Do you know what Picasso, Rembrandt, Michelangelo and van Gogh have in common? They are, of course, the most famous painters of all time. Their works have an unimaginable financial and symbolic value and people from all over the world still admire them in museums and galleries today. In this article, we introduce these painters and four other important and successful artists who conquered the world with their masterpieces. Do you know them all?
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Salvador Dalí
If you are a fan of La casa de papel (Money Heist), the series that has become so popular in recent years, you will certainly have no trouble picturing Dalí’s face. If not, you will surely at least remember his eccentric curled moustache. This Catalan painter became famous above all for his sometimes very strange surrealist works. He painted from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries until 1983 and died in 1989.
His best-known paintings include:
- The Persistence of Memory
- Flaming Giraffe
- The Dream
- The Elephants
- Miraggio
- Le Grand Masturbateur
- Flower Head
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Michelangelo Buonarroti
When travelling around sunny Italy, you will certainly come across the name Michelangelo. This Renaissance artist of the 15th and 16th centuries was incredibly versatile and talented. As well as being a brilliant painter, he was also a sculptor and an architect. For example, he designed St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the Medicea Laurenziana library in Florence. His most important sculptural treasures certainly include the statue of David, which you can admire in the ancient city of Florence, and the Pietà in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
The following list contains his best-known paintings and frescoes:
- The Battle of Cascina
- The Creation of the World in the Sistine Chapel
- The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel
- The Holy Family
- The Manchester Madonna
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Frida Kahlo
Throughout history, the most famous painters were almost exclusively men. Women’s role was reduced simply to bearing children and looking after them. Modern times, however, give everyone similar opportunities, and galleries have also filled with paintings by important women artists. One of them was Frida Kahlo. The Mexican artist is known above all for her self-portraits with her typical joined eyebrows. She painted 143 pictures in total, 55 of which were self-portraits. She added elements of realism, symbolism and surrealism to her paintings, combined with Mexican culture. Her work is important above all in the context of 20th-century feminism.
Her best-known works include:
- Las Dos Fridas
- Self Portrait on the Border of Mexico and the USA
- The Frame
- My Dress Hangs Here
- Self Portrait with Monkeys
Pablo Picasso
The most famous painters undoubtedly also include the Spaniard Pablo Ruiz Picasso, whom you will surely associate with the artistic style of Cubism, which he founded and championed throughout his life. Thanks to his work, he is considered one of the most important painters of the 20th century. As well as being a painter, he was also a sculptor.
Picasso reportedly painted over 13,000 paintings and sketches during his life. His work Women of Algiers is currently one of the most expensive works of art ever. His other important paintings include:
- Guernica
- Violin et Guitare
- Don Quixote
- Head of a Woman
- Blue Nude
- Guitar
Andy Warhol
The famous painter Andrew Warhola, whom the vast majority of people know as Andy Warhol, was born in Pittsburgh in 1928. His work drew mainly on the Pop Art movement. However, he was not only a painter but also a graphic artist, director and producer of avant-garde films.
He painted works such as:
- Marilyn Monroe – On Red (1967)
- So Meow
- Four Pandas
- Alexander the Great (pink)
- One Blue Pussy
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Leonardo da Vinci
There are probably only a handful of people in the whole world who have not heard of the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci was what is known as a Renaissance man. As well as painting, he devoted himself to sculpture, architecture, music, natural science and writing. If you ever travel to Milan in Italy, visit not only the fashion boutiques but also the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to one of his most famous frescoes, The Last Supper.
His other best-known works include:
- Mona Lisa
- Salvator Mundi
- The Baptism of Christ
- Lady with an Ermine
- The Battle of Anghiari
- Vitruvian Man
Vincent van Gogh
As well as being one of the most important Dutch painters of Expressionism and Fauvism in the 19th century, van Gogh is also known to many people because of the story of his cut-off ear. It is true that, because of his mental illness, he really did cut off part of his left ear, but it was only his earlobe.
He painted works such as:
- The Potato Eaters
- Sunflowers
- The Starry Night
- Irises
- Fishing Boats at Saintes-Maries
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in 1606 in Leiden in the Netherlands. Thanks to his perfect work with light, known as chiaroscuro, he became one of the most important painters of all time. Portraits and self-portraits are typical of his work.
He created works such as:
- The Jewish Bride
- Self-Portrait
- Two Young Africans
- The Mill
- Portrait of Saskia with a Flower
- Girl in a Hat
In our view, these artists are the most famous painters, but the list of important artists certainly does not end here. If the topic interests you, or you are looking for a particular artist we have not mentioned, you can try looking at the following extended list of painters.
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