All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
Pablo Picasso
Certain paintings transcend the canvases (or surfaces) on which they were painted. Paintings like the Mona Lisa, Guernica, or The Great Wave off Kanagawa are recognised by people regardless of how interested they are in art. Here, we'll examine the most famous masterpieces that have entered the public consciousness and the stories behind them. Of course, if you think we've omitted any, let us know in the comments.
What Are the Most Famous Paintings in the World?
Choosing these pieces isn't easy, and we certainly don't claim that this is the ultimate list. What we're trying to do is not necessarily determine the "best" paintings, as that'd be a fruitless endeavour in subjectivity, but instead try to choose paintings that are known, whose impact has been felt around the world, regardless of the reason. Understandably, we're writing from Ireland, so don't be surprised if most of these paintings are from European artists.
So what sets a painting apart? We've examined innovative paintings, such as Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, with its bold abstraction that had never been seen before. There are emotionally charged paintings, such as Edvard Munch's The Scream, which is iconic. Then there's the Mona Lisa, a painting recognised all over the globe that continues to fuel a debate around the mysterious expression of the subject.
Since we're discussing paintings in a general sense here, we've attempted to encompass various movements, including Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism. Different artistic styles, whether you love or loathe them, can show us how art evolves and how paint, canvas, and imagination can create vastly different effects in different places and periods.
While most of these pieces are protected in museums in New York, Paris, Madrid, and Tokyo, their influence extends beyond, with many available as prints, posters, collectables, and even coffee mugs.
These 10 legendary works changed the course of visual expression. We believe that they're essential viewing if you're interested in art. We're not implying that you'll love every one of them, but we think they're worth knowing and each can teach us something about art.
A famous painting typically stands out due to its cultural significance, innovation, influence on future artists, and visibility in museums, media, and educational institutions. It may not always be the most beautiful, but it's almost always unforgettable.
Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci
Probably the most famous painting in history. This Renaissance portrait is renowned for its subtle detail, mysterious expression, and the sfumato technique used. The woman in the painting is thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo.
With an estimated 20,000 visitors a day at the Louvre Museum in Paris, it's a hugely popular painting, but it wasn't always so famous. In fact, the painting, despite being by Leonardo da Vinci, was relatively obscure. It became a sensation when it was stolen in 1911 by an Italian nationalist. When it was recovered two years later, it became hugely famous.
Nowadays, you can find it on posters, prints, t-shirts, and mugs. Few works of art have become such an essential part of global culture, despite this one spending around four centuries in relative obscurity while the works of some of the world's most famous artists enjoyed their time in the spotlight.
to the Louvre each year.
Guernica – Pablo Picasso
A politically charged work, Pablo Picasso's Guernica was a response to the 1937 bombing of the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. This massive canvas was painted in a few weeks and exhibited at the Paris International Exposition that year.
Picasso employed Cubist forms and Surrealist symbolism to convey horror, grief, and destruction. The distorted figures, screaming horses, and a dismembered body are rendered in black, white, and grey, avoiding colour.
The work spent decades at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1981, six years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, it was returned to Spain.
Liberty Leading the People – Eugène Delacroix
This emotionally charged painting commemorates the July Revolution of 1830 in France. The painting features a woman symbolising Liberty holding the tricolour French flag in one hand and a musket in the other.
Liberty stands atop the fallen, surrounded by revolutionaries of different ages and backgrounds. She famously wears the Phrygian cap, which was worn by formerly enslaved people in ancient Rome and became a revolutionary symbol.
The painting was initially controversial, but it's now one of the most famous depictions of freedom and uprising in Western art history. It's also in the Louvre Museum and is one of France's most iconic cultural works.
The Raft of the Medusa – Théodore Géricault
One of the best paintings of the Romantic movement, this painting was based on the real 1816 shipwreck off the coast of Senegal. This canvas shows the survivors of the frigate Méduse clinging to a makeshift raft.
Géricault studied dead bodies at the morgue to ensure his work was as accurate as possible. The result is a dark, swirling image, with muscular forms tangled in agony and hope..
Impression, Sunrise – Claude Monet
Impression, Sunrise was the painting that gave rise to the Impressionism movement. This painting of the port of Le Havre in France uses loose brushwork to capture a hazy morning at sea.
The term Impressionism was initially meant as an insult when critics mocked Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise. Ironically, the painting went on to spark one of the most influential movements in art history.
Luncheon on the Grass – Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass is one of the 19th century's most controversial and groundbreaking paintings. With a nude woman seated beside two fully dressed men, the composition shocked Parisians when it was first exhibited in the Salon des Refusés in 1963.
every year!
The Great Wave off Kanagawa – Katsushika Hokusai
Easily the most iconic Japanese artwork ever, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a dramatic and dynamic print. Part of Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series, this piece combines Japanese composition with Western perspective. This style was beginning to influence Japanese art at the time. The Prussian blue used for the wave's distinctive tone was imported from Europe.
This is a woodblock print, so unlike an oil painting, it was reproduced in many copies. This is one of the earliest examples of globally reproduced art. You can find it in collections from New York to Tokyo!
Some of the world’s most famous artists' paintings are displayed in top museums, such as the Louvre, MoMA, Museo Reina Sofía, and Musée d'Orsay. In contrast, others are reproduced on canvas, print, or digital platforms for global access.
The Scream – Edvard Munch
Few paintings capture an emotion as well as Edvard Munch's The Scream. Munch actually created several versions of The Scream using oil, pastel, and tempera, experimenting with the scene's atmosphere. A swirling sky, distorted landscape, and stretched anguish through the face of the subect, it's a visceral and emotional representation of despair. You can see versions in the National Gallery and the Munch Museum in Oslo.
Find out more about what makes The Scream so important.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon – Pablo Picasso
Depicting several nude female figures in a brothel, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon introduced the radical beginning of cubism. It was influenced by African sculpture, Iberian art, and the work of Paul Cézanne. Even Picasso's contemporaries were shocked and the work wouldn't be exhibited publicly until years after it was completed. It now resides at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Even though the painting is over a century old, it has certainly influenced many of the world's greatest artists today.
The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dalí
The Persistence of Memory is probably the most famous example of Surrealist art. Even if you don't know the name of it, you'll likely be familiar with the melting pocket watches in this 1931 painting. This was inspired by watching Camembert cheese melting in the sun.
Of course, this isn't all of the famous paintings, and here are just a few of the ones that could have also made the list.
| Title | Artist | Date | Medium | Location | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Night Watch | Rembrandt van Rijn | 1642 | Oil on canvas | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam | A masterpiece of Baroque composition and dramatic lighting. |
| The Birth of Venus | Sandro Botticelli | c. 1485 | Tempera on canvas | Uffizi Gallery, Florence | Iconic Renaissance image of classical beauty and mythology. |
| Girl with a Pearl Earring | Johannes Vermeer | c. 1665 | Oil on canvas | Mauritshuis, The Hague | Often called the 'Mona Lisa of the North'; celebrated for its intimacy and detail. |
| American Gothic | Grant Wood | 1930 | Oil on beaverboard | Art Institute of Chicago | One of the most famous American paintings; rich in symbolism and satire. |
| Whistler’s Mother | James McNeill Whistler | 1871 | Oil on canvas | Musée d'Orsay, Paris | A cornerstone of American realism and cultural identity. |
| The Kiss | Gustav Klimt | 1907–1908 | Oil and gold leaf | Belvedere Museum, Vienna | A symbol of sensuality and modern Viennese art; stunning use of decorative style. |
| The Garden of Earthly Delights | Hieronymus Bosch | c. 1490–1510 | Oil on oak panels | Prado Museum, Madrid | A triptych of surreal, fantastical, and moral imagery; influential on surrealists. |
| Las Meninas | Diego Velázquez | 1656 | Oil on canvas | Prado Museum, Madrid | A complex composition that challenges perspective and viewer participation. |
| The Hay Wain | John Constable | 1821 | Oil on canvas | National Gallery, London | A landmark of British landscape painting, full of natural detail. |
| The Fighting Temeraire | J.M.W. Turner | 1839 | Oil on canvas | National Gallery, London | A poetic farewell to Britain’s naval past; praised by both critics and the public. |
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