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.
So, who are the most famous artists?
Likewise, Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo are some of the most significant female artists of the 20th century.
This list is a reflection of the names and faces that have achieved fame, thus far.
His mastery of oil painting techniques such assfumatoandchiaroscurocan be seen in his portraits,Mona LisaandLady with an Ermine.
Self-portrait of Sandro Botticelli from his painting “Adoration of the Magi,” c. 1476 (Photo:UffiziviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The former remains as one of the most visited works of art in the world.
He produced engravings, woodcuts, and etchings based on his meticulously detailed drawings.
His nicknameIl Divino(The Divine One) is evidence of how beloved he was.
Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, attributed to Francesco Melzi, c. 1515-17 (Photo:Royal CollectionviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
In fact, Michelangelo is the first Western artist to have a biography published during his lifetime.
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.
Self-portrait at 28, oil painting on lime, 1500 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication)
His distinct style emphasized color, movement, and dramaall key characteristics of the Baroque period.
Famous works of art:Marie de' Medici cycle (1620s)
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593c.
As a child prodigy, Bernini was creating large-scale marble sculptures as a teen.
Portrait of Michelangelo, attributed to Daniele da Volterra, c. 1545 (Photo:Metropolitan Museum of ArtviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Still, this precious portfolio reveals the artist’s exceptional understanding of color, composition, and realism.
He was incredibly prolific during his lifetime, creating over 20,000 paintings, sketches, and prints.
His seriesThirty-Six Views of Mount Fujiwere a major part of theJaponismeinfluence that helped shape Impressionism, several decades later.
Raphael, “Self Portrait,” 1504–1506 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
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.
Delacroix’s oeuvre spanned contemporary events, mythological scenes, Orientalism, and portraiture.
Portrait of Carvaggio by Ottavio Leoni, c. 1621 (Photo:Biblioteca MarucellianaviaWikimedia Commons)
Instead, he preferred to capture intimate indoor depictions (seen as if you looked through a key-hole).
Though less prevalent than ballerinas and bathers, horseback riders often appear in Degas' oeuvre.
Additionally, he is celebrated as the forefather ofFauvismand a precursor to Cubism.
Peter Paul Rubens, “Portrait of the Artist,” 1623 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
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?
Where Are We Going?
Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting,” 1638–1639 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
From financial struggles to his failing mental health, Van Gogh faced many personal challenges during his career.
Then, in 1904, he led theFauvism movement, which is French for wild beasts.
TheLes Fauveswere a group of modern artists who favored pure, bright colors and expressive brushstrokes over realism.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Self Portrait,” c. 1635 (Photo: Uffizi viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
He is most well-known for the collection of glistening, gilded works he produced during hisGolden Phase.
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.
Diego Velázquez, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1640 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Hes 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.
Her passionate yet tumultuous life greatly impacted the subject matter of her paintings.
Self-Portrait with Two Circles, c. 1665 -1669 (Photo:Kenwood HouseviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
His signature drip paintingswhich he began producing in the late 1940scaptivated 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.
Assumed self-portrait of Jan Vermeer from his painting “The Procuress,” 1656. (Photo:Gemäldegalerie Alte MeisterviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Throughout her illustrious career, she has developed a signature approach to her craft.
Instead, the activist is viewed as a threat to the harmonious society.
Using his trademark line drawings, Haring became instantly recognizable for his pop style art.
Keisai Eisen, “Portrait of Hokusai,” before 1848 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Utagawa Kunisada, Memorial Portrait of Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Eugène Delacroix, “Self-Portrait,” 1837 (Photo:Louvre MuseumviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photograph of artist Édouard Manet, enlargement by Paul Nadar of his father’s original, before 1870 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Edgar Degas, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1863 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Portrait of Claude Monet by Nadar, 1899 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Mary Cassatt, “Self-Portrait,” c. 1878 (Photo:The MetviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Paul Cézanne, “Self-Portrait with Palette,” c. 1890 (Photo: The Yorck Project viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Paul Gauguin, “Self-Portrait with the Yellow Christ,” 1891 (Photo:Musée d’OrsayviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Vincent van Gogh, “Self-Portrait,” 1887 (Photo:Art Institute of ChicagoviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photograph of Henri Matisse by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 (Photo:Van Vechten CollectionviaWikimedia Commons)
Photograph of Gustav Klimt by Josef Anton Trčka, 1914 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Photograph of Pablo Picasso, 1962 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photo of Amadeo Modigliani, c. 1919 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photo of “Diego Rivera with a xoloitzcuintle dog in the Blue House, Coyoacan” (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz, 1918 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Salvador Dalí, photographed by Studio Harcourt, 1936 (Photo:RMNviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Photograph of Frida Kahlo by her father, Guillermo Kahlo, 1932 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Photograph of Andy Warhol with Archie, his pet Daschund by Jack Mitchell, 1973 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 4.0)
From left to right: Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bruno Bischofberger, and Fransesco Clemente, 1984 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photograph of Yayoi Kusama, 2016 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 4.0)
