The 57 Most Famous Paintings Ever Created in 2024
What is the most famous painting in the world? While this question can get a multitude of answers, certain paintings from the past several centuries often stand out as immediately recognizable images, many of them featured in pop culture, poster prints, parodies and discussed endlessly by art historians and critics.
Factors of what make a painting famous can vary, including the renown of its artist, its example as representative of a particular movement or era, its creative techniques or its subject matter.
What is the best painting that ever existed? While answers vary, certain paintings appear again and again on lists of famous must-see works of art. Some you may recognize and name immediately. While famous works of art like the Ophelia painting have not made this list, there are still many famous paintings from famous painters to check out!
Others, you may have seen, but are not quite sure of the artist or era. We’ve rounded a huge selection of some of the most popular and talked about paintings in art history, all of which are great examples of the human creative endeavor at its best.
If you’re a budding painter yourself, perhaps these masterpieces can offer you valuable painting tips for beginners.
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The Most Famous Paintings in the World
1. Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1876)
This famous painting by the famed French artist is one of the most recognizable examples of Impressionist paintings, depicting a group of revelers enjoying Parisian nightlife and leisure, a common subject matter for Renoir paintings.
Like much of the artist’s work, it has been praised for use of color and shading to represent natural light and shadow. Oil on canvas, the painting is located in the Musee D’Orsay in Paris.
2. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (1931)
This unique piece is one of the most famous paintings to come out of the Surrealist movement that dominated the early 20th century. Several clocks melt in the sun backed by a rather barren desert landscape, denoting themes of memory, time passage and decay.
Spanish-born Dali was at the forefront of the Surrealist movement, painting this one in the 1930s at its height. It is housed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
3. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (1665)
Perhaps one of the most famous paintings of women depicted in pop culture, Dutch artist Vermeer’s mysterious girl has been looking over her shoulder since he first created her in oils in 1665.
The painting has graced countless posters and prints over the past centuries and provided inspiration for a novel by Tracy Chevalier that subsequently became a critically acclaimed film in 2003. It is usually considered among the top 12 most famous paintings.
4. The Child’s Bath by Mary Cassat (1893)
French painter Mary Cassat was one of the most significant female French artists of the 19th century, creating this sentimental depiction of a mother’s daily life.
Children and the home were often the focus of her work, which was inspired, like many artists of her time, by the flat planes and blocks of color favored by Japanese woodblock artists. Oil on canvas, this famous painting is on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.
5. Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol (1962)
American artist Andy Warhol is known for his pop culture pieces, including his series of soup can reproductions created in 1962 in his colorful and graphics-inspired style.
According to MoMA, there are 32 pieces total, one for each soup variety in the original sequence. They were created with acrylic on canvas. Later there were screenprints of the pieces made by Warhol himself. The original paintings are housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
6. Midsummer Eve by Edward Robert Hughes (1908)
This famous painting is often praised as a depiction of the summertime, when the veil between the fairy world and the human one is thinnest. A work of British Romanticism, the painting depicts a young woman peering into a magical world with flickering and glowing lights.
A watercolor on canvas, the painting is currently in the home of a private collector.
7. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1512)
One of the 10 most famous paintings in the world and definitely the most famous of the Michelangelo paintings, this fresco depicts God conferring life upon Adam in The Book of Genesis. It is often parodied and referenced in popular culture.
The painting, created by the famed Italian Renaissance artist between 1508 and 1512, is located on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
8. The Dance by Henri Matisse (1909)
Commissioned from the French artist by a private owner, this painting actually has two slightly different versions.
One, a more colorful array of red bodies moving against a deep blue and green background, is currently located at the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia, while a preliminary version created by Matisse in 1909, with a lighter palette for the skin of the dancers, resides in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
9. Paris Street, Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte (1877)
Another of Impressionism’s most famous images, this oil on canvas piece was completed by the French artist in 1877. It depicts a Paris street scene and well-dressed residents out for a stroll. A large canvas over 9 feet across, this famous painting resides in the Art Institute of Chicago.
10. Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh (1888)
This particular depiction of a French streetscape is far more colorful and abstract, featuring a cozy lit cafe terrace and street under a swirling blue sky. This famous Van Gogh painting is a Post-Impressionist masterpiece and is currently housed in Ontario’s Kroller-Muller Museum.
11. Water Lilies by Claude Monet (1906)
One of the premier artists of the Impressionist movement, Monet’s work strove to capture light, color and shadow in detail, often turning to the landscape around his home in Giverny for inspiration and subject matter.
While there are many versions of the same or similar scenes, his water lily series are some of the most famous paintings in the world, including the famed 1906 version housed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
12. Narcissus by Caravaggio (1599)
One of many depictions of the Greek story of Narcissus throughout the history of art, this famous painting by Italian artist Caravagio is one of the most striking, featuring a young man flanked by darkness peering into a pool of water in the foreground.
Caravaggio was one of the most renowned among Italian Baroque artists for his use of chiaroscuro, the manipulation of light and shadow through paint. Created between 1597 and 1599, it resides in the Galleria Nazionale d’ Arte Antica in Rome.
13. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1480)
Boticelli is known for his rich use of color and depiction of the human form, which is on full display as a nude Venus rises on a half shell from the sea with flowing blonde hair.
The work is one of the most famous Boticelli paintings and of the goddess and a highly recognizable image today. Created in the 1480s at the very beginning of the Italian Renaissance in Florence, the painting is on display at the city’s famous Uffizi Gallery.
14. Composition 8 by Vasily Kandinski (1923)
While perhaps more famous among art critics and professional curators, Vasily Kandinsky is considered one of the most famous artists of the early 20th century avant-garde.
Affiliated with the Bauhaus movement in Germany, the Russian artist Kandinsky was known for his work that explored geometry, line and color in innovative ways. This famous painting is located at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
15. Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol (1067)
Warhol’s obsession with pop culture did not stop at soup cans and packaging, but extended to Hollywood figures as well. His meticulous screen print of the doomed actress is one of his most famous works, created by layering color on top of color to get the final image.
You can see the original piece at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where it hangs among many other Warhol paintings.
16. Black Iris by Georgia O’Keefe (1926)
One of the 20th century's most famous female artists, O’Keefe was known for her botanical representations that were often high definition and up close.
This most famous version of the Wisconsin-born artist’ beloved irises was often described, like much of her botanical paintings, as sensual and evocative of genitalia, though O‘Keefe often disagreed with the interpretation. Oil on canvas and created in 1926, it is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
17. Mural by Jackson Pollock (1943)
This American abstract artist was known for his innovative and unusual approach to putting paint on canvas, a technique that included drips, drizzles and splatters rather than carefully orchestrated brush strokes.
One of the most famous Jackson Pollock paintings is a gigantic mural created for famous art patron Peggy Guggenheim’s townhouse in New York during the 1940’s, an abstract masterpiece created on canvases later moved into place. It currently resides in the collection of the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
18. The Son of Man by Rene Magritte (1964)
Another famous Surrealist image, this famous painting shows a man in a business suit and bowler hat partially obscured by a large green apple in front of his face.
Created in the mid-1960s by the Belgian-born artist, many critics believe it captures the idea of the hidden self and man’s obsession to see behind the blocked image. Often reproduced in portraits and prints, the work is currently owned by a private collector.
19. La Mariee by Marc Chagall (1950)
Perhaps made most famous in contemporary culture by the mid -1990’s film Notting Hill, this famous painting features a woman floating amid a dreamy saturated sea flanked by a man and a goat playing the violin, as well as other fantastical sights.
Created by the Belarusian-French artist in gouache and pastel on canvas, the painting is currently held by a private collector in Japan.
20. Girl with a Balloon by Banksy (2002)
One of the most popular images associated with the mysterious street artist Banksy, this image was a stenciled mural originally created in New York in 2002 as a symbol of hope following the September 11th attacks.
While the mural no longer exists in its original location, the famous image has been the subject of many prints, including one created and destroyed by the artist during a famous art auction in 2018 where the print was shredded by a mechanism in the frame in front of the audience.
21. Untitled (Skull) by Jean Michel Basquiat (1981)
This is probably one of the most famous modern abstract Basquiat paintings and is often misinterpreted as a skull, but many critics believe it is only meant to represent a disembodied head filled with interior spaces and washes of black and color.
It was influenced by Basquiat’s exploration of cultural masks as an African-American artist, both literal and figurative. The painting is housed at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles.
22. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (1510)
This large and wacky famous painting is actually a triptych, with each panel addressing a certain aspect of the Dutch artist’s interpretation of the garden of Eden, complete with strange creatures, unusual botanicals and whimsical architecture.
It’s believed to have been painted between 1490 and 1510 in oil on canvas. It’s currently housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
23. Whistler’s Mother by James McNeill Whistler (1877)
Officially named by the artist as ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1,’ this famous American classic painting is far more widely known by its informal title referencing its model, who sits in a chair in an otherwise empty room staring at something off frame.
Part of the Realism movement, Whistler painted the famous scene in oils using his mother as a stand-in for a missing model. It is among the collection at the Musee D’orsay in Paris.
24. Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth (1948)
This famous painting was inspired by Wyeth’s neighbor in Maine, a woman who, disabled early in life, refused to use a wheelchair and instead, crawled to her destination.
The painting depicts a woman lying in a field, moving toward a distant farmhouse amid a sea of high grass. Created in oils on canvas, the painting is on exhibit at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
25. The Nightwatch by Rembrandt (1642)
More formally titled as ‘Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq,’ this famous painting by the Dutch master is known more readily by its name above and features a spotlit military scene that emerges from the usual dark background that Rembrant paintings favored.
Painted in oil on canvas, the painting spans more than 14 feet across and is owned by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.
26. The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo (1939)
One of the most famous Frida Kahlo paintings, this image is a dual self portrait, where one Frida in formal clothes stands facing another in more rustic attire. It’s often believed to represent Kahlo’s struggles as someone embracing her Mexican heritage and identity.
Drawing on both fine and folk art traditions, the painting currently resides at the Museu de Arte Moderne in Mexico City.
27. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Brughel the Elder (1560)
This large and expansive painting shows a sunny shoreside scene, where you can find the small flailing legs of Icarus in the sea, who stole his father’s wings and soared too close to the sun as per Greek mythology.
Brughel’s painting draws its focus on the scene around Icarus in which daily life continues unmarred by the tragedy. Painted around 1560 by the Flemish artist, it is currently housed in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Belgium.
28. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (1886)
Perhaps one of the 10 most famous paintings in the world to contemporary audiences, this large oil-on-canvas painting is considered the premiere example of Seurat’s pointillism technique, which applied small dots of color to form a whole image.
A very large 9 feet across, the painting depicts a sunny afternoon scene along the Seine and is on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.
29. Le Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe by Edouard Manet (1863)
This lush painting features two female figures, one nude and one partially, with two full-dressed men on the banks of a body of water enjoying a picnic.
Manet finished it in 1863, whereupon it was dismissed in critical circles as obscene due to the woman’s nudity and salacious subject matter. Done in oils on canvas by the French artist, it currently is on display at Paris’ Musee D’Orsay.
30. Still Life with Apples & Oranges by Paul Cezanne (1895)
Cezanne is a French artist known predominantly for his amazing still-lifes, many of which could easily make this list.
This particular one has been praised by art historians for its use of color and the full plane of the canvas, which represents Cezanne’s experimentations with frame and point of view that would influence generations of artists, including the Cubists, after him. Done in oil on canvas in 1895, this famous painting can be found amongst other post-Impressionist masters at the Musee D’Orsay.
31. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper (1942)
This iconic American painting depicts the inhabitants of a late night diner on a deserted city street. It’s often thought to represent the isolation of urban living, a theme that threads through Hopper’s work in general.
The famous painting is considered a classic image of Americana and is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.
32. Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi (1613)
Created in 1612-1613 by one of the most famous women artists of all time, this famous painting of women from early in the Baroque era shows the scene of an event in the Old Testament’s Book of Judith in which a woman beheads an invading general.
It can be found in the collection of the Museo Capodimonte in Naples.
33. At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1890)
One of the most famous paintings of people enjoying Paris nightlife during the late 19th century, this 1890 painting captures revelers and dancers at the famous nightclub, a common subject matter for the French Post-Impressionist artist. The painting can be found at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
34. Nude Descending A Staircase #2 by Marcel Duchamp (1912)
While this French Dadaist artist is known more for his famous “Fountain” sculpture that took the art world by storm for its irreverence several years later, this 1912 image exemplifies his early Cubist work, where a human form is captured in movement in a series of geometric shapes that trail across the canvas.
This innovative and famous painting belongs to the collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
35. Two Sisters (On the Terrace) by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1881)
Another of French impressionist Renoir’s most famous paintings, this oil on canvas creation depicts a child and older girl captured in dappled light and intense color during an afternoon along the Seine. The colorful painting is on exhibit at the Art institute of Chicago.
36. L’Etoile (The Star) by Edgar Degas (1878)
Another image of French dancers caught in action, this famous painting is just one of many paintings and drawings the French artist captured of ballet dancers in his career.
Painted in 1878, the canvas shows a star ballerina lit in spotlight against the darker and textured scene of the stage. It is on exhibit at Paris’ Musee D’Orsay.
37. Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix (1830)
Painted in 1830, this famous painting from the Romantic era depicts a rendition of revolution led by the symbolic figure of Liberty in the center.
It was inspired by the July Revolution of 1810 that removed Charles X from power. The oil on canvas painting can be seen at the Louvre in Paris.
38. The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso (1904)
The most famous painting from among Picasso’s famous Blue Period, this image shows a frail and elderly man curled around a guitar painted in a moody, predominantly blue color palette.
While more traditional than his later Cubist work, this painting shows, early on, his experimentation with color and flattened forms on canvas. It is housed at The Art Institute of Chicago. It is the most well-known among Picasso paintings.
39. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh (1889)
Easily one of the 10 most famous paintings and recognizable images from the Dutch artists' work, the image captures a swirling and colorful evening sky inspired by the view from his asylum window in 1889 after the infamous ear incident.
Painted in oil on canvas, it is housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
40. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci (1503)
What is the world's masterpiece artwork? Probably the most famous painting in the world, Da Vinci’s masterpiece hosts countless visitors yearly in its spot at the Louvre in Paris, including lines out the door daily.
It is an unusual and mysterious painting of an Italian noblewoman, Lisa del Giocondo, who sat for Davinci in 1503. Long held to be a pinnacle of portraiture, technique and perspective, it is one of the most recognizable images from the Italian Renaissance era and Leonardo Da Vinci paintings.
41. The Swing by Jean Honore Fragonard (1768)
This famous French painting is considered a masterpiece of the Rococo era. The canvas shows a woman in a bright pink dress frollicking on a swing in an idyllic woodland setting that is lush and highly detailed.
It can be seen in the 18th Century Wallace Collection in London. It is considered one of the 50 most famous paintings in the world.
42. HOPE by Shepard Fairey (2008)
A famous painting from the early 21st century, this image of President Barack Obama was created by the artist in 2008 in the lead up to his November election. A painting that is famous for its controversy, Fairey was later sued for his rendition of a real AP photograph of Obama.
The HOPE image was among a number of similar pieces with other words like “progress” and “change” written across the bottom. Produced with a stencil technique, the first version was a series of prints made by color lithography. Posters can be found in many museums, including the Smithsonian and the Art Institute of Chicago.
43. Saturn Devouring His Son by Franciso Goya (1823)
One of the images from the Spanish artist's famous Black Period, this painting was initially a mural on the wall of the artist's home. It’s just one of 14 scenes with a dark and moody style and subject matter, in this case, the Titan Saturn eating his son to escape a prophecy of his eventual overthrow.
Created in mixed media on the wall, the image was later transferred to canva and can now be found at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Spain.
44. Flaming June by Frederic Leighton (1895)
What is the most beautiful painting of all time? This painting of a slumbering woman in a vibrant orange dress is one of the most famous Victorian paintings by a British artist. In vivid and saturated oils, it was painted on a square canvas and placed in an ornate gold frame. The painting tours quite frequently and has been recently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
45. Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez (1656)
Considered one of the most famous paintings ever made, this Baroque canvas from the Spanish Golden Age depicts a scene in the royal court of 5 year old Infanta Margaret Theresa and her servants.
It also features a rendition of the artist himself, staring from the canvas in the rear. It is housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
46. The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1908)
This image is perhaps one of the most recognizable Gustav Klimt paintings — or even within the art history spectrum — and is often reproduced in poster form. Created in oil and gold leaf on canvas in 1907-08, the image depicts a pair of lovers folded against each other.
The original from the Austrian artists “Golden Period” can be found at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere museum in Belvedere, Vienna.
47. The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (1888)
Waterhouse’s work in the Pre-Raphaelite style can often be found in poster form today, mostly featuring creative takes on famous women figures and goddesses.
This particular one revisits the famous poem of the same title by Alfred Lord Tennyson which details a medieval story of unrequited love and the eventual death of the maiden. It can be seen at the Tate Museum in London.
48. The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)
Another of the top 10 famous paintings in the world, this image by the Norwegian artist shows a despainting human face backed by a chaotic and red sky. While art critics believe the original to be a statement on angst and the human condition, it's an image that has often been parodied in pop culture.
Munch created many versions of the image, including the original in pastels and a later series of lithograph prints. You can see the original at the National Museum in Oslo, Norway.
49. Ophelia by John Everett Millais (1852)
This famous scene drawn from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most popular paintings in the world. It features a young woman, the doomed maiden, floating in a lush river scene surrounded by flowers.
Often reproduced in the modern age, the painting was created in 1851-52 by the British artist and can be found today in the Tate Museum in London.
50. Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937)
Created with an anti-war theme in Picasso’s famous Cubist style, this mammoth painting is over 25 feet wide and depicts a battle scene filled with grotesque details like flames, dismembered soldiers and dying horses. You can find it in Madrid’s Museo Reina Sofía.
51. The Nightmare by Henry Fuselli (1781)
This macabre image is often used as representation of the dreams and unconscious. A woman sleeps, her arms thrown over her head while a demon crouches on her chest.
The painting is believed to reflect concurrent developments in psychiatry and studies into dreamstates. It can be seen at the Detroit Institute of the Arts.
52. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci (1498)
This image taken from Christian mythology depicts the last meal of Christ with his Apostles. It was created as a commission between 1495 and 1498 for the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, where you can still find it today.
53. Dogs Playing Poker by Cassius Marcellis Coolidge (1903)
One of many similar images created for the Brown & Bigelow cigar manufacturer, this whimsical take on canine recreation is one of the funniest famous paintings, where several canines enjoy a few rounds of poker.
The most recognizable, "A Friend in Need," is considered a prime piece of Americana and kitsch art.
54. Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh (1888)
While flowers are often popular subject matter for artists, Van Gogh’s vivid and distinctive version of a vase of sunflowers is one of his most famous paintings, created in his trademark stylized manner.
The image is a popular subject of poster reproductions and one of the most well-known and recognizable botanical paintings in the world. See it at the National Gallery in London.
55. American Gothic by Grant Wood (1930)
One of the most famous American paintings of people in the 20th century, it features a grim looking farmer and his wife in front of their home. The image was created in oil on wooden boards, inspired by an actual house the artist encountered in Iowa.
The original painting, parodied and reproduced over the last century in abundance, can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago.
56. The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hokusai (1831)
Many people may recognize this famous painting without knowing its history or artist. It was painted in 1831 by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist, who created a moving, swelling seascape using a very flat Japanese woodblock style.
Numerous prints exist made by the artist, held worldwide by institutions like the Tokyo National Museum and the British Museum.
57. The Banjo Lesson by Henry Ossewa Tanner (1893)
Painted by one of the most famous African-American artists, this depiction of a young boy learning to play the instrument with his grandfather is considered one of the premiere works of American Realism.
It can be seen among the collection at Hampton University Museum in Virginia.
Whether you have a love for French Impressionist or modern abstracts, these famous paintings have a lot to offer to viewers in some of the most admired art museums and collections in the world.
58. The School of Athens by Raphael (1509–1511)
This is probably one of the most famous Raphael paintings. The artwork shows an important conglomeration of ancient philosophers, thinkers, mathematicians, and scientists such as Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. Interestingly enough, Leonardo was one of Raphael's mentors, so you can clearly see evidence of his influence one of the most famous paintings from the High Renaissance.
You can also find them on postcards, posters, t-shirts, tote bags and more. They may even inspire you in your own work as an artist or art connoisseur. They also are great examples to strive towards as you learn watercolor painting for beginners or oil painting for beginners.
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