Whether or not you are an art lover, you should definitely know the most famous artists in history. These are individuals whose works of art have stood the test of time, some over centuries, to become renowned and revered artifacts.
But how do you even choose the most famous artists in history? Because if art is one thing, it is that it is subjective. So, while one person may love the Mona Lisa and have mixed feelings about The Sistine Chapel, another may be bored of Mona Lisa’s wry smile whilst the questions raised by The Chapel’s hidden messages may be compelling.
Nevertheless, the fame of certain artists goes beyond centuries and people in general tend to remember those names more than somebody who didn’t shine too brightly. Yes, it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if that beauty appears similar in millions and millions of eyes, past and present, well, that is something of significance. That makes a work of art and an artist famous after all.
Hence, relying on the general opinion of people across various periods of our history could provide a clear enough answer.
Taking a look through history, we’ve come up with an answer. In our opinion, these are, in no particular order, the ten most famous artists in history.
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Meeting The Most Famous Artists In History
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519)
Of course, everyone saw this coming from a mile away.
The original Renaissance Man, Leonardo is a certifiable genius and one of the most famous artists in history, if not the most famous. Not only for masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa (the title for which has entered the language as a superlative), The Last Supper, and The Lady with an Ermine, but also for his drawings of technologies (aircraft, tanks, automobiles) that were five hundred years in the future.
Even nowadays, his works are not fully understood and he still serves as an inspiration for lots of aspiring artists.
Beyond painting, although he had no formal academic training, da Vinci was also a scientist and inventor and he created plenty of drawings of the human body and many modern technologies found in the world today. Leonardo’s paintings and preparatory drawings together with his notebooks, which contain sketches, scientific diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting compose a contribution to later generations of artists.
Michelangelo (1475 – 1564)
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is one of the most famous artists of all time, known especially for his iconic mural painting of the Sistine Chapel. However, Michelangelo wasn’t only a painter. He was a sculptor and an architect as well and – less known to many – he also wrote poetry.
A Renaissance artist, he inspired many and still serves as an inspiration for young artists of the 21st century. Besides the work on the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo also created the sculpture David and Pietà, the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the famous carving of Moses on the tomb of Pope Julian II, and the design for the Laurentian Library at San Lorenzo’s Church.
Twenty years after his famous painting of the Sistine Chapel, he returned to create one of the greatest frescoes of the Renaissance, The Last Judgment.
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Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890)
Van Gogh is legendary for being mentally unstable; he did, after all, cut off part of his ear after an argument with fellow painter Paul Gauguin. However, his paintings are among the most famous and beloved of all time.
Van Gogh’s technique of painting with flurries of thick brushstrokes made up of bright colors squeezed straight from the tube would inspire subsequent generations of artists.
He inspired upcoming generations of artists, especially through his technique of painting with flurries of thick brushstrokes made up of bright colors squeezed straight from the tube. Some of his paintings, among the most famous ones, are Cafe Terrace at Night, Sunflowers, and Starry Night, the latter of which inspired a treacly Top 40 hit by Don McClean.
Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)
The Spanish Pablo Picasso, known as a modern “cubist” painter, is considered a genius, one of the most famous artists in history, and an important figure in the history of modern art. He changed the very definition of classic art by introducing concepts such as the collage or the more important Cubism, impressing and inspiring various 20th-century artists.
His style developed from the Blue Period to the Rose Period to the pivotal work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), and the subsequent evolution of Cubism. His work was characterized by neoclassicism and a renewed interest in drawing and figural representation.
He was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs.
Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), and Guernica (1937), a dramatic portrayal of the bombing of Guernica by German and Italian airforces during the Spanish Civil War.
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Rembrandt (1606 – 1669)
One the most famous artists in history, this Dutch Master is responsible for masterworks such as The Night Watch and Doctor Nicolaes Tulp’s Demonstration of the Anatomy of the Arm.
However, he is particularly known for portraits in which he demonstrated an uncanny ability to evoke the innermost thoughts of his subjects (including himself through the play of facial expression and the fall of light across the sitter’s features.
Edvard Munch (1863 – 1944)
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian painter and one of the most famous artists in history. His best-known work, The Scream, is probably one of the most widely recognized paintings of all time, due to its iconic evocation of feelings of angst and fear. Some even go as far as naming the painting the Mona Lisa of anxiety. In 2012, a pastel version of Edvard Munch’s iconic evocation of modern angst fetched a then-astronomical price of $120 million at auction.
However, Munch’s career was more than just a single painting. He is generally acknowledged as the precursor to Expressionism, influencing artists like the 20th-century Egon Schiele, Erich Heckel, and Max Beckmann.
Claude Monet (1840 – 1926)
Perhaps the most famous artist in history among the Impressionists, the French painter Claude Monet was one of the founders of the French Impressionist movement and also a figure of Pop Art and Minimalism. Most of his paintings resemble the passing of seasons and the ways in which light modified the landscape, capturing it through prismatic shards of color in rapidly painted strokes.
By the same token, his magisterial, late-career lily pond paintings foreshadowed Abstract Expressionism and Color-Field Abstaction. Moreover, his multiple studies of haystacks and other subjects anticipated the use of serial imagery in Pop Art and Minimalism.
His most recognized paintings are Waterlilies, Women in Garden, and Impression Sunrise.
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Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989)
Salvador Dalí was a Spanish Surrealist and one of the most famous artists in history renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.
With his bizarre mustache and outlandish appearance but mostly for his works of art, Dalí’s artistic repertoire included painting, graphic arts, film, sculpture, design, and photography, at times in collaboration with other artists. He also wrote fiction, poetry, autobiography, essays and criticism. Major themes in his work include dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships.
During his life, he was influenced by the workings of the Renaissance, but what usually comes to anyone’s mind when he’s mentioned are the melting clocks and eerie landscapes.
However, to the dismay of those who held his work in high regard, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric and ostentatious public behavior often drew more attention than his artwork. His public support for the Francoist regime, his commercial activities, and the quality and authenticity of some of his late works have also been controversial. His life and work were an important influence on other Surrealists, pop art, and contemporary artists.
There are two major museums devoted to his work: The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain, and the Salvador Dalí Museum in Florida. The Salvador Dalí Desert in Bolivia and the Dalí crater on the planet Mercury are named for him.
Jan Vermeer (1632 – 1675)
Dutch painter Jan Vermeer is considered one of the most important figures in the history of art. Which is remarkable, since he was largely forgotten for two centuries before his rediscovery in the 19th century.
Since then, he’s been recognized as one of the most famous artists in history, an artist capable of rendering works of uncanny beauty. Many have argued that Vermeer used a camera obscura—an early form of the projector—and certainly, the soft blur he employs appears to foreshadow photorealism.
However, the most important aspect of his work is how it represents light as a tangible substance.
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Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684 – 1721)
Watteau was arguably the greatest French painter of the 18th century and one of the most famous artists in history. He is a transitional figure between Baroque art and the Rococo style that followed.
He emphasized color and movement, structuring his compositions so that they almost resembled theater scenes. However, it was the atmospheric quality of his work that would become highly influential for artists like J.M.W Turner and the Impressionists.
Wrapping Up The Most Famous Artists In History
While it can be hard to correctly pin down the most famous artists in history, certain names do stand out from the rest. Whether it is through their distinctive style, their involvement in a pivotal art movement, or their eccentric life, these artists have achieved astounding fame.
Once again, here are the most famous artists in history:
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Vincent van Gogh
- Pablo Picasso
- Rembrandt
- Edvard Munch
- Claude Monet
- Salvador Dali
- Jan Vermeer
- Jean-Antoine Watteau
And while these creatives are well-known in popular culture now, many of them were not recognized for their talents until decades after their death.
