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The 20 most Famous Artists of all time

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 23 May 2024

There are seemingly innumerable famous artists in history, but who is the most famous artist ever documented? Is it even possible to determine who the most famous artist in history is? While it may be a rather subjective subject, there is a general consensus in the art world regarding who the most famous artists are. Below, we will reveal our top 20 most famous artists that helped shape the course of art through the centuries! Exploring the Top 20 Most Famous Artists in History One does not need to be an art aficionado to appreciate the significant contributions that the world’s most famous artists have bestowed upon the world. Famous painters and sculptors throughout history have produced works that were not only very influential in the era in which they were created but are still around for us to enjoy today. Let’s learn more about 20 such individuals who are generally regarded as the most famous artists in history. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) Artist Full Name Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Nationality Italian Date of Birth 15 April 1452 Date of Death 2 May 1519 Place of Birth Anchiano, Italy Famous Artworks The Last Supper (1498)Salvator Mundi (1500)Mona Lisa (1503) Leonardo da Vinci was an exceptionally talented individual who showed a keen interest in many spheres of life outside of art. Yet, he often used his art to share these ideas and left behind a treasure trove of journals and artworks that provide us with considerable insight into the workings of one of the world’s most fascinating minds. Not only did he produce some of the world’s most famous artworks, but also envisioned contraptions centuries before they were created, such as his flying machine that functioned similarly to a modern-day helicopter. His artworks also reveal an individual who was interested in human anatomy and the sciences, depicting the human form in great detail after studying various cadavers. In fact, it is believed that he examined over 30 dead bodies in his lifetime. Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) Artist Full Name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Nationality Italian Date of Birth 6 March 1475 Date of Death 18 February 1564 Place of Birth Caprese Michelangelo, Italy Famous Artworks Pietà (1499)David (1504)Sistine Chapel (1512) Michelangelo was another Renaissance-era individual whose talents encompassed many art forms, such as paintings, sculpting, and architecture. He was even known to have written a few noteworthy poems! While he grew to become one of the world’s most famous painters and sculptors, his initial forays into the art world were not regarded as so admirable. In fact, he initially produced forgeries of pre-existing artworks and tried to pass them off as the original works! Yet, it was hard for others to deny his talents if he was capable of recreating such masterful works in the first place. While he was particularly lauded as an exceptional sculptor, producing such Iconic works as David (1504), he was equally adept at painting, as can be seen on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593 – 1653) Artist Full Name Artemisia Gentileschi Nationality Italian Date of Birth 8 July 1593 Date of Death c. 1653 Place of Birth Rome, Papal States, Italy Famous Artworks Susanna and the Elders (1610)Judith Slaying Holofernes (1620)Judith and Her Maidservant (1625) Artemisia Gentileschi was arguably the most outstanding female painter of the Baroque period and one of Caravaggio’s most talented disciples. She used words and visuals to combat the masculine aggression that was dominant at the time. She managed to accomplish something very unlikely for her day and age. Not only did she become a highly accomplished painter during a time when academies and guilds refused women membership, but she also accomplished what no other women from the Renaissance and Baroque eras had managed to do: she expressed a profound personal vision. Artemisia Gentileschi painted for the highest strata of European society in Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, and London. She moved to Naples in 1630 and opened a studio there which thrived until her passing in 1653. Rembrandt (1606 – 1669) Artist Full Name Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn Nationality Dutch Date of Birth 15 July 1606 Date of Death 4 October 1669 Place of Birth Leiden, Netherlands Famous Artworks Danaë (1636)The Night Watch (1642)The Return of the Prodigal Son (1669) There was a period in the history of Holland when the country’s developments in science and art were highly regarded throughout the world. This period was known as the Dutch Golden Age and the famous painter Rembrandt was perhaps its most notable member. While the artist embraced multiple styles and subjects, it is his portraits that he is most renowned for. These were not just portraits of other people, though, and his self-portraits are regarded as visual documentation of his life through the decades. He was celebrated for his study and distinct application of the effects of light and shadow and was regarded as a master of the chiaroscuro technique, which had risen in popularity due to the works of artists such as Caravaggio. Along with chiaroscuro, he also embraced another Baroque-era quality in his works regarding how human movement was depicted in art in that period. Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755 – 1842) Artist Full Name Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Nationality French Date of Birth 16 April 1755 Date of Death 30 March 1842 Place of Birth Paris, France Famous Artworks Self-portrait in a Straw Hat (1782)Marie Antoinette with a Rose (1783)Self-Portrait with Her Daughter, Julie (1789) Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was a very well-known female painter of her time, most known for her depictions of women. She was initially taught painting by her father, the pastel portraitist, Louis Vigée. The artist’s big break arrived in 1779 when she was commissioned to portray Queen Marie-Antoinette. This led to a friendship between the Queen and the artist, resulting in her producing 20 more paintings of the Queen in various costumes and poses. Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun also produced many self-portraits. These were often rendered in the styles of the various artists that she looked up to. Her connection to the Queen turned out to be very beneficial for her career as she was eventually accepted into the male-dominated Royal Academy in 1783. Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) Artist Full Name Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix Nationality French Date of Birth 26 April 1798 Date of Death 13 August 1863 Place of Birth Charenton-Saint-Maurice, Île-de-France, France Famous Artworks Massacre at Chios (1824)Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi (1826)Liberty Leading the People (1830) Next on our list of the most famous artists in history is yet another French artist, Eugène Delacroix. This famous painter, however, did not belong to the Rococo movement like Watteau but was instead an important figure in the Romanticism movement. While he did have a style of painting that was distinctly his, Delacroix’s work also often displayed the influences of other artists whose works he had studied in places such as the Louvre Museum, including artists such as Rubens. He appreciated English painting immensely and visited the country in 1825. This was not his only traveling experience, though, and was known to have also visited Algiers, Morocco, and Spain. Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) Artist Full Name Oscar-Claude Monet Nationality French Date of Birth 14 November 1840 Date of Death 5 December 1926 Place of Birth Rue Laffitte, Paris, France Famous Artworks Garden at Sainte-Adresse (1862)Impression, Sunrise (1872)The Water Lily Pond (1899) Monet’s influence on French art and art in general, cannot be overstated. His pioneering work in the Impressionism movement is viewed as initiating Modernist art. He loved painting outdoors and was known for his depiction of nature as he saw it and not how it was traditionally portrayed in that era. As with many other famous painters, Monet exhibited an early interest in art, which was encouraged by his mother, yet his father strongly disapproved of this, preferring that his son pursue a business career. However, Monet would ultimately follow his passion and became very successful in his own lifetime, producing paintings often portraying his own beautiful garden. Monet met Eugéne Boudin around 1856 on a beach in Normandy, who would often show the young artist how to use oil paints. Mary Cassatt (1844 – 1926) Artist Full Name Mary Stevenson Cassatt Nationality American Date of Birth 22 May 1844 Date of Death 14 June 1926 Place of Birth Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States Famous Artworks Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878)The Child’s Bath (1893)The Boating Party (1894) Mary Cassatt, known for her observant representations of children and women, was one of the few painters from the United States involved in the 19th-century French avant-garde movement. From a young age, the young Cassatt traveled extensively across Europe with her family. She then moved to Europe at the age of 22, visiting various European museums and carefully studying the works of the old masters. After returning to America for a short period, she then returned to Europe, further studying masterworks in the museums of Spain, Italy, and Belgium, before permanently moving to Paris in 1874. She was then invited to join the Impressionist movement by the famed artist Edgar Degas three years later. While staying in France, she sent some of her works back to America, heralding the introduction of the style to those living in the States. Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Artist Full Name Vincent Willem van Gogh Nationality Dutch Date of Birth 30 March 1853 Date of Death 29 July 1890 Place of Birth Zundert, Netherlands Famous Artworks Café Terrace at Night (1888)The Starry Night (1889)Van Gogh Self-Portrait (1889) While Vincent van Gogh’s parents were not too pleased about his choice in career, it was his uncle who initially taught the young artist how to draw and paint. In 1881, he moved back in with his parents and was financially assisted by his brother, Theo, who he would often write letters to, keeping Theo up to date with his artistic endeavors. When it comes to the idea of the “struggling artist”, it is often Van Gogh who comes to many people’s minds. Not only did he struggle with making a living from his art, but also struggled with bouts of depression and mental illness his entire life. Yet, despite these challenges, or perhaps because of them, van Gogh left behind a collection of works that remain highly significant up to the present day. Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918) Artist Full Name Gustav Klimt Nationality Austrian Date of Birth 14 July 1862 Date of Death 6 February 1918 Place of Birth Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria Famous Artworks The Three Ages of Woman (1905)Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907)The Kiss (1908) While Klimt’s paintings were refined and elegant masterpieces, the artist himself was a rather disheveled-looking character known for his eccentric behavior and lifestyle. In fact, he spent much of his time walking around in a smock and was known to be crazy about cats, even using their urine as a fixative for his pigments. He was also known to have many muses and many of the women who feature in his artworks were likewise his lovers. Yet, despite all of these eccentricities, Klimt’s works would grow to become widely recognized and his paintings, such as The Kiss (1908) has been copied and reproduced on countless products and prints. His use of symbolism was regarded as masterful and he was considered a pioneer in the Vienna Secession movement in Austria. Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) Artist Full Name Henri Émile Benoît Matisse Nationality French Date of Birth 31 December 1869 Date of Death 3 November 1954 Place of Birth Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France Famous Artworks The Green Stripe (1905)Le Bonheur de Vivre (1906)Blue Nude (1907) Henri Matisse started his artistic career without any formal instruction, driven by intuition toward the same type of visual creativity that had been embraced by his modernist contemporaries. However, his works differed from other Modernist movements such as the Cubists. Where their works were all about turning the human figure