100 Most Famous Paintings in the World: History, Analysis & Where to See Them
From the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa to the swirling skies of The Starry Night, the world's most famous paintings have captivated audiences for centuries. Each masterpiece tells a story — of the artist who created it, the era that shaped it, and the museums that preserve it for future generations.
Each guide below covers a painting's history, artistic technique, the story behind its creation, where to see it today, and fun facts that bring the artwork to life. Use ArtScan to identify any painting instantly when you visit these museums in person.
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Complete guide to A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884–1886) by Georges Seurat. History, Pointillism technique analysis, symbolism,...
Almond Blossoms
Complete guide to Almond Blossoms (1890) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, Japanese influence, where to see it at the...
American Gothic
The truth behind Grant Wood's American Gothic (1930). Who are the two figures, why do they look so stern, and what was Wood really...
Assumption of the Virgin
Complete guide to the Assumption of the Virgin (1516–1518) by Titian. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at...
Bal du moulin de la Galette
Complete guide to Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. History, Impressionist technique analysis, where to see...
Bedroom in Arles
Complete guide to Bedroom in Arles (1888) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, color symbolism, where to see it at the Van...
Black Iris
Complete guide to Black Iris (1926) by Georgia O'Keeffe. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Metropolitan...
Black Square
Complete guide to Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Tretyakov...
Café Terrace at Night
Complete guide to Café Terrace at Night (1888) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, symbolism of the night sky,...
Campbell's Soup Cans
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans changed what art could be. Learn why he chose soup, how the art world reacted, what each can means,...
Christina's World
Complete guide to Christina's World (1948) by Andrew Wyeth. History, technique analysis, the real Christina Olson, where to see it at...
Composition VIII
Complete guide to Composition VIII (1923) by Wassily Kandinsky. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow
Complete guide to Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow (1930) by Piet Mondrian. History, technique analysis, symbolism, and fun facts...
Girl Before a Mirror
Complete guide to Girl Before a Mirror (1932) by Pablo Picasso. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at MoMA, and fun...
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Discover Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) by Vermeer. History, technique, the mysterious subject, where to see it at the Mauritshuis,...
Grande Odalisque
Complete guide to Grande Odalisque (1814) by Ingres. History, technique analysis, the controversy over her anatomy, where to see it at...
Guernica
Complete guide to Guernica (1937) by Picasso. History, symbolism, technique analysis, where to see it at Reina Sofía in Madrid,...
Haystacks
Complete guide to the Haystacks series (1890–1891) by Claude Monet. History, technique analysis, the role of serial painting in...
Hunters in the Snow
Complete guide to Hunters in the Snow (1565) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Impression, Sunrise
Complete guide to Impression, Sunrise (1872) by Claude Monet. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Irises
Complete guide to Irises (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, color theory, where to see it at the J. Paul Getty...
Judith Beheading Holofernes
Complete guide to Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1598–1599) by Caravaggio. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see...
Judith Slaying Holofernes
Complete guide to Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it...
L'Absinthe
Complete guide to L'Absinthe (1876) by Edgar Degas. History, technique analysis, the scandal it caused, where to see it at the...
Lady with an Ermine
Complete guide to Lady with an Ermine (c. 1489–1490) by Leonardo da Vinci. History, technique analysis, symbolism of the ermine,...
Las Meninas
Complete guide to Las Meninas (1656) by Diego Velázquez. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Prado,...
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe
Complete guide to Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1863) by Édouard Manet. History, technique analysis, the scandal at the Salon...
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Complete guide to Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) by Pablo Picasso. History, technique analysis, the birth of Cubism, where to see it...
Liberty Leading the People
Complete guide to Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it...
Luncheon of the Boating Party
Complete guide to Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–1881) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. History, technique analysis, symbolism,...
Mona Lisa
Complete guide to the Mona Lisa (c. 1503–1519) by Leonardo da Vinci. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at...
Mont Sainte-Victoire
Complete guide to Mont Sainte-Victoire (c. 1902–1904) by Paul Cézanne. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see...
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Complete guide to Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801) by Jacques-Louis David. History, technique analysis, propaganda context, where to...
Nighthawks
Complete guide to Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Art Institute of...
No. 5, 1948
Complete guide to No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock. History, technique analysis, symbolism, and fun facts about one of the most expensive...
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
Complete guide to No. 61 (Rust and Blue) (1953) by Mark Rothko. History, technique analysis, Abstract Expressionism, where to see it at...
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2
Complete guide to Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912) by Marcel Duchamp. History, technique analysis, Cubist-Futurist fusion,...
Olympia
Complete guide to Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet. History, technique analysis, the scandal it provoked, where to see it at the...
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
Complete guide to Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) by Gustav Klimt. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at...
Primavera
Complete guide to Primavera (c. 1482) by Sandro Botticelli. History, technique analysis, mythological symbolism, where to see it at the...
Rain, Steam and Speed
Complete guide to Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway (1844) by J.M.W. Turner. History, technique analysis,...
Reclining Nude (Modigliani)
Complete guide to Reclining Nude (1917) by Amedeo Modigliani. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Saturn Devouring His Son
Complete guide to Saturn Devouring His Son (c. 1819–1823) by Francisco Goya. History of the Black Paintings, technique analysis,...
Self-Portrait (1889)
Complete guide to Self-Portrait (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, swirling brushwork, where to see it at the...
Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight
Complete guide to Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight (1500) by Albrecht Dürer. History, technique analysis, the Christ-like pose, where...
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Complete guide to Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. History of the ear incident, technique analysis, where to...
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
Complete guide to Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940) by Frida Kahlo. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where...
Self-Portrait with Two Circles
Complete guide to Self-Portrait with Two Circles (c. 1665–1669) by Rembrandt. History, technique analysis, the meaning of the...
Sistine Madonna
Complete guide to the Sistine Madonna (1512–1513) by Raphael. History, technique analysis, the famous cherubs, where to see it at...
Starry Night Over the Rhône
Complete guide to The Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, night sky painting,...
Sunflowers
Complete guide to Sunflowers (1888) by Vincent van Gogh. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the National Gallery...
Swans Reflecting Elephants
Complete guide to Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937) by Salvador Dalí. History, technique analysis, symbolism, and fun facts about...
The Ambassadors
Complete guide to The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger. History, analysis of the anamorphic skull, symbolism, where to see...
The Anatomy Lesson
Complete guide to The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632) by Rembrandt. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it...
The Arnolfini Portrait
Complete guide to The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) by Jan van Eyck. History, technique analysis, hidden symbolism, where to see it at the...
The Art of Painting
Complete guide to The Art of Painting (c. 1666–1668) by Johannes Vermeer. History, technique analysis, allegory and symbolism,...
The Birth of Venus
Complete guide to The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) by Botticelli. History, technique, mythology, where to see it at the Uffizi Gallery, and...
The Birth of Venus (Bouguereau)
Complete guide to The Birth of Venus (1879) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. History, technique analysis, Academic art style, where to see...
The Blue Boy
Complete guide to The Blue Boy (c. 1770) by Thomas Gainsborough. History, technique analysis, the Van Dyck influence, where to see it at...
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
Complete guide to The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (1586–1588) by El Greco. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see...
The Calling of Saint Matthew
Complete guide to The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599–1600) by Caravaggio. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it...
The Card Players
Why did Cézanne paint The Card Players 5 times? Learn about the world's most expensive painting ever sold, the Provençal...
The Creation of Adam
Complete guide to The Creation of Adam (c. 1512) by Michelangelo. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it in the Sistine...
The Dance (Matisse)
Complete guide to The Dance (1910) by Henri Matisse. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Hermitage Museum,...
The Dance Class
Complete guide to The Dance Class (1874) by Edgar Degas. History, technique analysis, composition, where to see it at the Musée...
The Death of Marat
Jacques-Louis David painted The Death of Marat just hours after the assassination. Learn the true story of Charlotte Corday, the hidden...
The Descent from the Cross
Complete guide to The Descent from the Cross (1612–1614) by Peter Paul Rubens. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to...
The Fighting Temeraire
Complete guide to The Fighting Temeraire (1839) by J.M.W. Turner. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
The Garden of Earthly Delights
Complete guide to The Garden of Earthly Delights (c. 1490–1510) by Hieronymus Bosch. History, symbolism analysis, where to see it...
The Garden of Love
Complete guide to The Garden of Love (c. 1633) by Peter Paul Rubens. History, technique analysis, Baroque symbolism, where to see it at...
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Complete guide to The Great Wave off Kanagawa (c. 1831) by Katsushika Hokusai. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it,...
The Hay Wain
Complete guide to The Hay Wain (1821) by John Constable. History, technique analysis, influence on French Impressionism, where to see it...
The Japanese Bridge
Complete guide to The Japanese Bridge (1899) by Claude Monet. History, technique analysis, the story of Monet's Giverny garden, where to...
The Kiss (Klimt)
Complete guide to The Kiss (1907–1908) by Gustav Klimt. History, gold leaf technique, symbolism, where to see it at the Belvedere...
The Last Judgment
Complete guide to The Last Judgment (1536–1541) by Michelangelo. History, technique analysis, the controversy over nudity, where...
The Last Supper
Complete guide to The Last Supper (1495–1498) by Leonardo da Vinci. History, technique, symbolism, where to see it in Milan, and...
The Milkmaid
Complete guide to The Milkmaid (c. 1658–1661) by Johannes Vermeer. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
The Night Watch
Complete guide to The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt. History, technique, composition analysis, where to see it at the Rijksmuseum, and...
The Old Guitarist
Complete guide to The Old Guitarist (1903–1904) by Pablo Picasso. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
The Persistence of Memory
Explore The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Dalí. History, melting clocks symbolism, technique analysis, where to see it at MoMA,...
The Return of the Prodigal Son
Complete guide to The Return of the Prodigal Son (c. 1668) by Rembrandt. History, technique analysis, biblical symbolism, where to see...
The School of Athens
Complete guide to The School of Athens (1509–1511) by Raphael. History, technique analysis, identification of figures, where to...
The Scream
The real story behind Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893). What inspired the blood-red sky, why there are 4 versions, how it was stolen...
The Sleeping Gypsy
Complete guide to The Sleeping Gypsy (1897) by Henri Rousseau. History, technique analysis, dreamlike imagery, where to see it at MoMA...
The Son of Man
Complete guide to The Son of Man (1964) by René Magritte. History, technique analysis, symbolism, and fun facts about one of the...
The Starry Night
Explore The Starry Night (1889) by Van Gogh. History, technique analysis, swirling skies, where to see it at MoMA, and fun facts about...
The Swing
Complete guide to The Swing (1767) by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. History, technique analysis, Rococo symbolism, where to see it at...
The Third of May 1808
Complete guide to The Third of May 1808 (1814) by Francisco Goya. History, technique analysis, anti-war symbolism, where to see it at...
The Treachery of Images
Complete guide to The Treachery of Images (1929) by René Magritte. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at...
The Two Fridas
Complete guide to The Two Fridas (1939) by Frida Kahlo. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Museo de Arte...
The Weeping Woman
Complete guide to The Weeping Woman (1937) by Pablo Picasso. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at Tate Modern, and...
Venus of Urbino
Complete guide to the Venus of Urbino (1538) by Titian. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the Uffizi Gallery in...
Vision After the Sermon
Complete guide to Vision After the Sermon (1888) by Paul Gauguin. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Vitruvian Man
Complete guide to the Vitruvian Man (c. 1490) by Leonardo da Vinci. History, technique analysis, symbolism of ideal human proportions,...
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
Complete guide to Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (c. 1818) by Caspar David Friedrich. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to...
Water Lilies (Monet)
Explore Water Lilies (1906) by Monet. History of the series, technique, Giverny gardens, where to see them at major museums, and fun facts.
Where Do We Come From?
Complete guide to Gauguin's monumental masterpiece (1897–1898). History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Whistler's Mother
Complete guide to Whistler's Mother (1871) by James McNeill Whistler. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at the...
Woman with a Hat
Complete guide to Woman with a Hat (1905) by Henri Matisse. History, technique analysis, symbolism, where to see it at SFMOMA, and fun...
Woman with a Parasol
Complete guide to Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son (1875) by Claude Monet. History, technique analysis, symbolism,...
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