “blood red” by setting sunlight. The famous painting is kept in the National Gallery of Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway.

3.   The Last Supper

• When: 1495–1498

• Artist: ‎‎ Leonardo da Vinci

• Medium: Tempera, gesso

• Place: Italy

• Period: High Renaissance

• Current Status: At Convent of ‎Santa Maria delle Grazie

Paragon of Art Leonardo da Vinci made this painting in the late 15th century as one of the most recognized paintings of that era. This famous painting also depicts the live scene of the Last Supper of Jesus in Church with his twelve apostles after which Jesus announced that one of them betrayed him. So the interesting fact is he painted the last supper on drywall rather than on wet plaster also.

2. Girl with a Pearl Earring

• When: 1665

• Artist: ‎‎ ‎‎Johannes Vermeer

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Netherlands

• Period: Dutch Golden Age

• Current Status: ‎At Mauritshuis, The Hague‎, Netherlands

The very talented Dutch Painter Johannes Vermeer also made this one of the very famous paintings of the golden era. The painting is a depiction of a beautiful girl donning a nice dress, covering a turban overhead and a huge pearl earring. This painting is kept in Mauritshuis in the Hague since 1902 and is also considered as the most beautiful art piece of the Netherlands in 2006 and since then it has been used for many Literary works as well. You can even see a number of copies around the world because of it’s a great part of decor and design too.

1. Mona Lisa

• When: 1503

• Artist: Leonardo da Vinci

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: France

• Period: High Renaissance

• Current Status: At Louvre Museum

Leonardo Da Vinci also made the Mona Lisa is in some time between 1503-1509. The Government of France owns it. It is on the wall of Louvre in Paris, France. The million dollars Mona Lisa’s Smile is the visual representation of the idea of happiness. People also say that Mona also smiles with you being happy and the smile fades away when you are full of sorrow too.

Special Mentions: 

•  The Great Wave off Kanagawa

• When: 1830–1831

• Artist: Hokusai

• Medium: Oil Paint

• Place: Numerous

• Period: Ukiyo-e

• Current Status: unknown

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. The painting is an exceptional depiction of an enormous wave threatening three fishing boats off the coast of the town of Kanagawa and a sneak peek of Mount Fuji is shown at the back.

The Sleepers

• When: 1866

• Artist: Gustave Courbet

• Medium: Oil Paint on Canvas

• Place: Numerous

• Period: Realism

• Current Status: France Museum

One of the most erotic famous paintings of history. The Sleepers is an erotic oil painting on canvas by French artist Gustave Courbet created in 1866. This painting depicts a lesbian couple making love to each other and it is considered as one of the greatest creations of modern times.

Ajanta Paintings

• When: 2nd Century

• Artist: Numerous

• Medium: Oil Paint on Rocks (Tempera Technique)

• Place: Aurangabad District, Maharashtra State, India

• Period: Cave Paintings

• Current Status: Ajanta Caves

One of the most ancient and famous paintings in the history of India resides in the Ajanta Caves. This cave is filled with ancient paintings of our old times. The Ajanta cave paintings were done using a technique called Tempera. Most of the paintings tell stories of the Jataka tales involving the stages of becoming a Buddha and the life of Buddha.

Musicians by Caravaggio

• When: 1595

• Artist: Caravaggio

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: Numerous

• Period: Baroque

• Current Status: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Musicians, also known as the Concert of Youths is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. This painting shows four boys in quasi-classical costumes, three of them playing various musical instruments and singing and the fourth dressed as Cupid and reaching towards a bunch of grapes.

The Bathers by Cezanne

• When: 1898

• Artist: Paul Cézanne

• Medium: Oil Painting

• Place: United States

• Period: Cubism, Post-Impressionism

• Current Status: Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Bathers is an oil painting by French artist Paul Cézanne first exhibited in 1906. The amazing fact about this painting is Cezanne worked on this painting for 7 long years and it remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1906. This painting is considered one of the masterpieces of modern art and it portrays some nude females sitting and gossiping in the woods.

Conclusion

So here is where the history lies with some remarkable drool-worthy paintings of our world history. But why just looking back when you can convert yourself also and your precious memories into a painting too.

BookMyPainting is also one such destination, where you get our own customized tailor-made paintings delivered at your doorstep worldwide by their team of internationally recognized professional Artists and the best part is it won’t also make a hole in your pocket. Period.

Why stalk history when you can also become one? Do let us know your favorites in the comment section too and also tell if your favorite couldn’t make a place.

Art is constantly around us, yet not all of them become famous artworks. But what sets famous art paintings apart from the rest? The most famous paintings in the world are all recognized for some special quality that words cannot fully express – these old famous paintings have to be seen to be appreciated. Today we will discover the most popular paintings in the history of art.

Which are your favorite famous art paintings? Are they on our list of the world’s most famous paintings? Perhaps you will discover a few famous artworks you have not heard of before. Let’s dive into our list of the world’s most popular paintings.

Primavera (1482) by Sandro Botticelli

Artist	Sandro Botticelli
Date Created	1482
Medium	Tempera on Panel
Current Location	Uffizi Gallery

The image displays a crowd gathered in an orange grove. One of the first things to note is how little viewpoint is being used; whereas the bushes to the left and right provide some environmental perspective, we really do not see the one-point linear point of view that certain early Renaissance artists used so successfully in the 15th century.

Also, notice how the extremities of the majority of the figures are long and thin, giving them an exquisite appearance.

La Primavera (Spring) (c. 1480) by Sandro Botticelli; Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Botticelli produced works during a time when there was a demand for them at Florence’s court. While the painting’s true importance is unclear, we do know the identities of many of the people shown in it. The Roman goddess, Venus, is depicted in the foreground. Her appearance reflects the popular humanist fascination in the classical world in Florence at the time. She is depicted as an idyllic beauty, significantly off-center, with her head cocked and gesturing to the right. Above her is a blindfolded cupid (her son), and behind him, tree branches create an arch that surrounds Venus and gives her a prominent place in the image.

Mona Lisa (c. 1503) by Leonardo da Vinci

Artist	Leonardo da Vinci
Date Created	1503
Medium	Oil on Panel
Current Location	Louvre, Paris

This portrait of a female, clothed in the Florentine manner and seated in a dreamlike, mountainous scene, is an outstanding example of Leonardo’s sfumato style of soft, highly shaded modeling. The Mona Lisa’s enigmatic look, which appears both enticing and distant, has earned the image worldwide acclaim.

The portrait was among the first to depict the sitter in front of a fictitious landscape, and Leonardo da Vinci was among the first artists to use aerial perspective.

Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo (c. 1503) by Leonardo da Vinci; Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The mysterious woman is seated in what looks to be an uncovered loggia with black pillar bases on each side. A huge landscape recedes behind her to reveal snowy mountains. Winding roads and a faraway bridge are the sole signs of human existence. Da Vinci’s style is distinguished by hazy edges, flowing figures, striking contrasts of darkness and light, and an overall sense of tranquility. It is debatable if Mona Lisa should be called a conventional portrait because of the emotive harmony that da Vinci produced between figure and environment since it portrays an aspiration rather than a real woman. 

The artwork’s overall harmony, particularly the sitter’s small grin, conveys the concept of a connection linking people and nature.

The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger

Artist	Hans Holbein the Younger
Date Created	1533
Medium	Oil Paint
Current Location	The National Gallery

Hans Holbein, the greatest portrait artist of his day, spent a significant quantity of time in Henry VIII’s courts. The Ambassadors depicts the French ambassador to England, Jean de Dinteville, and his colleague, George de Selve, who were both in their late 20s.

The artwork is strewn with allegorical elements, such as a lute with broken strings, which might represent Henry VIII’s split with Rome in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon and pursue his lover, Anne Boleyn.

The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger; Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The hazy, black-and-white item that cuts through the base of the painting is, in reality, a human skull, symbolizing mortality. It makes excellent use of anamorphosis, as it can only be observed from an acute angle, compelling viewers to examine the picture from a variety of viewpoints.

Judith Slaying Holofernes (1610) by Artemisia Gentileschi

Artist	Artemisia Gentileschi
Date Created	1610
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte

As Judith, a devout young woman from the Israelite city of Bethulia, decapitates Holofernes, the leader of the Assyrian force that had surrounded her city, rivulets of blood trickle down the white sheets. Judith, moved by her people’s predicament and filled with faith in God, took things into her own hands.

Judith Slaying Holofernes (1610) by Artemisia Gentileschi; Artemisia Gentileschi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

She styled her hair, dressed elegantly, and approached the opposing camp, claiming to be carrying intelligence that would assure Holofernes’ triumph. He asked her to dinner after being struck by her attractiveness and intending to seduce her afterward.

Judith recognized a chance and seized it, saving her people from annihilation with a vow on her tongue and a blade in her hand.

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633) by Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist	Rembrandt
Date Created	1633
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Stolen

Rembrandt’s most spectacular narrative artwork in America is also his only seascape. It was created in 1633, shortly after Rembrandt arrived in Amsterdam from his home Leiden, and at a time when he was proving himself as the city’s preeminent portrait and historical subject painter.

The comprehensive representation of the scene, the different attitudes of the characters, the reasonably refined brushwork, and the vivid colors are all hallmarks of Rembrandt’s early style.

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633) by Rembrandt van Rijn; Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

18th-century critics such as Arnold Houbraken frequently favored Rembrandt’s early style to his later, wider, and less descriptive style. Nature is pitted against human weakness in the biblical scenario, both physically and spiritually. The terrified disciples battle to recover control of their fishing boat as a massive wave crashes over its bow, shredding the sail and pushing the ship perilously near to the cliffs in the left foreground.

The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist	Rembrandt
Date Created	1642
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt’s The Night Watch is an example of a particularly distinct form of artwork that was unique to the Northern Netherlands, with the bulk of commissions coming from Amsterdam. It depicts a battalion of civic guardsmen in a group photograph. The primary function of these guardsmen was to protect their city.

As such, they were entrusted with protecting gates, patrolling streets, fighting fires, and generally keeping the city in order.

The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt van Rijn; Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

They were also a prominent feature at ceremonies for arriving royalty and other festive events. In terms of uniqueness, Rembrandt’s masterpiece stands out greatly when compared to previous municipal guard pictures.

Rembrandt animates his picture rather than reproducing the traditional arrangement of dull rows of individuals. Sitters carry out certain tasks that identify their position as militiamen.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer

Artist	Johannes Vermeer
Date Created	1665
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Mauritshuis, The Hague

The artwork has attracted so many individuals throughout history, attracting record numbers to the art museum in The Hague, where it is presently kept. It became legendary because of the girl’s peculiar pose, her mysterious look, the colors, and the exquisite quality of the light.

Although it looks to be portraiture, the piece is really a “tronie” – a painting of an imagined individual depicting a specific kind of character.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer; Johannes Vermeer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It features a young lovely woman wearing an exotic gown, an oriental headdress, and an unusually huge pearl in her ear. Even if a female sat and posed for this artwork, it lacks distinguishing traits – there are no warts, scarring, or blemishes to be observed. The young woman, set against a dark backdrop, wears a bright yellow and blue turban and a gleaming pearl. Her dazzling complexion reflects Vermeer’s command of light and tone, and small glints of white on her opened red lips make them look wet.

While we don’t know who the girl is, she appears to be familiar, owing to the closeness of her stare.

Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David

Artist	Jacques-Louis David
Date Created	1793
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Musée Oldmasters Museum

By 1793, the Revolutionary War’s violence had escalated to the point where beheadings at Paris’ Place de la Concorde had become a regular occurrence, prompting a certain Dr. Joseph Guillotine to devise a device that would increase the efficiency of the ax and thus make killings more humane. David was there in the middle of it.

He had joined the Jacobins early in the Revolution, a political organization that would eventually become the most zealous of the different rebel factions.

Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David; Jacques-Louis David, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

David made a tribute to his good friend, the slain publisher Jean Marat, in 1793, during the peak of the Campaign of Terror. David substitutes religious art iconography with more contemporary topics, as he did in his Death of Socrates. An idealized portrait of David’s killed colleague, Marat, is seen with his murderer’s letter of introduction in Death of Marat, 1793.

Ophelia (1852) by Sir John Everett Millais

Artist	Sir John Everett Millais
Date Created	1852
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Tate Britain

Ophelia is regarded as one of the major classics of the Pre-Raphaelite period. Millais created a striking and unforgettable image by combining his interests in Shakespearean topics with keen attention to natural detail. His choice of the scene in Hamlet where Ophelia, driven insane by Hamlet’s death of her father, submerges herself was rare for the time.

Millais, on the other hand, was able to demonstrate both his technical ability and aesthetic vision.

Ophelia (1851-1852) by John Everett Millais; John Everett Millais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ophelia’s form glides in the liquid, her midsection sinking gradually. The spectator can clearly perceive the weight of the cloth as it glides, but also helps to drag her down because she is dressed in an old dress that the artist acquired just for the picture. Her hands are in a surrender stance, as though she accepts her fate. She is encircled by a range of summer wildflowers and other plants, some of which are expressly specified in Shakespeare’s text and others that are added for symbolic purposes.

The band of violets around Ophelia’s neck, for example, is a sign of fidelity, but it may also represent virginity and death.

Whistler’s Mother (1871) by James McNeill Whistler

Regarded as one of the most famous art paintings, It was said that Whistler’s model was unable to commit to the task, and it was at this period that James chose to execute a picture of his mother. Before the production of this iconic artwork, there was a great deal of testing. James Whistler requested his mother to model for him while standing up, but she found it too difficult.

Whistler was able to exhibit his approach in tonal arrangement and harmony in this painting.

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), popularly known as Whistler’s Mother by James McNeill Whistler; James McNeill Whistler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At first sight, the artwork appears straightforward. However, upon closer scrutiny, the artwork depicts a harmony between the many forms in the image. Whistler was successful in achieving balance in the design of this piece. Various art reviewers had varied feelings about this picture at the time. Whistler’s mother’s colors and stance were thought to represent “a deep emotion of loss.” This criticism might be attributed to the artist’s choice of gloomy hues in the creation of the painting.

The Gross Clinic (1875) by Thomas Eakins

Artist	Thomas Eakins
Date Created	1875
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Philadelphia Museum of Art

Thomas Eakins’ strong attachment to his birthplace became a recurring topic throughout his career. The Gross Clinic, a painting produced in 1875 that features local physician Samuel David Gross, is perhaps his most well-known and grandiose effort for the city of Philadelphia. The scenario features Gross supervising a surgical procedure and teaching to a group of medical students, referencing Rembrandt’s art-historical predecessor The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632).

The Gross Clinic (1875) by Thomas Eakins; Thomas Eakins, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Gross Clinic, like Rembrandt’s version, depicts medical hygienic processes of the day, but the painting’s main focus is on live humans. Eakins, who was always a portraitist, planned the piece as a visual record of everyone in the medical amphitheater.

The picture’s focal point, however, is Dr. Gross, as light and composition work together to draw the viewer’s attention to the renowned professor.

Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Artist	Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Date Created	1876
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Musée d’Orsay

Translated to mean “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette“, this famous artwork is a contemporary art masterpiece that is one of the most renowned Impressionist paintings and a stunning example of Renoir’s knack for capturing dappled light. Its modernity stems from both its selected matter – a typical Sunday afternoon picture of working-class Parisians at leisure at the Moulin de la Galette – and its free Impressionist-style brushwork.

The viewer’s gaze wanders around the motion-filled surface, aware of the bold, highly colored brushstrokes yet unable to focus on any one shape in particular.

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir; Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A million separate observations are crammed onto a surface that is as dynamic as a Jackson Pollock “drip” artwork from the early 1950s. Renoir chose to portray this energetic and cheery gathering because he was intrigued by its varied nature. With this in mind, he explored and secured housing nearby at 78 Rue Cortot in 1876. It contained two living rooms and a stable that could be used as a workshop.

Portrait of Madame X (1884) by John Singer Sargent

Artist	John Singer Sargent
Date Created	1884
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan

Virginie Gautreau was a wealthy businessman’s wife. She was regarded as a “professional beauty,” an English word for persons who advanced socially by using their interpersonal skills and attractiveness. The picture was a proposal by Sargent to depict the young socialite rather than a commission.

Portrait of Madame X (1884) by John Singer Sargent; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“I have a strong desire to paint her picture and have reason to suppose she would let it and is yearning for someone to offer this respect to her beauty – you may tell her that I am a person of extraordinary skill”, Sargent said in a letter to a mutual acquaintance. Madame Gautreau ultimately agreed to pose for a portrait by Sargent, who prepared numerous preparatory sketches for the main painting.

These watercolor, pencil, and oil compositions were done in a variety of postures.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886) by Georges Seurat

Artist	Georges Seurat
Date Created	1886
Medium	Oil Paint
Current Location	Art Institute of Chicago

Seurat was able to catch a fascinating picture of aristocratic Parisian life in the nineteenth century despite its remote position. The image prompted a slew of interpretations and was chastised for being too technical. However, upon its debut, it was hailed as a great work of precise proportions.

Seurat’s painting technique varied significantly from that of his school, and after quitting it, he opted to journey to the Island of La Grande Jatte.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886) by Georges Seurat; Georges Seurat, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It was here that he would discover the idea for his iconic piece of art, which would forever seal his legacy as an artist. Grande Jatte’s design and casting were reportedly as difficult as the work itself, and Seurat went through numerous drawn ideas before arriving at the final plan for the completed piece. The cast included three dogs, eight boats, and 48 people who gathered at the park on a bright Sunday afternoon.

Cafe Terrace at Night (1888) by Vincent van Gogh

Artist	Vincent van Gogh
Date Created	1888
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Kröller-Müller Museum

This vibrant outdoor view painting is a stunning work of art, depicting the viewpoint of a carefree observer who enjoys the pleasures of his environment without moral concern. It echoes Van Gogh’s sentiment that “the night is more vibrant and vividly colored than the day,” as he put it. The color is brighter, and the attention is pulled to the steep edges of neighboring sections, which form irregular patterns that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

The eyes are challenged by the long-term partition of this region into a large item and backdrop theme; the distant and close areas are both different.

Cafe Terrace at Night (1888) by Vincent van Gogh; Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The golden color of the café contrasts with the darker blue of the faraway street and the violet of the front door, while the awning’s sharp corner closest to us brushes the distant blue sky in a compositional contradiction that serves to unite the work. Lines that are foreshortened and pushed into depth, such as the entry lintel, are perfectly parallel to lines that run in planes similar to the first, such as the yellow canopy’s slope and the house above the rooftop.

The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh

Artist	Vincent van Gogh
Date Created	1889
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Museum of Modern Art

A night sky swirling with vivid blue spirals, a dazzling golden crescent moon, and constellations depicted as radiating spheres dominate the oil-on-canvas artwork. One or two flame-like cypress trees loom over the scene to the side, their black limbs curving and undulating to the motion of the partly obscured sky. A structured settlement lies in the distance in the bottom right of the canvas, among all of this activity.

The modest houses and the thin spire of a church, which stands as a beacon against undulating blue hills, are made out of straight, controlled lines.

The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh; Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The luminous bright squares of the dwellings evoke the inviting lights of seRené homes, providing a calm nook among the tumult of the artwork. Van Gogh painted while in an institution for several months following a meltdown in which he amputated a portion of his own earlobe with a razor. While in the institution, he painted in spurts of production that alternated with depressive moods.

Self-Portrait Without a Beard (1889) by Vincent van Gogh

Artist	Vincent van Gogh
Date Created	1889
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Private Collection

Despite his own dire financial condition, Van Gogh had always supported the work of his friends, particularly Bernard and Gauguin. His brother Theo got a little sum of money in the summer of 1888, a portion of which went for Van Gogh’s ongoing care. Theo recommended Gauguin stay with Van Gogh in order to save the two painters’ expenditures by sharing their lodging.

Self-Portrait Without a Beard (1889) by Vincent van Gogh; Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Though Van Gogh was excited for Gauguin to pay him a visit, he was also concerned about the additional responsibility that would be placed on Theo’s shoulders, demonstrating the complexity and polarities of Van Gogh’s relationship with his brother. Van Gogh created this Self Portrait without a Beard after his friendship with Gauguin exploded, and the mournful resonance is palpable.

It’s a frightening image, one of several portraits of the painter, whose life was unraveling as he suffered from mental worries more and more.

The Scream (1893) by Edvard Munch

Artist	Edvard Munch
Date Created	1893
Medium	Oil and Pastel on Board
Current Location	Munch Museum

The Scream, comparable only to Mona Lisa, may just be the most famous human image in Western art history. Its ambiguous, skull-shaped head, extended hands, huge eyes, flaring nostrils, and oval mouth have been ingrained in our shared cultural awareness; the whirling blue environment, particularly the blazing orange and yellow sky, has spawned a slew of interpretations about the scenario represented.

The Scream (1893) by Edvard Munch; Edvard Munch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Scream, like the Mona Lisa, has been the subject of spectacular robberies and recovery, and in 2012, a pastel on cardboard facsimile was sold to a private buyer for about $120,000,000, marking it the second-highest price paid by artwork at sale at the time.

The many renderings demonstrate the artist’s originality and enthusiasm in exploring the possibilities available via a variety of media, while the subject matter corresponds to Munch’s interests at the time in subjects of relations, existence, death, and fear.

At the Moulin Rouge (c. 1895) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Artist	Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Date Created	c. 1895
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Art Institute of Chicago

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec has been connected with the Moulin Rouge from its inception in 1889 when the famed nightclub’s proprietor purchased the artist’s Equestrienne for the entrance. Toulouse-Lautrec was inhabited.

At the Moulin Rouge, he was joined by his cousin, doctor Gabriel Tapié de Céleyran, who was holding photographs of the famed nightclub’s regulars, including himself (the little figure in the middle background).

At the Moulin Rouge (c. 1895) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Dancer La Goulue styles her hair behind the booth where another renowned performer, Jane Avril, is socializing. May Milton, a singer, looks out from the painting’s right edge, her face sharply lighted and acid green. The painter or his dealer trimmed down the canvas at some time to eliminate Milton, maybe because her unusual look made the painting difficult to market.

Flaming June (c. 1895) by Sir Frederic Leighton

Artist	Sir Frederic Leighton
Date Created	c. 1895
Medium	Oil Paint
Current Location	Museo de Arte de Ponce

Flaming June is an excellent illustration of Leighton’s talent, as seen by the realism of numerous components in this image. One can nearly reach out and touch the draped material. Then there are the marbled textures and brilliant colors that catch your eye.

This picture was recently lent to the Leighton House Museum in London, which linked it with its history. It has made many trips throughout the United Kingdom before arriving in Puerto Rico.

Flaming June (c. 1895) by Sir Frederic Leighton; Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The original artwork was acquired at a discounted price by the Museo de Arte de Ponce due to the relative lack of interest in Victorian-era painters at the time. If they were to re-auction it, it would very certainly fetch a far higher price in today’s market. This art institution’s support has proven to be inspiring, as Leighton’s career has seen a renaissance in recent years.

Two Tahitian Women (1899) by Paul Gauguin

Artist	Paul Gauguin
Date Created	1899
Medium	Oil Paint
Current Location	National Gallery of Art

Regardless of the fact that Tahiti is depicted as a faultless paradise, the picture challenges the observer with two topless ladies in a similar and traditional fashion that compares women’s bosom to fruits or blossoms. Paul Gauguin’s painting was one of his last pieces in Tahiti.

In this picture, he emphasized the tranquil and beautiful qualities of Tahiti’s native ladies.

Two Tahitian Women (1899) by Paul Gauguin; Paul Gauguin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Paul Gauguin used sculptural formed gestures, images, shapes, and expressions to convey the emotions he had used to characterize the famous “Tahitian Eve” in this artwork, he depicted that the Tahiti ladies were very nuanced and very understanding within their cluelessness and at the same time could stroll around naked without having to feel any guilt.

The Kiss (1908) by Gustav Klimt

Artist	Gustav Klimt
Date Created	1908
Medium	Oils and Gold Leaf
Current Location	Austrian Gallery, Belvedere

The Kiss displays an affectionate couple kneeling in a flowery meadow. The male, dressed in a geometrically patterned robe and wearing a vine crown on his head, clutches the lady’s face as he moves in to kiss her. The female figure has flowers in her hair and wears a colorful, naturally patterned outfit that contrasts with her partner’s.

Her eyes are contentedly closed as she puts her arms around his shoulders, enhancing the scene’s tranquility and closeness.

The Kiss (1908) by Gustav Klimt; Gustav Klimt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gustav Klimt was a participant of the Secessionist Style and a forerunner of Symbolism, a European artistic movement defined by mystical elements, a personalized attitude to the creative arts, and a style related to contemporary Art Nouveau movements. The Kiss, which was produced during his dazzling “Golden Period,” exemplifies his inimitable style.

The Cyclops (c. 1914) by Odilon Redon

Artist	Odilon Redon
Date Created	c. 1914
Medium	Oil on Board
Current Location	Kröller-Müller Museum

Galatea is seen sleeping on the lower right, her bare figure melting into the floral hill slope. The shoulders of Polyphemus rise over a mountain range in the top part of the image, as he turns his one eye towards the direction of the naiad.

Polyphemus seemed to have concealed himself from the sprite behind the rocky landscape, too afraid to address her “helpless” figure directly.

The Cyclops (c. 1914) by Odilon Redon; Odilon Redon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Although the artwork’s title relates to a character from Classical myth, the picture may also allude to the one-eyed giants who inhabit legend in the Aquitaine area where Redon grew up. The cyclops depicted by Redon show a remarkable similarity to real-life examples of cyclopia, which is thought to be a probable genesis of the story of the cyclopes due to the similarities exhibited in patients, particularly humans, with the disease.

Three Musicians (1921) by Pablo Picasso

Artist	Pablo Picasso
Date Created	1921
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Gallatin Collection

Three Musicians appears to be a collage formed from cut-out pieces of colorful paper, despite the fact that it is an oil painting. The forms are reduced to angular patterns that connect like jigsaw puzzles, and the flat colors produce a surface design with many spatial uncertainties.

The backdrop wall is dark brown, as are a foreground table, sections of the characters’ features, and the figure of a dog lying under the table.

The mask of Harlequin is part of a vast, complicated blue form that covers most of the Pierrot. The same blue occurs in the painting’s lower third, potentially as furnishings, and on the tabletop as a component of still life. While certain things, such as the guitar in the middle and the sheet music and clarinet on the left, are clearly identified, others, such as the pile of goods on the table, are less so.

American Gothic (1930) by Grant Wood

Artist	Grant Wood
Date Created	1930
Medium	Oil on Beaverboard
Current Location	Royal Academy of Arts

The image portrays a middle-aged couple, commonly understood as a farmer and his wife or daughter, posing in front of their residence, a wooden farm constructed in the Carpenter Gothic architectural style popular in the 1890s. Because the people are so close to the observer, little of the backdrop is visible.

The artist had based the farmstead on Dibble House, a home he saw in Eldon, Iowa, and outfitted his sister Nan and his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby, as figures for the couple.

American Gothic (1930) by Grant Wood; Grant Wood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Because of its resemblance to the traditional image of Midwest rural inhabitants, complete with pitchfork and dungarees, many art critics interpreted the painting as a caustic parody of small-town culture. When a duplicate of the photograph emerged in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, it sparked outrage. Wood’s description of them as grim-faced puritans infuriated readers.

The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dalí

Artist	Salvador Dalí
Date Created	1931
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Museum of Modern Art

The Persistence of Memory has a self-portrait with a soft watch draped over it. These soft watches depict what Dalí referred to as the “camembert of time,” implying that the idea of time had lost any value in the subconscious world. The ants swarming over the pocket watch imply decoy, which is nonsensical given that the timepiece is metallic.

These “paranoid-critical” visuals represent Dalí’s interpretation and assimilation of the Freudian theory of the unconscious and its availability to the dormant wishes and psychosis of the human psyche, such as the subconscious fear of dying alluded to in this artwork.

Dalí enhanced the effect generated even more by the use of methods ranging from Johannes Vermeer’s precision to Carriere’s blurred shapes. Once he had provided his protagonist’s psychological liberty, he built connections between them by presenting them in space – most frequently in a landscape – thus producing harmony in the painting by the contrast of things with no relation in a setting where they did not fit.

The Flower Carrier (1935) by Diego Rivera

Artist	Diego Rivera
Date Created	1935
Medium	Oil and Tempera
Current Location	San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

A peasant in white attire with yellow sombrero struggles on all fours with a ridiculously enormous basket of flowers attached to his shoulders with a yellow strap in the vibrant artwork. A lady, most likely the farmer’s spouse, stands behind him, attempting to assist with the basket’s support as he strives to climb to his feet.

While the blossoms in the basket are startlingly lovely to the observer, the person sees solely their worth as he transports them to the market to sell or trade. The geometric designs provide striking contrasts, with each human, item, and greenery shown to convey individualism.

Some say that the massive basket slung to the man’s back represents the burdens of an unskilled worker in a contemporary, capitalistic environment.

Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso

Artist	Pablo Picasso
Date Created	1937
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Some consider Pablo Picasso’s masterwork of the Spanish Civil Battle to be the single finest war artwork of all history. Picasso’s artwork, in addition to being a huge allegorical picture of the horrors of war, may have purposely molded spectators into proactive participants, promoting both collective change and policy choices.

Picasso hoped that by doing so, he would be able to impact changes in government policy and expand the dialogue beyond the confines of his war-torn country.

A replica of Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso; Winfried Weithofer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This planned development of a tremendous masterwork should be studied and admired as part of a larger wartime story. More significantly, the examination of wartime art may be a beneficial contribution to military officers’ professional growth by offering alternatives for professional debate about how societies understand winners, defeats, and the worth of battles through the prism of artists and cultural legacy.

The Two Fridas (1939) by Frida Kahlo

Artist	Frida Kahlo
Date Created	1939
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Current Location	Museo de Arte Moderno

Several scholars believe that the two characters in the picture symbolize Frida’s blended background. Guillermo Kahlo, her father, was German, and Matilde Calderon, her mother, was Mexican. Another explanation is that the Tehuana Frida was cherished by her husband Diego Rivera, whilst the European Frida was spurned by him.

The painting is based on Frida’s remembrance of a childhood fictitious companion. Both Fridas have objects on their laps: the Mexican Frida has a little painting of Diego Rivera in her lap, and the Continental Frida has forceps.

Blood flows down the white dress of the European Frida from a damaged blood vessel severed by the forceps.

No. 5, 1948 (1948) by Jackson Pollock

Artist	Jackson Pollock
Date Created	1948
Medium	Oil on Fiberboard
Current Location	Private Collection

This piece was constructed on an eight-by-four-foot piece of fiberboard. Jackson Pollock’s approach for this piece was the utilization of liquid paints. He opted to abandon the traditional method of painting on canvas. No. 5 can be seen with a lot of brown and yellow paint splattered over it. Pollock was motivated to make this painting by his personal feelings. He departed from the customary use of liquid paints.

The painting’s pattern seems nest-like and elicited a variety of feelings among individuals who saw it.

This complexity and attention propelled this masterpiece to the top of the art world. Pollock’s predominant approach for No. 5 was action painting, or the impulsive dribbling, spreading, and tossing of liquid paint. Pollock also desired to introduce a whole new viewpoint to painting. He sought to represent the climax of the artist’s passion in his own unique painting technique with No. 5.

The Son of Man (1964) by René Magritte

Artist	René Magritte
Date Created	1964
Medium	Oil on canvas
Current Location	Private collection

Harry Torczyner, Magritte’s close friend, counselor, and patron commissioned a self-portrait of the artist in 1963. However, letters published by Magritte show that he struggled to create his own portrait. Magritte referred to his troubles as a “conscience problem.” When Magritte completed his self-portrait, the resultant image was of an unknown gentleman wearing a bowler hat and captioned “The Son of Man.”

It looks to be a simple drawing at first glance, yet it is immensely puzzling.

A person is seen standing before a stone sea wall. The sky above the horizon line seems hazy and is just beginning to turn gray. Because there is some light shining on the man and his left side is slightly in shade, the spectator gets the idea that it is noon. The man looks to be overdressed and out of place in the scene. He’s dressed officially in a dark gray suit with a bowler hat, collar, and a crimson tie.

And with that, we have concluded our list of old famous paintings. These famous art paintings are regarded as some of the most well-known in the history of art. These popular paintings all added something new to the art scene and are still enjoyed today. What did you think of our list of the most famous paintings?

Frequently Asked Questions

Out of All the Old Famous Paintings, Which Are the Most Famous Paintings?

There are many popular paintings in the history of art. One of the most famous paintings must surely be the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It is one of the most iconic images in the known world.

What Medium Was Popular for the Production of Famous Art Paintings?

Many mediums have been used to create old famous paintings that we love. From oil to watercolor, as well as tempera. The most common medium for many of the classics seems to be oil on canvas, though.

Museums and textbooks are full of names of artists who’ve left their mark on history. Certain names, however, still stand out from the rest. Whether it is through their distinctive style, their participance in a pivotal art movement, or their eccentric life, these artists have achieved astounding fame. And while these creatives are well-known in popular culture now, many of them were not recognized for their talents until decades after their death.

So, who are the most famous artists? While you can probably guess the names of a few, some of the others may be new to you. Renaissance masters Michelangelo and Leonardo, for instance, are two creative titans whose names are synonymous with art and genius. Likewise, Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo are some of the most significant female artists of the 20th century.

Here we will take a look at the names and lives of 40 of the most famous artists in the world.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list that in any way indicates the most talented or most worthy of recognition. Art has had an unfortunate history of excluding women and people of color, but we look forward to that changing within our generation. This list is a reflection of the names and faces that have achieved fame, thus far.

40 All-Time Most Famous Artists in the World

Italian & Northern Renaissance

Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510)

Self-portrait of Sandro Botticelli from his painting “Adoration of the Magi,” c. 1476 (Photo: Uffizi via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi
Born	c. 1445 (Florence, Italy)
Died	May 17, 1510 (Florence, Italy)
Notable Artwork	The Birth of Venus, Primavera
Movement	Italian Renaissance

Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli was one of the most prolific painters of the 15th century. While the artist’s oeuvre features secular portraits and Biblical depictions, he is most well-known for his larger-than-life, mythological scenes. In fact, he was one of the first artists of this time period to revive Classical subject matter and adopt its iconography.

Famous works of art: Birth of Venus (c. 1486), Primavera (c. 1477–82)

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

Full Name	Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
Born	April 15, 1452 (Vinci, Italy)
Died	May 2, 1519 (Amboise, France)
Notable Artwork	Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man
Movement	Italian Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci was the quintessential Renaissance man. Not only did he leave behind a collection of notebooks filled with scientific observations and illustrations, but he also left an important legacy of artwork spanning different mediums. His mastery of oil painting techniques such as sfumato and chiaroscuro can be seen in his portraits, Mona Lisa and Lady with an Ermine. The former remains as one of the most visited works of art in the world.

Famous works of art: Lady With an Ermine (1489–91), Vitruvian Man (c. 1492), The Last Supper (1498), Mona Lisa (1503–1516)

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)

Self-portrait at 28, oil painting on lime, 1500 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication)

Full Name	Albrecht Dürer
Born	May 21, 1471 (Nuremberg, Germany)
Died	April 6, 1528 (Nuremberg, Germany)
Notable Artwork	Melancolia I
Movement	Northern Renaissance

Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer was the first artist to elevate printmaking to a form of fine art. He produced engravings, woodcuts, and etchings based on his meticulously detailed drawings. It was the first time someone attempted to duplicate such realistic illustrations, and its overwhelming success subsequently inspired other artists to make and distribute prints.

Famous works of art: Melancolia I (1514)

Michelangelo (1475–1564)

Full Name	Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Born	March 6, 1475 (Caprese, Italy)
Died	February 18, 1564 (Rome, Italy)
Notable Artwork	Sistine Chapel ceiling, David
Movement	Italian Renaissance

A master of painting, sculpture, and architecture, Michelangelo Buonarroti is one of the most exemplary figures of the Italian Renaissance. His nickname Il Divino (‘The Divine One”) is evidence of how beloved he was. Additionally, his incredible success is significant in a time when most artists did not enjoy wealth or fame while they were alive. In fact, Michelangelo is the first Western artist to have a biography published during his lifetime.

Famous works of art: Pietà (1498–99) David ( 1501–4), Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508–12), The Last Judgment (1536–1541)

Raphael (1482–1520)

Full Name	Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino
Born	March 28 or April 6, 1483 (Urbino, Italy)
Died	April 6, 1520 (Rome, Italy)
Notable Artwork	The School of Athens
Movement	Italian Renaissance

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, best known simply as Raphael (1482–1520), is held today as a master of form and composition. Although he died at just 37 years old, the Italian architect and painter left behind a vast body of work. He is primarily known for his Madonna paintings, including his vivid Madonna in the Grass, as well as his large-scale mural, The School of Athens, which celebrates philosophy.

Famous works of art:  Wedding of the Virgin (1504), School of Athens (1511), The Transfiguration (1520)

Baroque Period

Caravaggio (1571–1610)

Full Name	Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Born	September 29, 1571 (Milan, Italy)
Died	July 18, 1610 (Porto Ercole, Italy)
Notable Artwork	David with the Head of Goliath, The Calling of St. Matthew
Movement	Baroque

Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi—better known as Caravaggio—led a passionate and turbulent life. His artistic legacy is just as evocative in style and technique. Never before had an artist used “normal” people as the models for paintings of biblical characters. Furthermore, his masterful use of extreme light and dark, or tenebrism, added an unparalleled psychological drama to his paintings.

Famous works of art: The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599–1600), David with the Head of Goliath (1610)

Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)

Peter Paul Rubens, “Portrait of the Artist,” 1623 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Full Name	Sir Peter Paul Rubens
Born	June 28, 1577 (Siegen, Germany)
Died	May 30, 1640 (Antwerp, Belgium)
Notable Artwork	Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus
Movement	Baroque

Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a prominent Flemish Baroque painter who lived during the Dutch Golden Age. His distinct style emphasized color, movement, and drama—all key characteristics of the Baroque period. Known for his voluptuous women, opulent colors, and dynamic compositions, Rubens established himself as a prominent court painter for the Spanish Hapsburgs, developing an international reputation as an artist and diplomat.

Famous works of art: Marie de’ Medici cycle (1620s)

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1656)

Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting,” 1638–1639 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Artemisia Gentileschi
Born	July 8, 1593 (Rome, Italy)
Died	c. 1656 (Naples, Italy)
Notable Artwork	Judith Slaying Holofernes
Movement	Baroque

As the daughter of an accomplished painter, Artemisia Gentileschi was afforded access to the art world at a young age. Early on she was in her father’s workshop mixing paints and he supported her career when he noted that she was exceptionally gifted. As a noted painter of the Italian Baroque period, Gentileschi did not let her gender hold her back from her subject matter. She painted large-scale Biblical and mythological paintings, just like her male counterparts, and was the first woman accepted to the prestigious Fine Art Academy in Florence.

Famous works of art: Judith Slaying Holofernes (1614–1620)

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680)

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Self Portrait,” c. 1635 (Photo: Uffizi via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Born	December 7, 1598 (Naples, Italy)
Died	November 28, 1680 (Rome, Italy)
Notable Artwork	David, Apollo and Daphne
Movement	Baroque

Perhaps no other artist defines the Baroque era more than Gian Lorenzo Bernini, whose impressive career spanned nearly 70 years. As a child prodigy, Bernini was creating large-scale marble sculptures as a teen. Later, he would become the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica—following in Michelangelo’s footsteps—where he created the Basilica’s iconic plaza and colonnade, as well as its central bronze canopy. A master of materials, Bernini is known for his astonishing ability to create movement and bring forth emotion with his work. In his hands, marble transforms into soft flesh that looks so real, that you’d want to reach out and squeeze it.

Famous works of art: The Rape of Proserpina (1621–1622), The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa (1647–1652)

Diego Velázquez (1599–1660)

Full Name	Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez
Born	baptized June 6, 1599 (Seville, Spain)
Died	August 6, 1660 (Madrid, Spain)
Notable Artwork	Las Meninas
Movement	Baroque

Of the many influential artists that emerged during the Baroque period, one is best known for his honest and exquisite portraits of royalty: the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez. His position as a court painter granted the artist opportunities to travel Europe and see the art of the old masters, and capture some of the most prestigious people of the time. Velázquez’s portraits are considered to be among the finest ever made and had a lasting impact on future artists like Manet and Picasso.

Famous works of art: Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650), Las Meninas (1656),

Rembrandt (1606–1669)

Full Name	Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
Born	July 15, 1606 (Leiden, Netherlands)
Died	October 4, 1669 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Notable Artwork	The Night Watch
Movement	Baroque

Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is regarded as one the most important and influential figures in the history of art. A master painter, printmaker, and draughtsman, his extensive body of work continues to fascinate art-lovers around the world. It is why he is also known as an “Old Master”—a label reserved for Europe’s most prolific pre-19th century painters.

Famous works of art: Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632), The Night Watch (1642)

Jan Vermeer (1632–1675)

Full Name	Johannes Vermeer
Born	baptised October 31, 1632 (Delft, The Netherlands)
Died	December 15, 1675 (Delft, The Netherlands)
Notable Artwork	Girl with a Pearl Earring
Movement	Baroque

Johannes Vermeer was devoted to exploring the everyday moments of the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, often painting scenes of domestic life. He was dubbed the “Master of Light” due to the way he perfectly painted how natural light danced on the skin, fabrics, and other objects. Although he was a relatively successful painter during his lifetime, there are only 34 paintings attributed to him today. Still, this precious portfolio reveals the artist’s exceptional understanding of color, composition, and realism.

Famous works of art: Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665)

Edo Period (Japan)

Katsushika Hokusai (c. 1760–1840)

Keisai Eisen, “Portrait of Hokusai,” before 1848 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Katsushika Hokusai
Born	October 31, 1760 (Edo, Japan)
Died	May 10, 1849 (Edo, Japan)
Notable Artwork	The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Movement	Ukiyo-e

Best known for his iconic print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai was a pioneer of the Ukiyo-e movement or Japanese woodblock prints. He was incredibly prolific during his lifetime, creating over 20,000 paintings, sketches, and prints. His series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji were a major part of the Japonisme influence that helped shape Impressionism, several decades later.

Famous works of art: The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (c. 1826–1833)

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)

Utagawa Kunisada, Memorial Portrait of Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Utagawa Hiroshige
Born	1797 (Edo, Japan)
Died	October 12, 1858 (Edo, Japan)
Notable Artwork	One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Movement	Utagawa school

Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige is often regarded as the last great artist of the Ukiyo-e movement. Ukiyo-e translates to “images of the floating world,” and artists of the movement made woodblock prints and paintings that depicted scenes of history, nature, and the famous faces of Edo. However, rather than create prints depicting typical Ukiyo-e motifs, Hiroshige developed his own style. Later, his works would influence prominent Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists like Monet and Van Gogh.

Famous works of art: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856–1859)

Romanticism

Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863)

Full Name	Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix
Born	April 26, 1798 (Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France)
Died	August 13, 1863 (Paris, France)
Notable Artwork	Liberty Leading the People
Movement	Romanticism

A master of color, movement, and drama, Eugène Delacroix was a leader of the Romanticism art movement and an influential figure in the work of the Impressionists. Delacroix’s oeuvre spanned contemporary events, mythological scenes, Orientalism, and portraiture.

Famous works of art: The Death of Sardanapalus (1827), Liberty Leading the People (1830)

Realism—Impressionism

Édouard Manet (1832–1883)

Photograph of artist Édouard Manet, enlargement by Paul Nadar of his father’s original, before 1870 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Édouard Manet
Born	January 23, 1832 (Paris, France)
Died	April 30, 1883 (Paris, France)
Notable Artwork	The Luncheon on the Grass,  A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Movement	Realism, Impressionism

Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life and a pioneering figure who led the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Controversial at the time, his paintings depicted nude women—one of which was the French female painter, Victorine Meurent— who posed for several of Manet’s most famous paintings, including Olympia.

Famous works of art: Olympia (1863), The Luncheon on the Grass (1863),  A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882)

Impressionism

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Full Name	Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas
Born	July 19, 1834 (Paris, France)
Died	September 27, 1917 (Paris, France)
Notable Artwork	The Dance Class
Movement	Impressionism

Unlike other Impressionists, Edgar Degas was not preoccupied with light and nature. Instead, he preferred to capture intimate indoor depictions (seen “as if you looked through a key-hole”). This interest is evident in his collection of ballet paintings—set both in studios and on stage—as well as his voyeuristic pastel series of women at la toilette. Though less prevalent than ballerinas and bathers, horseback riders often appear in Degas’ oeuvre.

Famous works of art: The Dance Class (1875), L’Absinthe (1875–1876)

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Full Name	Oscar-Claude Monet
Born	November 14, 1840 (Paris, France)
Died	December 5, 1926 (Giverny, France)
Notable Artwork	Water Lilies series
Movement	Impressionism

With a one-of-a-kind style and a pioneering approach to painting, Claude Monet is renowned as an influential Impressionist figure. Using distinctively dappled brushstrokes, a characteristically colorful range of tones, and a focus on light, the French artist created compositions that captured the essence of the movement.

Famous works of art: Impression, sunrise (1872), Water Lilies series (1883–1926)

Mary Cassatt (1844–1936)

Full Name	Mary Stevenson Cassatt
Born	May 22, 1844 (Allegheny City, PA, USA)
Died	June 14, 1926 (Le Mesnil-Theribus, France
Notable Artwork	The Child’s Bath
Movement	Impressionism

Initially introduced to Paris’ premier artists by Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt (1844–1936)—an American artist—would become a key figure in the French, male-dominated movement. Cassatt is known for her interest in representing women and girls in her art, which mostly manifested as quiet, mother-daughter depictions. However, some of her pieces, like her celebrated Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, depict women and girls in a state of solitary reflection.

Famous works of art: Little Girl in Blue Armchair (1878), Child’s Bath (1893)

Post-Impressionism

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Paul Cézanne, “Self-Portrait with Palette,” c. 1890 (Photo: The Yorck Project via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Paul Cézanne
Born	January 19, 1839 (Aix-en-Provence, France)
Died	October 22, 1906 (Aix-en-Provence, France)
Notable Artwork	Mont Sainte-Victoire, The Card Players
Movement	Post-Impressionism

French artist Paul Cézanne was one of the pioneers of the Post-Impressionist art movement, whose work is characterized by painterly brushstrokes, an avant-garde approach to perspective, and a vivid color palette. Additionally, he is celebrated as the forefather of Fauvism and a precursor to Cubism. Given his prominence in these groundbreaking genres, Cézanne is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of modern art.

Famous works of art: The Card Players series (early 1890s), The Bathers series (1898–1905)

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Full Name	Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin
Born	June 7, 1848 (Paris, France)
Died	May 8, 1903 (Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia)
Notable Artwork	Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
Movement	Post-Impressionism

As one of the most significant French painters of the Post-Impressionist movement, Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) experimented with new color theories and new stylistic approaches to painting. He famously worked alongside Vincent Van Gogh during a summer in the south of France, before abandoning his life in Western society altogether. In the early 1890s, he began traveling regularly to the south Pacific where he developed a new style that married his day-to-day observations with mythical symbolism. This style was strongly influenced by the so-called “primitive” arts of Africa, Asia, and French Polynesia.

Famous works of art: The Yellow Christ (1889), Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897)

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)

Full Name	Vincent Willem van Gogh
Born	March 30, 1853 (Zundert, The Netherlands)
Died	July 29, 1890 (Auvers-sur-Oise, France)
Notable Artwork	The Starry Night, Sunflowers
Movement	Post-Impressionism

While Vincent van Gogh has found a significant amount of fame posthumously, his life was not as untroubled as his characteristically colorful canvases would suggest. From financial struggles to his failing mental health, Van Gogh faced many personal challenges during his career. In spite of this, he left behind a dazzling body of work—including landscapes, portraiture, and urban scenes—in an iconic style that is uniquely his own.

Famous works of art: The Starry Night (1889), Sunflowers (1887)

Henri Matisse (1869–1954)

Full Name	Henri Émile Benoît Matisse
Born	December 31, 1869 (Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France)
Died	November 3, 1954 (Nice, France)
Notable Artwork	The Dance
Movement	Post-Impressionism, Fauvism

Considered the greatest colorist of the 20th century and a revolutionary artist who helped define modern art, French artist Henri Matisse first emerged as a Post-Impressionist. Then, in 1904, he led the Fauvism movement, which is French for “wild beasts.” The Les Fauves were a group of modern artists who favored pure, bright colors and expressive brushstrokes over realism.

Famous works of art: Woman with a Hat (1905), The Dance (1909–10)

Vienna Secessionism & Art Nouveau

Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)

Photograph of Gustav Klimt by Josef Anton Trčka, 1914 (Photo: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Full Name	Gustav Klimt
Born	July 14, 1862 (Baumgarten, Austria)
Died	February 6, 1918 (Vienna, Austria)
Notable Artwork	The Kiss
Movement	Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau

A leader of the Vienna Secessionist artistic movement (which was associated with Art Nouveau), Austrian artist Gustav Klimt left behind thousands of drawings and a vast portfolio of painted works. He is most well-known for the collection of glistening, gilded works he produced during his Golden Phase.

Famous works of art: The Kiss (1907–8)

Modern Art

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

Full Name	Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso
Born	October 25, 1881 (Málaga, Spain)
Died	April 8, 1973 (Mougins, France)
Notable Artwork	Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Guernica
Movement	Cubism

With a career that spanned 79 years and included success in painting, sculpting, ceramics, poetry, stage design, and writing, Pablo Picasso is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. While most artists are known for one iconic style, Picasso’s changed several times during his lifetime. Some of his most distinct periods include the Blue Period, Cubism, and Surrealism.

Famous works of art: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Guernica (1937)

Amadeo Modigliani (1884–1920)

	Amedeo Clemente Modigliani
	July 12, 1884 (Livorno, Italy)
	January 24, 1920 (Paris, France)
	Portrait of the Artist’s Wife

Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani was an integral member of the École de Paris (School of Paris). Not associated with any one particular art genre, Modigliani’s signature style merges European movements (such as Cubism) with non-Western art forms. He’s best known for his distinctive nudes and portraits that are characterized by elongated proportions and African mask-like faces. While his nudes scandalized audiences at the time, his melancholic portraits revealed his subjects’ personal inner lives.

Famous works of art: Portrait of the Artist’s Wife (1918)

Diego Rivera (1886–1957)

Photo of “Diego Rivera with a xoloitzcuintle dog in the Blue House, Coyoacan” (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez
Born	December 8, 1886 (Guanajuato City, Mexico)
Died	November 24, 1957 (Mexico City, Mexico)
Notable Artwork	The History of Mexico, Man at the Crossroads
Movement	Mexican Mural Movement

Equally famous for his revolutionary paintings and tumultuous personal life, Diego Rivera remains one of modern art‘s most well-known figures. He was one of the leading figures of Mexican Muralism, creating distinct paintings characterized by a bold color palette and simplified forms inspired by both Mayan and Aztec art. With his large-scale public works, Rivera communicated important political messages that challenged, mobilized, and inspired the public.

Famous works of art: Man at the Crossroads (1934)

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986)

Photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz, 1918 (Photo: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Full Name	Georgia Totto O’Keeffe
Born	November 15, 1887 (Sun Prairie, WI, USA)
Died	March 6, 1986 (Santa Fe, NM, USA)
Notable Artwork	Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue
Movement	American Modernism

American artist Georgia O’Keeffe helped to usher in the American Modernism movement with a style that favors the interpretation of subjects rather than representing them through strict realism. Likewise, she is best known for her abstract depictions of colorful blooms and landscapes of the Southwestern United States.

Famous works of art: Jimson Weed (1936), Sky Above Clouds IV (1965)

Surrealism

René Magritte (1898–1967)

Full Name	René François Ghislain Magritte
Born	November 21, 1898 (Lessines, Belgium)
Died	August 15, 1967 (Brussels, Belgium)
Notable Artwork	The Son of Man
Movement	Surrealism

As a pioneer of the Surrealist art movement, René Magritte created work that celebrated the subconscious mind and the world of dreams. Throughout his long career, he produced paintings that blurred the line between reality and fantasy and invited the viewer to question what they thought they knew.

Famous works of art: The Treachery of Images (1929), The Son of Man (1964)

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)

Salvador Dalí, photographed by Studio Harcourt, 1936 (Photo: RMN via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Full Name	Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech
Born	May 11, 1904 (Figueres, Spain)
Died	January 23, 1989 (Figueres, Spain)
Notable Artwork	The Persistence of Memory
Movement	Surrealism

Few artists are as visually iconic as Salvador Dalí. Although he explored a variety of mediums during his lifetime, including sculpture, printmaking, fashion, writing, and even filmmaking, Dalí’s paintings stand out as particularly epochal. In particular, the artist developed his own visual language for depicting his own inner world, dreams, and hallucinations.

Famous works of art: The Persistence of Memory (1931), The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1946)

Frida Kahlo (1907–1954)

Photograph of Frida Kahlo by her father, Guillermo Kahlo, 1932 (Photo: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Full Name	Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón
Born	July 6, 1907 (Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico)
Died	July 13, 1954 (Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico)
Notable Artwork	The Two Fridas
Movement	Surrealism, Magic Realism

As one of the most famous female painters of all time, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo‘s legacy continues to make an impact today. Her passionate yet tumultuous life greatly impacted the subject matter of her paintings. She is particularly known for her compelling self-portraits, which deal with themes of identity, suffering, and the human body.

Famous works of art: The Two Fridas (1932), Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940)

Abstract Expressionism

Mark Rothko (1903–1970)

Full Name	Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz
Born	September 25, 1903 (Daugavpils, Russian Empire — now Latvia)
Died	February 25, 1970 (New York City, New York)
Notable Artwork	Untitled, Black on Gray
Movement	Abstract Expressionism, Color Field

American painter Mark Rothko revolutionized abstract art by becoming one of the pioneers of color field painting. He expressed profound emotion through his signature compositions of hazy, colored squares on large canvases that occupy a viewer’s entire field of vision, evoking what he referred to as “the sublime.”

Famous works of art: Untitled, Black on Gray (1969)

Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)

Full Name	Paul Jackson Pollock
Born	January 28, 1912 (Cody, Wyoming)
Died	August 11, 1956 (Saratoga Springs, New York)
Notable Artwork	Autumn Rhythm
Movement	Abstract Expressionism

American artist Jackson Pollock is considered one of the greatest painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. His signature drip paintings—which he began producing in the late 1940s—captivated the art world. Pollock redefined line, color, and pictorial space by finding an entirely new way to fill a canvas.

Famous works of art: No. 5 (1948), Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 (1950)

Pop Art

Andy Warhol (1928–1987)

Full Name	Andrew Warhola Jr.
Born	August 6, 1928 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Died	February 22, 1987 (New York City, New York)
Notable Artwork	Campbell’s Soup Cans
Movement	Pop Art

American artist Andy Warhol was a pivotal figure in the 1950s Pop Art movement. While Warhol worked in a myriad of mediums, he is most famous for his polychromatic silkscreen prints and paintings. His works defined many of the movement’s most distinctive characteristics: bold, contemporary imagery; a bright color palette; and a repetitive aesthetic inspired by mass production.

Famous works of art: Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962), Marilyn Diptych (1962)

Contemporary Art

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988)

From left to right: Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bruno Bischofberger, and Fransesco Clemente, 1984 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Full Name	Jean-Michel Basquiat
Born	December 22, 1960 (New York City, New York)
Died	August 12, 1988 (New York City, New York)
Notable Artwork	Untitled, Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump
Movement	Neo-expressionism

In the late 20th century, Jean-Michel Basquiat turned the contemporary art world on its head. Living and working in New York City in the 1970s and 80s, the young artist helped pioneer and popularize street art by bringing graffiti into the gallery—a monumental move that made the glitz and glamor of the art world accessible to people from all walks of life.

Famous works of art: Untitled (1982), Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982)

Yayoi Kusama (1929–present)

	March 22, 1929 (Matsumoto, Japan)

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is considered to be the most famous living female artist. Throughout her illustrious career, she has developed a signature approach to her craft. Characterized by polka dots, bold color palettes, and organic forms, her aesthetic is perhaps best typified by her pumpkin art, a collection of works celebrating the subject’s “generous unpretentiousness.”

Famous works of art: Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field (1965), Narcissus Garden (1966), Pumpkin series

Ai Weiwei (1957–present)

	August 28, 1957 (Beijing, China)

Artist Ai Weiwei is undoubtedly the most well-known living Chinese creative today, but his country’s government doesn’t exactly give him the recognition he deserves. In communist China—where freedom of speech is tightly regulated—Ai’s varied portfolio of work doesn’t fetch the highest prices at auctions, and critics don’t sing his praises. Instead, the activist is viewed as a threat to the “harmonious society.” Through sculpture, film, installation, photography, and architecture—and across an array of materials including ceramics, marble, paint, and tea—Ai explores Chinese identity in the modern world as well as the culture’s social history.

Famous works of art: Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), Sunflower Seeds (2011)

Keith Haring (1958–1990)

Full Name	Keith Allen Haring
Born	May 4, 1958 (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Died	February 16, 1990 (New York City, New York)
Notable Artwork	Keith Haring Mural, Tuttomondo
Movement	Pop Art, Street Art

In the 1980s, Keith Haring shot to international fame. Using his trademark line drawings, Haring became instantly recognizable for his pop style art. This would catapult him from the underground art scene in New York City to a career that would see him mingling with the likes of Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono, and Madonna.

Famous works of art: Keith Haring Mural (1984), Tuttomondo (1989)

Takashi Murakami (1962–present)

	February 1, 1962 (Tokyo, Japan)

Often referred to as “the Warhol of Japan,” Takashi Murakami is known for blurring the line between art and consumerism. His brightly colored, cheerful work draws inspiration from the Japanese subculture of otaku, a term used to describe people devoted to all things pop culture. Through his art, Murakami explores Japan’s contemporary culture as well as the West’s ever-growing influence on it.

Famous works of art: Mr. Dob series, The Lonesome Cowboy (1998), Flowers (2002)

Banksy (1974–present)

	Unknown (Bristol, England)

Known only by his pseudonym, Banksy is arguably the most famous street artist today. Since the 1990s, the elusive, England-based creative has been making politically and socially charged art, oftentimes with a sense of dark humor. While his face and true identity remain unknown, his portfolio of attention-grabbing art continues to shock and entice the world.

Famous works of art: Balloon Girl (2002), Love is in the Bin (2018)

This article has been edited and updated.

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Among the works of art ever created by human hands, there are those masterpieces that have left their mark on the history of mankind forever. These artworks set the tone for artistic movement, established fashion trends of their time, dictated a new style and new artistic values. But the most important thing is that they have always inspired millions of people for creative daring and new creative discoveries.

Each era gave birth to its own Genius, its great creator, whose name and masterpieces will forever remain a role model, even through the centuries. Every great artist has unique artworks that are known and loved all over the world. It is about these iconic artworks that we want to remind you in our article to enjoy the greatest masterpieces in history together once again.

1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1505)

Probably the most famous painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s La Gioconda, better known as Mona Lisa. This painting is a portrait of Madame Gherardini, personifying the ideal woman of the Renaissance. They tried to damage the painting more than once, and in 1911 it was also kidnapped, returning only 2 years later. Admiration for it truly knows no bounds: Napoleon Bonaparte even removed it from the museum and ordered to hang it in his own bedroom. The painting is officially declared priceless, which is not surprising, as this masterpiece is the best art of all time. The only existing price is its $ 3 billion insurance. Mona Lisa is currently kept in the Louvre, Paris.

2. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1486)

Another of the most famous paintings is The Birth of Venus. Botticelli’s painting illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. The beautiful goddess drifts to the shore in a sea shell, driven by the Zephyr’s wind (West wind), and on the shore she is met by one of the Graces. The Birth of Venus is well preserved thanks to the fact that Botticelli applied a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting. This masterpiece is kept in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery.

3. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1511)

Michelangelo’s fresco The Creation of Adam, which adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace, is the fourth of the nine famous art pieces of the central composition dedicated to scenes from the Book of Genesis. The fresco illustrates an episode of the first human being creation by God. In addition to depicting ideal human forms, the fresco is one of the first attempts in the history of art to depict the God himself.

4. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci (1495—1498)

For more than 500 years of its existence, the famous fresco The Last Supper has been restored at least five times, and the last restoration took 21 years. This fresco by the great Leonardo depicts Jesus’ last supper before his betrayal, arrest and death. In addition to composition, shapes and colors, discussions of this fresco are replete with theories about hidden symbols and the presence of Mary Magdalene next to Jesus. As one of the famous art pieces, this important art asset is located in the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan.

5. Sacred and Profane Love by Tiziano Vecelli (1515—1516)

The current name of the painting was not given by Titian himself, but appeared only two centuries later. The composition of the painting caused a lot of controversy among scientists, but in the end it was possible to prove that it was a gift for the wedding of the Venetian aristocrat Nicolo Aurelio and the widow Laura Bagarotto. The dress of an earthly girl imitates a wedding dress. The landscape in the background is also symbolic: the road uphill is a symbolic wish of prudence and loyalty, the plain is for mutual understanding and peace, and the rabbits are for fertility. Among other famous art pieces, the painting is in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

6. The Ancient of Days by William Blake (1794)

This popular artwork by William Blake is now in the British Museum, London. Along with the original name, two more versions are widespread: The Great Architect or The Creation. The literal name of the painting, The Ancient of Days, is the phrase that was used as the name of God. The main character of the painting is God at the moment of creation, who does not establish order, but limits freedom and denotes the limits of imagination.

7. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (1665)

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often referred to as the northern Mona Lisa. This is not only because of its extraordinary popularity, but also because the expression on the girl’s face is difficult to capture and explain. Very little is known about the painting: it is not dated, the name of the girl depicted is unknown. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, a film was cut about the hypothetical creation of the painting. Besides stylistic differences, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is technically not even a portrait, but “troni”, a Dutch word for a person’s head, but not a complete portrait. In 1881, at an auction in The Hague, the painting was purchased for only two guilders and thirty cents. Between 2012 and 2014, when Mauritshuis was undergoing restoration, Girl with a Pearl Earring went on tour to the USA, Italy, and Japan. Everywhere it gathered huge crowds, which finally strengthened its status as one of the most famous paintings in history. The painting is kept in the Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague.

8. The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)

The true name of this painting by Rembrandt is The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. In the 19th century, art critics who discovered the painting thought that human figures were standing against a dark background, and it was called The Night Watch. Later it was discovered that a layer of soot made the painting dark, though the action actually takes place during the day. However, the painting replenished the treasury of famous art pieces under the name The Night Watch. The painting is kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

9. The Sistine Madonna by Raffaello Santi (1512)

This masterpiece, one of the most famous paintings by Raffaello Santi, also known as the Madonna di San Sisto, is kept in the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden. The painting has a little secret: the background, which looks like clouds from a distance, upon close examination is the heads of angels. And the two angels depicted in the picture below have become the motif of numerous postcards and posters.

10. Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix (1830)

Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix, as the best art of all time, kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Delacroix created a painting based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix wrote: «If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will paint for it.» The partially nude woman leading the people symbolizes the dedication of the French people who fought for liberal ideas.

11. The Madonna Litta by Leonardo da Vinci (1491)

This masterpiece, a world classic long ago, is kept in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The present name of the painting comes from the name of Count Litta, the owner of this painting and the family art gallery in Milan. There is a hypothesis that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the unusual baby pose, which is different from da Vinci’s artistic style.

12. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1560)

This painting, by Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel, is now housed in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. The genius of the author makes it possible to express a strong social theme by showing it in a fairly simple way. Like many other great and famous art pieces, through the image of the defeated Icarus, Bregel also uses the theme of the fate and futility of human attempts to reach God.

13. The School of Athens by Raffaello Santi (1509–1511)

Painted by Raphael during his early Roman period, The School of Athens depicts famous Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Socrates, Pythagoras and others. The main mystery of this fresco is hidden in the fact that many philosophers are depicted as contemporaries of Raphael: Plato as Leonardo da Vinci, Heraclitus as Michelangelo, Euclid as Bramante. This ingenious artwork of Raphael adorns the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.

14. Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez (1656)

Diego Velazquez’s most famous painting, Las Meninas, depicts five-year-old Infanta Margarita in front of a portrait of her parents. The picture includes several plans: the characters pose for the painter, are reflected in the mirror, and leave the room. Such a composition expands the dimensions of the canvas, making it three-dimensional. This masterpiece, now housed in Museo del Prado in Madrid, is considered the highest achievement of Velazquez himself. Sir Thomas Lawrence, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, called it «the true philosophy of art.»

15. The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1608)

Among the most famous paintings, this one is iconic among the artworks of Caravaggio. It depicts the moment of the murder of John the Baptist in prison in an incredibly realistic manner. The semi-darkness of the painting and the expressions on the faces of the characters make it a true legacy of art. This masterpiece by Caravaggio is kept at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

16. The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt van Rijn (1661–1669)

This is the largest canvas painted by Rembrandt on a religious theme. It is also dedicated to the parable of the prodigal son and is the artist’s top recognizable artwork. It is not known how and when Rembrandt worked on the painting The Return of the Prodigal Son, but it is assumed that the painting was created in the last years of his life. Today the painting, the best art of all time, is kept at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

17. Christ Carrying the Cross by El Greco (1580)

In total, El Greco made at least seven copies of the oil painting «Christ Carrying the Cross», which testifies both to the importance of this work for the artist himself and to its incredible popularity during the artist’s lifetime. El Greco focused primarily not on the divine, but on the humanity of Christ. Today, this masterpiece of art is kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

18. Perseus and Andromeda by Peter Paul Rubens (1622)

In terms of perfection and skill of the painting technique, this is one of the most significant and famous art pieces by famous artists, both for mankind and for the artist himself. Rubens artfully illustrates what man is born for: struggle, victory and love. The painting Perseus and Andromeda was painted in the classical Baroque style. Thanks to the almost monochrome coloring, the characters harmonize well with the dark stone background. Today it is in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

19. Deposition from the Cross by Giorgio Vasari (1540)

Paintings by Giorgio Vasari are created in the mannerism style, also known as Late Renaissance, which is distinguished by special pretentiousness and artistic positions of the characters. Most of Vasari’s paintings are devoted to biblical and antique themes. Deposition from the Cross is a very common plot and the way Vasari writes it reveals the essence of mannerism and his creative approach. This work is kept in the Monastery of Camaldoli, Tuscany.

20. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí (1931)

According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of abstract associations that Dali had at the sight of processed cheese. Gala predicted quite correctly that no one, once having seen the Persistence of Memory, will not forget it. This outstanding painting, the best art of all time, is located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

21. The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder has created as many as three famous art pieces based on a popular biblical storyline. According to the artist’s vision, it is not language barriers that are to blame for the failure that befell the construction, but mistakes and poor-quality building materials. At first glance, the huge structure seems strong enough, but upon closer inspection, the secret of the painting is revealed. You can see this artwork in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

22. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (1500-1510)

The Garden of Earthly Delights, the best art of all time, is the most monumental triptych by Hieronymus Bosch, painted by the artist between 1500 and 1510, currently located in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The triptych is literally overflowing with figures, fantastic constructions, monsters, caricatures of reality, which will take at least a month to examine in detail. The phantasmagoric surrealistic world created by Bosch is absolutely incompatible with any of the existing religions.

23. Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man by Salvador Dalí (1943)

Another one of well-known artworks of Dali’s prophetic gift is now in the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Renaissance figure in the lower right corner of the picture is an allegory of the Old World, once capable of great accomplishments, living out its last days. Dali depicts the entire civilization of the Old World as a rather biological process, while in the other hemisphere, a New Man is about to be born.

24. Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas (1897)

Degas was a big fan of ballet, which is why he is called the artist of ballerinas. Blue Dancers dates back to the late period of Degas’s work, when his vision weakened, and he began to paint in large spots of color, attaching paramount importance to the decorative organization of the surface. Today the painting is in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

25. The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907–1908)

The kiss is one of the first works of art in L’Art Nouveau or modern style. This painting, almost entirely done in gold tones, is one of the most striking artworks of the style. You can see this famous piece of the Austrian artist in Österreichische Galerie Belvedere inVienna.

26. Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet (1872)

The name of this painting Impression, soleil levant with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic movement. The painting was painted from life in the old outport of Le Havre in France. Today, this iconic work of the impressionist Claude Monet adorns the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.

27. The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)

The Scream is an iconic work, one of the most famous paintings, of Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. Between 1893 and 1910, he painted 4 different versions. This painting, now in the National Gallery and at the Munch Museum in Oslo, is one of the first in a style in which realism is minimized to give more freedom to emotions.

28. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

Van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of the most most famous paintings in post-impressionist culture. It is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Unlike most of Dutch artist’s paintings, Starry Night was painted from memory. At that time, Van Gogh was in the hospital of Saint-Remy, tormented by fits of madness.

29. The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1831)

Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave or The Wave, is one of the most famous paintings of Japanese master. It is part of a series of 36 ukiyo prints of Mount Fuji. Hokusai did not depict the middle plan, so the illusion of depth is overwhelming. The woodcut is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

30. Souvenir from Havre by Pablo Picasso (1912)

Souvenir from Havre marked the beginning of the synthetic period of the Spanish cubist Pablo Picasso: brighter colors appeared, not inherent in analytical cubism. Monochrome works gave way to color again. Still lifes predominated in the famous art pieces of this period; real objects were used to dilute the abstractness.

Which masterpiece from the offered art paintings by famous artists would you name the number one?

The following is the list of the 10 most famous works of art in the world – paintings or sculptures.
You might also be interested in the list of most famous paintings or most famous statues.

1. Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci.

The most famous artwork and painting in the world is the main attraction of the Louvre museum in Paris, where it is seen by six million people every year! Leonardo da Vinci painted it from the year 1503 or 1504 until shortly before he died in 1519.

2. The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci.

This world famous painting is not shown in a museum, but rather covers the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan, Italy. It was painted by the most famous artist of all time, Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th-century. The painting depicts the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. Seeing this masterpiece in the small monastery is truly one of the best attractions Milan has to offer.

3. David Statue – Michelangelo

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17-meter (17.0 ft) marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David. The statue is located in the Accademia Gallery in Florence since 1873.

4. The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo.

Located on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. The Creation Of Adam was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 and it is just one of nine scenes from the book of Genesis that are painted on the center of the ceiling of the chapel

5. The Thinker – Auguste Rodin.

This bronze sculpture shows a nude male figure at about life-size sitting on a rock with his chin resting on one hand as though deep in thought, and is often used as an image to represent philosophy. There are about 28 full-size castings, in which the figure is about 186 cm (73 in) high, though not all were made during Rodin’s lifetime and under his supervision. Rodin first conceived the figure as part of another work in 1880, but the first of the familiar monumental bronze appeared in 1904.

6. Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh.

Painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most well-known paintings in modern culture. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The painting was the inspiration for the song “Vincent” (also known as “starry starry night”) by Don McLean. McLean’s song reference the painting as well as other paintings by the famous artist.

7. The Scream – Edvard Munch.

The most famous piece by Edvard Munch, painted around 1893. It was painted using oil and pastel on cardboard. This frightening painting is on display at The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway.

8. Aphrodite of Milos 

Also known as Venus de Milo, this ancient Greek statue was created sometime between 130 and 100 BC, and is believed to depict Aphrodite – the goddess of love and beauty. Made of marble, the statue is 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) in height and is believed to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch. Unfortunately, the arms and original plinth were lost. The statue is yet another big attraction of the Louvre museum in Paris.

9. The Persistence Of Memory – Salvador Dali.

Painted in 1931 by the Spanish artist Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable pieces in art history. This work of art is known to make people ponder on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was inspired by this wonderful piece.

10. The Diskobolus of Myron 

This world famous Greek sculpture was completed around 460-450 BC. The artist is unknown and even the original bronze statue is lost but numerous copies – made either as full scale in marble, or smaller scale in bronze were found.