Art & Design,Visual ArtJUL 20, 2022

168 Of The Most Famous Paintings In Art History

Aivaras Kaziukonis, Violeta Lyskoit and Emma A. Smith

More than $850 million — that’s the estimated value of the legendary Mona Lisa painting. Nevertheless, one of the most famous paintings and an iconic Renaissance art piece is not for sale. Under French heritage law, an artwork declared priceless is prohibited from being bought or sold. Although you might not be able to take the painting home, you can still take a glimpse at the iconic smiling lady in the Louvre for less than the cost of a meal at Mickey D’s.

However, Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably one of the most famous portraitists who ever lived, isn’t the only face behind some of the best artworks of all time. Art and history fanatics, and just regular folks, really, must know other famous artists such as Michelangelo, Salvador Dalí, the geniuses behind some of the most famous still life paintings, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, and many other talented painters who changed art history forever. Luckily, there is no need to be an art major to recognize some of their most famous paintings.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of famous artworks from some of the most brilliant artists who brought color to history. Famous watercolor paintings, lifelike portrait paintings, and the best of still life, you name it! There’s plenty to recall (or discover). We even threw some dark, even scary paintings into the mix! Take a look and let us know which famous artwork or painter is your favorite. Also, while it was our job to gather the most famous paintings, it’s now up to you to rank them. The more upvotes the artwork receives, the higher it will be on the list, so get upvoting your favorites!

#81 Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist: James Mcneill Whistler | Year (completed): 1871 | Periods: Modern art, Realism

James Abbott McNeill Whistler produced Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 in 1871 while living with his mother. The painting is commonly referred to by its colloquial name, Whistler's Mother, as the subject of the artwork is his mother, Anna McNeill Whistler. However, the son deliberately chose to exclude his mother from the title, but it wasn't so out of emotion. Whistler instead chose this title for artistic reasons. He regarded this artwork as a combination of neutral colors, thus grey and black in the original name. The painting was 'renamed' after his mother when the art world branded it as emotionless. The public didn't get the artist's point. Yet, regardless of his original intentions, Whistler captured his mother in a distinctive and memorable way, and the painting has become a visual icon of motherhood.

#81 Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

#82 The Slave Ship by J. M. W. Turner

#83 The Proposition by Judith Leyster

#84 The Garden Of The Tuileries On A Winter Afternoon by Camille Pissarro

#85 Robert Louis Stevenson by John Singer Sargent

#86 The Entombment Of Christ by Caravaggio

#87 The Battle Of Alexander At Issus by Albrecht Altdorfer

#88 Washington Crossing The Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

#89 The Death Of Marat by Jacques-Louis David

#90 Portrait Of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger

#91 Susanna And The Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi

#92 Bacchus And Ariadne by Titian

#93 The Red Roofs, A Corner Of A Village, Winter Effect by Camille Pissarro

#94 Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent

#95 Charles Garnier by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry

#96 The Raft Of The Medusa by Théodore Géricault

#97 The Night Café by Vincent van Gogh

#98 Samson And Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens

#99 Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci

#100 Patroclus by Jacques-Louis David