45 Most Famous Paintings of All Times

The best paintings simply take your breath away! They have a unique theme or a new painting style that makes it to standout in this crowded field.

Many of these paintings are a testimony to the skill and talents of many artists from different parts of the world. Pablo Picasso rightly said that every child is a born artist, the problem is to retain that artist within themselves.

This universe is full of art and inspiration, that is what everyone can see, but it takes a really talented and visionary artist to pick paint and brush and illustrate their thoughts, visions and this beautiful universe into paintings.

Most Beautiful and Expensive Paintings

To blow you off the ground, we have gone through the great detail to find some of the best art work that has ever been produced. Below are 45 most beautiful, famous and expensive paintings of all times.

45. Anders zorn our daily bread

Anders_Zorn by Vårt_dagliga_bröd

Painted in 1886 “Our daily bread” by Anders zorn from Sweden, depicts his mother sitting at the edge of a ditch, and cooking potatoes for the harvesters. The painting is from his private collection and shows his mother’s sacrifices.

He was in his mid 20s when he painted it to pay a tribute to his mother’s love for him and his big joint family. The composition came in public domain, after the artist’s death in 1920. After that it was purchased by National museum Stockholm.

44. The Wounded Angel

The_Wounded_Angel by Hugo_Simberg

The painting with two gloomy boys carrying an angel on a stretcher with bandaged forehead and a bloodied wing makes people curious in a second. And the direct gaze of the boy to the right touches the viewers ‘soul.

The composition is still considered as one of the finest work of art since 1903, and it is in the same year it was produced by Finnish symbolist painter Hugo Simberg.

The painting was a source of strength for Simberg, as he had been suffering from meningitis from a very long time. In 2006, the painting was voted Finland’s “National Painting” through a contest organized by the Ateneum art museum.

43. Christina’s World

Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth

Christina’s World is one of the most famous paintings of 20th century by American painter Andrew Wyeth.

The 1948’s canvas depicts a woman, Anna Christina who is crawling up from a yellowish-brown grass field, and looking lovingly at a gray farmhouse on the top of the crag. The woman in the painting was suffering from a muscular disorder that prevented her from hiking.  However, she was still doing an effort to get to the farmhouse that was situated quite far off.

The challenge here for the artist was to do impartiality to her extraordinary conquest of life which most people would consider hopeless. The beautiful painting with a deep meaning and desire to achieve is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

42. NightHawks

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks is one painting that depicts the elusive assessment of today’s society. The four characters in the painting are isolated and disconnected from their environment despite being in a chic environment.

On the outside it looks that the man and woman are holding hands however on closer inspection they are not even looking at each other. The other two characters also look like talking to each other however they are not.

The painting was bought immediately after it was completed by Hopper by the Art Institute of Chicago which remains there till date. Although Hopper claimed that the location was real however people were not able to find any such restaurant. The painting gives an idea that everyone in this world is alone since the characters are disconnected and placed in an ambiguous relationship.

The painting was produced by Hopper in 1942 on canvas and was painted with oil.

41. Glow of Hope

Glow of Hope by SL Haldankar

The Glow of hope also referred to as the “Woman with the Lamp” is one mater piece from S.L. Haldankar. This masterpiece was produced in 1945-46. Haldankar was stuck with the idea of painting it on an Indian Festival Diwali – The festival of lights; when he saw his daughter in a beautiful Indian outfit saree with a candle in one hand and her other hand protecting the flame from the wind.

Haldankar made his daughter Geeta the subject of his painting and immortalized her on painted handmade paper using water colors. Water colors were used deliberately by Haldankar since he wanted to prove that he can make a painting without any mistakes. Oil colors can be erased however it is not possible with water colors.

Haldankar celebrated women in this painting of his with the use of color and the subject – his third daughter. The lavender in the saree represents grace and the gold color defines royal touch. Geeta Haldankar’s daughter in the painting is an epitome of grace, feminity and natural beauty. The effect of the painting is heightened with the shadow behind the subject.

40. Salvator Mundi

salvator mundi painting

Salvator Mundi, the 66 cm x 45 cm long and wide artwork was created in 1500 century by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo.

The medium oil painting depicts Jesus as a savior of world, making the sign of the cross with his right hand, while holding a transparent crystal globe in his left. The painting is called to be a copy of a lost and original one, which was rediscovered and restored, and included in a major Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery, London, in 2011-2012.

The painting was last sold at an auction in November 2017 for $450.3 million to Prince Badr bin Abdullah. It is a new record for the most expensive painting ever sold at a public auction.

39. Rembrandt Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee

Rembrandt Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee

Storm on the Sea of Galilee was a piece of art painted in 1633, by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn.

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For a very long time, it was exhibited in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Unfortunately in 1990, two thieves broke into the museum and stole it with 12 other artworks.

Sadly, it is still missing. This theft is still considered as one of the biggest art thefts in the US history.

38. Dog Lying in the Snow

Franz Marc Dog Lying in the Snow

This popular composition was created in 1911 by a German-based artist, Franz Marc.

The painting with angular aspects features Marc’s own Siberian Shepherd dog named Russi, lying carefree on white freezing snow in the month of January, near the village where he lived.

The scene featuring primary colors of yellow, blue and their combinations, illustrates the affection of dog with nature. Marc was known for painting animals, as he felt they were pure and closer to God. Of all his popular creations, this was very intimate and close to his heart.

37. Portrait of Mari Clasen

Halfdan Egedius Portrait of Mari Clasen

Portrait of Mari Clasen is one of the most liked oil paintings in the world. The Drammen, Norway-based artist Halfdan Johnsen Egedius painted it in 1895, when he was only 17-years.

He wonderfully blended the colors to describe the beauty of Norway’s folk costume Bunad, worn by Mari Clasen, a young pretty woman from South Central Norway. The painting speaks a lot about the beauty and culture of the country.

36. The Old Guitarist

The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso

The old guitarist is one of the most haunting images created by Pablo Picasso since Picasso had restricted himself to a cold monochromatic blue palette depicting the emotional, psychological themes of human misery and alienation. The painting is an epitome of a timeless expression of human sufferings.

Picasso produced the painting while working in Barcelona in 1903. This was known as the blue period of Picasso (1901 to 1904). The subject of this masterpiece of Picasso is an old man although emaciated however still holding to his guitar and playing it. A remarkable effect to the painting comes out in the form of the old man’s bony frame.

The painting can be attributed to the lifestyle led by Picasso in that time period since he was quite poor in that period and his subjects of art in that particular period were people from the lowest strata of that particular society – beggars, prostitutes, single mothers and drunks.

35. The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli is a painting that depicts the emergence of Goddess Venus from the sea as a beautiful woman. The most striking part of this simple painting is the beautiful face of Goddess Venus and her shy posture. It is currently housed in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.

34. Dogs Playing Poker

A Bachelor's Dog painting the bold bluff painting a friend in need painting

Painted in 1903 by C.M. Coolidge, this painting has 16 images of dogs sitting around a poker table and playing cards. This painting was an iconic depiction of Americans during the early part of 19th century.

33. Portrait of Madame Recamier

Portrait of Madame Récamier

This portrait shows Juliette Recamier sitting on a style sofa in a simple dress with bare arms. This painting steeped in neoclassical fashion is now located at Louvre in France.

32. No.5, 1948

No.5, 1948 painting

This famous painting by Jackson Pollock is a signature piece of art that depicts the chaos raging within Pollock at the time of painting. The many swirls and meshes make it a unique piece of work. For these reasons, it is one of the most expensive paintings ever sold by an American artist as it was sold for a huge $140 million.

31. The Son of Man

the son of a man painting

The Son of Man, painted by Rene Magrittees, is a piece of work that shows his own self in a black suit, but with an apple instead of his face.

30. Royal Red and Blue

royal red and blue painting

This recent painting by Mark Rothko shows royal blue and red squares on a canvas. The highlight of this painting is its hand-made canvas, and it is currently placed in the Art Institute at Chicago.

29. Massacre of the Innocents

Massacre of the Innocents painting

Based on the biblical massacre of innocents in Bethlehem, this painting by Peter Paul Rubens strikes a chilling note in the minds of viewers.

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

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte painting

Created by Georges Suerat, it shows the relaxed atmosphere of people on a lazy Sunday afternoon in an island. This painting is an excellent example of pointillism, where many dots are joined together to create an image.

27. The Dance

The Dance by Henri Matisse is based on the art form of fauvisim that is depcited by bright colors. This painting is about a few people dancing together in a circle, and is especially noteworthy for its bright blue background.

26. American Gothic

American Gothic grant wood painting

American Gothic symbolizes the grit and determination of Americans during the Great Depression. In this painting, Grant Wood, shows a stern-looking couple standing in front of a house with Gothic windows.

25. The Flower Carrier

The Flower Carrier diego rivera painting

Painted by the most popular Mexican painter of the 20th century, this painting shows how a person is struggling to carry a huge flower basket on his back. Its bright colors are a trademark of Diego Rivera.

24. Whistler’s Mother

Whistler’s Mother james mcneill whistler painting

Also known as “Arrangement in Grey and Black. The Artist’s Mother,” it is one of the most famous painting by American artist James McNeill Whistler. In this painting, Whistler depicts his mother sitting on a chair against a grey wall. This painting is so called because the artist has used only black and grey shades in this painting.

23. The Persistence of Memory

The Persistence of Memory salvador deli painting

This painting by the Spanish artist Salvador Dali is a classic example of surrealism where hard and soft things are present side by side. In this picture, a soft image of clock slides in the background of a hard table.

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22. Portrait of Dora Maar

Portrait of Dora Maar pablo picaso

Pablo Picasso is one of the most accomplished Spanish painter, and his skill is most evident in this painting. He is the founder of a style called Cubism that shows the same picture from different angles. This picture is about a woman’s face, believed to that of Picasso’s lover, shown from different angles, thereby marking the first of many paintings in cubism style.

21. Portrait de L’Artiste Sans Barbe

Portrait de L'Artiste Sans Barbe van gogh painting

This painting by Van Gogh is an interesting piece because it shows the artist without his beard. It is also one of the few paintings sold by Van Gogh, and it fetched a whopping $71.5 million in 1998, making it one of his most expensive paintings ever sold.

20. Cafe Terrace at Night

Cafe Terrace at Night van gogh painting

Painted by Vincent Van Gogh, this painting shows an everyday setting in bright colors. A simple dinner at a cafe along a street is well-depicted in this simple painting.

19. Composition 8

Composition 8 kandinsky painting

Kandinsky is often known as the founder of abstract art, a form that uses shapes and symbols instead of real people. Composition 8 is one of his first paintings that expound this form of art.

18. The Kiss

One of the first pieces of art in the Art Nouveau style, this painting used gold leaf as the background. Created by Gustav Klimt, this painting is renowned for this style.

17. La Moulin de la Galette

la moulin de la galette renoir painting

The name of this painting translates to “Pastry Chef” and is a vivid description of a city life. This painting by Renoir is also one of the most expensive paintings ever bought.

16. Olympia

Olmpia by Edouard Manet created quite a controversy as it showed a woman with a gaze and subtlety that indicated that she is a mistress. It is also a good early example of realism style.

15. The Third of May

The Third of May francisco goya painting

This painting by Francisco Goya shows Napoleon’s attack on Spaniards. This is one of the first SPanish paintings to show war in bad light.

14. Las Meninas

las meninas de diego velázquez painting

Las Meninas portrays Margarita Teresa of Spain as a young child along with the King and Queen of Spain. Painted by Diego Valazquez, this is conisdered to be an important baroque painting.

13. The Arnolfini Marriage

The Arnolfini Marriage painting

This painting is one of the oldest preserved ones dating back to 1434. It was done by Jan van Eyck and portrays the Italian businessman Giovanni Arnolfini and his pregnant wife in their home in the city of Bruges.

12. The Scream

the scream edvard munch poster

The Scream is a painting by Edvard Munch of Norway and it shows the distorted face of a figure against a bloody sky. The hill landscape in the background adds to this picture’s charm. It is also one of the first few paintings done in expessionism style where the reality is blurred to give more importance to emotions.

11. Water Lilies

Water lilies by Claude Monet

Water lilies, painted by Claude Monet, is a series of 250 oil paintings based on his own flower garden. These paintings are located in different art museums world over.

10. Starry Night

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh painting

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh shows the village of Saint-Remy under a swirling sun. It is one of the most well-known images in modern culture and is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

9. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

landscape with the fall of icarus pieter bruegel

This painting by Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel shows man’s indifference to the suffering of his fellowmen. It is a powerful theme shown in a rather simple way with Icarus, the Greek character suffering under water and people going on with their work.

8. The Creation of Adam

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo shows how God created Adam. It is one of the paintings that adorn the 12,000 square feet area of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

7. The Last Supper

the last supper mary magdalene painting

The Last Supper is a painting that depicts the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples. Displayed at the dining hall of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, this painting has also created much controversy around Mary Magdalene, the supposed character sitting next to Jesus.

6. Guernica

Guernica by Picasso painting

Guernica by Picasso depicts the bombing of the city of the Spanish city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It is a black and white painting that shows the role of Italians and Germans in this bombing.

5. Girl with a Pearl Earring

girl with a pearl earring johannes painting

The Girl With a Pearl Earring is often known as Dutch Monalisa because the expression on the girl’s face is hard to understand. This painting by Johannes Vermeer has her pearl earrings as the focal point.

4. Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

Beheading of Saint John the Baptist caravaggio

This painting by Caravaggio shows a realistic depiction of a murder moment in a prison. The gloom of the picture and the expressions of the onlookers make it a true classical masterpiece. It is displayed in St. John’s Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.

3. Night Watch

night watch rembrandt wallpaper

Night Watch is one of the most popular pieces of work by Rembrandt. It depicts an entire city moving out led by its captain. A unique aspect is its dark varnish that gives an impression of night scene. It is currently housed in Riksmuseum in Amsterdam.

2. School of Athens

school of athens raphael painting

Painted by Raphael, this painting contains pictures of famous philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle walking in the middle along with other philosophers on the sides. It is now located in the Vatican.

1. Monalisa

mona lisa leonardo da vinci most famous painting

Probably the most famous painting in the world is Monalisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It is a portrait of a lady called Gherardini and is famous because the lady’s expression is indecipherable. This painting is currently displayed in Louvre, France.

Here is our list of the most famous 35 paintings ever done. Which of these is your favorite? Do let us know through your comments.

Ahmad in a nutshell is product of passion, enthusiasm and adventure. He loves to write around anything that involves behaviors, art, business and what makes people happier.

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105 Comments

  1. soumya talwar says:

    I dont think there can be ONE compiled list of the most famous paintings since there are a lot of countries with their own cultures and eras and mindsets, and its a broad area to categorize, but I think you did a good enough job anyway. However I feel that this list is quite narrow, there are quite a few revolutionary movements you missed like dadaism, de stijl, minimalism, abstract expressionism, to name a few. However you did a good job, thank you

    • Panyagua says:

      I think that I completely agree with your comment.

    • Chris says:

      I did not like any of them

    • Bryce Hurlbut says:

      Dadaism and surrealism are so closely related I’ll count it, de Stijl might as well be minimalism ( which is covered in Mark Rothko’s piece #30), but is definitely congruent with Kandinsky’s innovation (piece #19), Jackson Pollock’s piece is THE DEFINITION of abstract expressionism and you sir are dumb.

    • Maria says:

      Agree. So many men, so many minds! What one considers interesting, someone may consider absurd. Is it actually possible to make a list of the best paintings?

    • RALPHM WATERS says:

      I think this is a well group of choices. Of course, there are millions of paintings, but I can go with this list. I lean towards, Monet, Picasso, Van Goh,, I have no additions to your list, you made good choices.

    • Sherrie Sly says:

      Agreed

  2. I love fine art when I see it I feel geek..lol love me some Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci

    • Anonymous says:

      Tell me do you live art or just those artists because their famous

  3. jimmy dell says:

    As I exited an art gallery some years ago the curator of the museum asked if I enjoyed my visit. I told him that there were a few exhibits that I really liked. He told me that that pleased him as if there was but one that I liked they had done their job.

  4. Although each artist has great sense of art but I like william tyller painting. His Painting has a meaning and lesson to everyone that took my attention and that’s how the artist should be.

  5. David says:

    Starry Night. I could look at it hours.

  6. jackiesolo says:

    Could someone explain the art of Mark Rothko please.

    • Kclayt says:

      It’s based majorly on the experience of looking at it. Try visiting the Rothko chapel if you’re ever in Huston. He was a very emotional and contemplative man.

  7. Wendy says:

    I love Guernica. It’s so expressive!

  8. Martin says:

    Concerning the Night Watch: It’s Rijksmuseum not Riksmuseum

  9. Xavi says:

    For me the best has been picasso

  10. Carol McClees says:

    I have seen 5 of them so far and it makes me sad that some are not possible to see. It’s a good thing we can at least see them like this.

  11. Tom says:

    The Pollock shown in entry #32 isn’t No. 5 — it’s actually Autumn Rhythm, located at the Met in NYC. 🙂

  12. Anisa says:

    my favourite is #19
    It’s abstract and everybody can make out it in their way.

  13. james says:

    i love that piece work
    am a fun of art from Uganda

  14. Salman Shahid says:

    This cannot be possible that no painting from the Indian or Arab or Chinese Culture can be present on this list. I could ask “Why is that so?”
    The only present are the Western Cultures . Does
    other cultures of the world haven’t got any grandeur?

    • Ghawanmeh says:

      Dear Friend, I don’t know about Indian or chineese, but as far as the arab world is concerned, they did not paint in those early days, or if they did it was on the snad. Nevertheless they wrote poetry 🙂
      However now I have gathered around 150 middle eastern artists in my website:
      plastic-artist.fr/

  15. biruk says:

    i love it

  16. biruk says:

    hy men could some one explain about the school of athens

  17. Karl says:

    The Mona Lisa isn’t famous because of her smile.

    There are two main factors that experts believe contributed to the painting’s immense fame.

    1). All the publicity it got when it was stolen.

    2.) The fact that Da Vinci always carried the painting with him, died with it next to him, and said “This is my best painting.”

    • Dado Motta says:

      Aa a matter of fact it was bought by Napoleon. After that I didn’t heard he “sleep” with her anymore…

  18. Carol says:

    I like several of them, the Van Goghs, the Rivera, the Seurat. Pls note that the caption has Suerat, which is incorrect. I have long loved the Dali, have tried for years to write a poem based on it, but nothing says it better than the image itself.

    I think the Pollock IS No. 5 and not No. 32 as someone has suggested. No. 32 is quite different in colour but I am no expert, and searching on the numbers also brings up the NO. 5 when looking for 32.

  19. rpar says:

    I know these paintings are beautiful, but it is NO help with my work!

  20. ro says:

    You’re using an incorrect photo of ‘The Kiss’, that’s not it!

  21. Glyxis says:

    There is pretty much every painting that I assumed. BUT where is the The Grate Wave off Kanagawa?
    It should be in top 10 if asking me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa

  22. Glyxis says:

    And also Saturn Devouring His Son should be in top 35 I think. It’s pretty nasty painting though.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Devouring_His_Son

  23. nickname says:

    Thanks! It helps with my homework.

  24. Raveesha says:

    Night Watch is the best.

  25. Majid says:

    La Moulin de la Galette and Massacre of the Innocents are the reality of the history.
    Monalisa is my favorite.

  26. Nitpicker says:

    There are a few mistakes to correct in here. As an earlier commenter pointed out, the Pollack painting depicted is not No. 5, 1948; it is in fact One: Number 31, 1950, on display at MoMA (which your picture clearly shows, rather than the privately held No. 5, 1948). Also, painting number 17 is fully titled ‘Bal du moulin de la Galette’ and does not translate to ‘Pastry Chef’, but to ‘Dance at the Moulin de Galette’ (which in turn is a place name/windmill and would roughly translate to ‘brown bread/crusty cake windmill’).

  27. jings says:

    Sad.. where is Frida Kahlo and her amazing art??? 🙁

  28. Cooee says:

    Not a single woman artist is represented here. This is another list simply perpetuating the myth of western male superiority. There are many great paintings by women and it is tedious that lists like this systematically overlook the work of women and no one even comments on it.

  29. Dado Motta says:

    PLEASE CHANGE THE KLINT PAINTING IS FALSE!!!!
    HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE ORIGINAL:
    https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/The_Kiss_-_Gustav_Klimt_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg

    HELP KLINT WITH THESE NOT SO GOOD COPY!!!

  30. Andre Seal says:

    My favorite artist is Van Gogh because I think the way he does his work is amazing. The way he draws pictures, he put marks. Like he puts a lot of marks and then it turns into a picture. I think that’s pretty impressive.

  31. Swapnil Karale says:

    I don’t understand paintings but The scream by Edward Munch has dragged me in into this wonderful world. Old guitarist by Pablo Picasso is also my favourite painting. I emphasise again I don’t understand paintings.

  32. Laura says:

    35 paintings not one female artist named! Nothing from anything outside Western culture!

    • Stef says:

      Yes 35 paintings and not one female artist named! Also, not one Japanese artist named, not one black artist named, not one artist under sixteen named. None of these are complaining but we simply must complain if there is a gender imbalance, right?
      Please!
      There is no doubt that women have produced great art but the point here is not to fight a crusade for equality but to admire paintings.

      • Huu says:

        If there was interest in female paintings then it would be viewed or popular. Painting wasnt exactly a female profession until recent times. Name me 2 famous female generals, 3 famous astronomers, 4 female pioneer medical researchers. It is a struggle because they werent involved to the same extent as men. Next you will claim obese gays, or eskimos are under represented. For fucks sake

      • Al says:

        I are right but this is just example what adverts do to people mind
        Ugly painting are sold for million and the art is forgotten

  33. Logan says:

    I also agree that Picasso was a great artists, but I believe Las Meninas by Valazquez is an amazing piece. As well as Dali.

  34. yogesh says:

    I know these paintings are beautiful, I like several of them, the Van Goghs, the Rivera, the Seurat. i also have listed some of the famous indian painters and Famous paintings techniques. the link is in My name . Kudos to your efforts 😀

  35. Erik Hållet says:

    The “Meninas” of Velazquez is for me the best, you can feel the atmosphere in the room of the painting, it is like a photo taken at that moment, for the revolutionary method of painting, innovation and beauty it is The Painting.

  36. Zer says:

    Starry night 🌌

  37. AMM says:

    Wat is kunst? kennen? ja!
    Media is kunst.
    $

  38. Mithila says:

    Very nice images. But I’m quite disappointed because there is no painting from India.
    Raja Ravivarma ‘s paintings are rearlly great painting and please add those paintings. Indians are the real Art lovers..

  39. Nayaka says:

    Night watch is the best thinks

  40. Nidhi Mehta says:

    You could have mentioned the artist name along with the painting details. Makes us do extra homework by googling the artist of the painting.

  41. Jacqline says:

    Where is the art of Degas?? Any masterpiece would fetch an astronomical price if it ever landed on tbe art market (as the Pollocks did) so I have trouble with the decision to include multiple Picassos and Van Goghs, and instead choosing to omit at least one painting by another master, like Whistler, or even a Boldoni (my personal favorite portaiter if the 19th century). And the name of the artist of the Juliette Recamier portrait is missing.

  42. Jacqline says:

    Whoops. I see Whistler’s Mother made the cut after all. 😊

  43. Kulan Chandra MD says:

    Great job Ahmed Raza. The very nature of the topic, choosing from the world’s best artwork, is mind boggling. No one can make a ‘complete ‘ list or a ‘perfect’ list. You came closest to completion or perfection than most others who dared take up this daunting task. Congratulations. Please give us more. May be the best statues. Or the best architectural masterpieces. Thanks.

  44. David says:

    My favorite is the girl with the pearl necklace, soemthing about her eyes, good looking women too, for the top piece has to be The Creation of Adam, its epic on a scale I cant even imagine.

  45. Paint geek says:

    The spolarium should be in here

  46. Gowest says:

    Who painted 7#

  47. Paul says:

    The girl with the pearl earring touches me with her look….it transcends over centuries. Most other paintings I find a bit boring children of their own time.

  48. Chris says:

    ya dat gross and I DISAGREE

  49. Trinidad says:

    I love everything in the world EVERYTHING even bugs and paintings. But the best picture is the don of man. HE HAS (Chuckles) An APPLE FOR A FACE!

  50. Fernando says:

    (trinidad’s brother) OOPS SORRY MEANT (chuckles) SON OF MAN!!!!

  51. JOKAR says:

    MICHIALANGELO GREATLY PAINTING THE SISTINE CHAPEL ON HIS BACK WINS “THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE AWARD”

  52. Yatty says:

    Just like a list of favourite pop, rock or classical songs or the most beautiful women in the world,these compilations will be highly subjective so I will take them as entertaining & fun rather than comprehensive and exhaustive. Just back from Morocco, and some of the art there was simply stunning. No Asian ,Persian,Chinese,female artists’ or my favourite, Carravaggio in the style of Chiaroscuro. Where is the super at Emmaus?

  53. Luciano says:

    Nothing by Piero della Francesca! Rothke compared to Piero is a kindergartner dipping his hands in paint and saying, Gee! , what a good boy am I.

  54. Philip Feeley says:

    Unbelievable that dogs playing poker would make this list, and not a single Titian or Georgia O’Keeffe.

  55. Pax says:

    The Creation of Adam,
    Excellent and Pure Painting
    Like the handing over of authority, power; in such an enduring, strikingly innocent gait.

  56. JBlem says:

    Whatever the value of this list may be, it’s quite astonishing to see a relative majority of the pieces (9!) comes from the low countries, besting culturally ever-dominant France (7). Van Gogh alo seems the most famous painter, according to the list (3)

  57. Hagop Kassabian says:

    Where is Aivazovsky, the greatest Russian master of marine art? Are you kidding me!

  58. Shawn Fisher says:

    La moulin de Gallette seemed so life like and depicted a casual evening in a loving city.
    “Pastry Chef” that’s how you paint!

  59. Utsav Srinet says:

    Drawing is my chilhood hobby and visvualizing these paintings of these famous artists really made my day. Thanks for Sharing!

  60. Max says:

    Love “Massacre of the Innocents” by Peter Paul Rubens the most. It is very difficult to paint multi-figure painting.

  61. Max says:

    And where is John William Waterhouse’s paintings?

  62. Iain MacD says:

    The Kilmt painting is a copy, and not a very good one.

  63. Deva says:

    Yes me too I like the painting

  64. Kerri Baxter says:

    I am at the beginning of a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours and for me it is a toss up between Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ & Matisse’s ‘The Dance’. Both for their colour, movement and composition.

  65. Brian says:

    “Portrait of Dora Maar” EYE CATCHING AND BEAUTIFUL

  66. TWilson says:

    Shame on you for not including Georgia O’Keefe. There are many great paintings that this list neglected to include. It’s only male artists who have created the best paintings in the history of fine art…really?

  67. Ronald Radke says:

    I love looking at these most famous paintings. I usually spend a long time soaking in the particular elements which lend to the overall attraction. One of these that stops me every time – I can’t get by it without being rapt by its haunting appeal – is Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring. Amazing and captivating.

  68. Bookbug says:

    I am saddend by the lack of knowledge, & deplorable writing skills of some of these comments. Western culture did not allow women to openly paint, let alone read. This is why you see very few women artists represented until the present time. Other cultures (China, India…) do have their own beautiful examples of art & culture, but oil paints, cloth canvas, ghesso, acrylics… were not typically utilised until more recent times. This is why we have museums, to learn, study, enjoy, & appreciate every cultures’ unique artistry. You may not find all visually appealing, but art is for individual interpretation & provokes inner contemplation. Just a thought. I enjoyed viewing the paintings & appreciate that in my modern world, I have the ability to see that which was at one time, unattainable. No Alphonse Mucha??

  69. Richard G Davis says:

    I paint and now I believe I am an unknown genius because by definition I paint only from my mind and not from real life. I love those capable of realism for their ability to put reality on canvas or board but I frustrate my self trying to emulate them, I soar when I paint with the freedom of my thoughts. My canvases are given not sold, they are like children to me and now as I age, I wish them to return, it will not happen. perhaps a few hundred years from now they will still be hung and admired, discussed and interpreted, studied and imitated and valued.

  70. Andrea F Wayne says:

    🎨list of many refined male artists 🖼 very good

  71. Xerxes Setna says:

    Great list. But I would have included La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Sir Frank Dicksee

  72. Bimal Mohan Das says:

    Arts(Paintings)are my hobby from childhood, I love
    Everything in the world even bugs and paintings.
    My favourite is the culture of India, something about
    Cultural festival and images on temples the famous to message to add together in the world.

  73. Linda says:

    My favorite from this list is the Mona Lisa because it most clearly depicts the essence of woman – how she can be deep in thought yet not betray anything but calm tranquility on the surface. Makes one wonder at her strength.

  74. sandra says:

    Great pieces of work, unfortunately Black Artists, Caribbean Paintings, Paintings of India and Africa are not represented.

  75. Bhalchandra Shinde says:

    Painting is something that the mind should feel happy about. Good energy should come.

  76. ALEX says:

    Great collection. I haven’t seen the “Old musician” by Picasso before. He is a genius, so use of color. My first thing was “The only alive here is the guitare”, second one followed: “Ars longa, vita brevis est”.

  77. Dikio Bright says:

    Nice but the paitings are reality and not imagination

  78. Sylvia says:

    I like the one with Elvis the king and dolphins on velveteen too the best one

  79. eric says:

    Actually “Starry Night” is only one of a number of paintings by Van Gogh on the subject.One hangs in the Musee d’orsay in Paris. Its title is Starry night over the Rhone and I much prefer it to the one That hangs in Museum of Modern Art .

  80. eric says:

    You might also check what Blue Poles is worth . The Australian Government bought it back in the 1970’s for a World record price of $1.3 million many moons ago and it may not have cost them $140.million but I am sure it is worth much more than that lets say $350-400 million ?

  81. jennifer says:

    all the drawings are beatyful and hard to draw.also theres some drawing I know is fameouse when I was little.so when I was little it look like it a hard work to do and it gave me the idea that it was famouse.

  82. Delia Marheineke says:

    Three brilliant female artists:

    The Dance – painting by Paula Rego.
    Self Portrait – painting by Suzanne Valadon.
    A Little Night Music – painting by Dorothea Tanning.

    Not even one of them included!

    Nevertheless, I enjoyed your selection of male artists work, and have always thought that the expressions on the faces of the Mona Lisa, and The Girl With A Pearl Earring both show a particularly high degree of female intelligence. I think they are both just saying non-verbally…please don’t underestimate me! My personal opinion only. Delia Marheineke.

  83. Satyam says:

    Where’s the great waves of kangawa?

  84. Larry says:

    Why do you say 35 then list 45 and then not show 5 of them?

  85. Angel says:

    The one I like most is the scream by Munch. I have had in gallery for about 2 years but every time I look at it, it evokes a certain emotion, can actually hear the shrill of nature screaming.

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