Where to Find the Most Famous Art Masterpieces Around the World

From Rijksmuseum to Louvre, the crowds stand patiently to see the wonders of human artistic creation. Art masterpieces are a constant reminder of the greatness of our civilization, and regardless of the cultural, social, and political changes, these masterful works of art still captivate the eyes of many. Valued for their aesthetic qualities, such as beauty, emotional impact, and originality, as well as their historical, cultural, and social context, these works can have a profound impact on individuals and society, shaping our perceptions, beliefs, and values. Their legacy endures for generations, inspiring artists and viewers and providing insights into the evolution of art and culture over time.

We have selected some of the most famous art masterpieces that have significantly impacted the course of art history. Here’s where to see them worldwide!

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, the mid-1480s

Around the mid-1480s, the most distinct proponent of the Italian Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli, created The Birth of Venus. The iconic composition features the goddess Venus gracefully approaching the shore right after her birth. Alongside Botticelli’s Primavera, this masterpiece is based on classical mythology. Both are executed on a large scale marking a precedent in the Western canon. The scholars argued that the same Medici family member commissioned these paintings. The Birth of Venus is considered the epitome of Renaissance Neo-Platonism and a work highlighting wedding celebrations.

Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, between 1490 and 1510

The Garden of Earthly Delights is an epic tryptic produced by the Flemish master Hieronymus Bosch between 1490 and 1510. The mysterious work, featuring vivid and surreal imagery, which depicts scenes of paradise, earthly delights, and hell, is perceived by contemporary scholars as a moral predicament. Although Bosch’s intentions in creating this work remained unknown, it seems the painter reflected the era’s zeitgeist. Alongside this one, Bosch is hailed for two other triptychs, The Last Judgment of c. 1482 and The Haywain Triptych of c. 1516.

Since 1939, Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights has been held at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503

Leonardo da Vinci‘s Mona Lisa is definitely the most famous portrait in the world, if not the most iconic artwork ever made. It is a seminal work of the Italian Renaissance that still captivates visitors of the Louvre museum, who must navigate through crowded galleries and long lines in order to catch a glimpse of the painting. The enigmatic smile of the woman in this famous da Vinci’s portrait, identified as Lisa del Gioconda, led scholars to believe that she was an expecting mother at the time painting was made. Some have even suggested that Mona Lisa can be interpreted as a profane representation of the Virgin Mary. Interestingly, Leonardo da Vinci kept the painting for himself, leaving it to his apprentice Salaì after he died in 1519.

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been held in Louvre in Paris since 1797.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Tower of Babel, 1563

In 1563, Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted The Tower of Babel, based on the myth that explains the origins of different languages in the world. Created in the 16th century, during the Northern Renaissance period, the painting depicts the construction of the biblical tower of Babel. Although the Flemish master depicted the subject in three paintings, the first one, a miniature executed on ivory, is now lost.

The two surviving oil paintings on wood panels are held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Both versions have the same composition, although the Rotterdam version is smaller than the Vienna one.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Night Watch, 1642

The Night Shift by Rembrandt van Rijn is widely regarded as a remarkable masterpiece that exemplifies the artistic output of the Dutch Golden Age. This large-scale group portrait, originally titled Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, depicts the civic militia led by two central figures, Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, and is intended to celebrate their efforts.

Rembrandt’s The Night Watch belongs to the collection of the Amsterdam Museum, but the painting is on permanent view at the Rijksmuseum.

Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656

Las Meninas, or The Ladies-in-waiting, is an epic 1656 painting by the seminal master of the Spanish Golden Age, Diego Velázquez. The painting depicts a scene in one of the rooms at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain. The leading figure is a child princess Infanta Margaret Theresa accompanied by her maids of honor, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs, and a dog. The painting even includes Velázquez himself working on a large canvas. Due to its complex composition, numerous scholars have interpreted the painting in a range of ways, making it one of the most analyzed works in Western painting.

Velázquez’s Las Meninas is part of the Museo del Prado collection in Madrid.

Johannes Vermeer, Girl With A Pearl Earring, c. 1665

In 1665, another Dutch Golden Age master, Johannes Vermeer, made the iconic Girl With A Pearl Earring. Throughout the centuries, the name of this work varied. However, at the end of the 20th century, it gained prominence under its current name after the pearl earring adorning the portrayed girl. This Vermeer painting is a tronie, a type of Dutch painting from the 17th century that depicts a single figure, usually a head or bust, in a highly exaggerated or theatrical manner. Throughout the 20th century, its popularity grew thanks to numerous references across popular culture.

Since 1902, Girl With A Pearl Earring has been held at the Mauritshuis in the Hague.

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818

The German painter Caspar David Freidrich painted Wanderer above the Sea of Fog in 1818. Considered a masterpiece of the Romantic movement, the painting features a man depicted from the back while observing a mountain landscape surrounded by a thick fog. Wanderer is perceived as a masterful representation of self-reflection or contemplation on human life. The painting, which evokes the notion of the sublime, highlights the use of Rückenfigur, the figure depicted from behind that is also present in some of his other paintings.

Since 1970, Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog has been permanently displayed at the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg.

Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818–19

The Raft of the Medusa is a groundbreaking painting produced in 1818–19 by the French painter Théodore Géricault. Interestingly, he finished the work when he was only 27, and it immediately became an icon of French Romanticism. The large-scale composition portrays the aftermath of the shipwreck of the French naval frigate Méduse off the coast of modern-day Mauritania. After the shipwreck, over a hundred people were stranded on an improvised raft for several days, with only 15 surviving the ordeal. The survivors experienced severe hunger and thirst and resorted to cannibalism in order to stay alive. Although the painting provoked controversy when first exhibited in the 1819 Paris Salon, it ultimately gained iconic status.

Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa is held at the Louvre in Paris.

Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring His Son, c. 1819–1823

Francisco Goya made Saturn Devouring His Son based on the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus or Saturn, who, in an attempt to secure his reign, devoured his children. According to the myth, Cronus was warned by his parents that one of his own children would eventually overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his own father. In an effort to prevent this from happening, Cronus devoured each of his children as soon as they were born.

This painting belongs to the famous Black Paintings the legendary Spanish master executed on the walls of his estate Quinta del Sordo between 1819 and 1823. After Goya’s death, Saturn Devouring His Son was transferred to canvas along with thirteen other works. Interestingly, around 1796–97, Goya made a chalk drawing of the same subject in a much subtler manner than the later work.

Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son is held in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831

The best example of ukiyo, a woodblock print technique originating from Japan, is The Great Wave off Kanagawa by the Japanese master Hokusai. The print features three boats caught by a storm with a large wave on the left and Mount Fuji in the background. The Great Wave off Kanagawa had a significant influence on the Impressionist movement and is now widely regarded as one of the most widely reproduced images in the history of art. This has made Hokusai a celebrated figure in various artistic circles and contexts. 

It is the first work in the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and visitors can see it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863

When it first appeared at Salon des Refuses in 1863, the painting Luncheon on the Grass by Edouard Manet sparked controversy for the bold representation. The female nude, accompanied by the two clothed men, implicated eroticism and even sex work. Moreover, Manet decided to paint the composition on a large canvas that, at the time, was used only for historical, religious, and mythological subjects. Throughout the 20th century, this particular painting, which combines the genres of portraiture, still life, and landscape, was a subject of numerous analyses, which helped to further its popularity among the general public.

Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass is held in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872

Impression, Sunrise is the epic work that marks the launch of Impressionism as an art movement. Painted by Claude Monet, this painting features a sunrise in the port of the artist’s hometown, Le Havre. Fascinated by the shifts in light, during 1872, Claude Monet captured different passages of the day across six paintings. Impression, Sunrise gained instant recognition and acclaim following its public debut two years later at an exhibition that also featured works by other notable painters such as Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro.

The visitors can enjoy the eternal beauty of this famous masterpiece at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881

In 1881, one of the leading proponents of Impressionism, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, made a Luncheon of the Boating Party. Merging portraiture, still life, and landscape, the painting depicts a festive atmosphere of a gathering of a group of Renoir’s friends on a balcony at the Maison Fournaise restaurant. In 1882, the work was exhibited at the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in Paris, where it received excellent reviews . Right after, it acquired by dealer and patron Paul Durand-Ruel.

After it was sold to the industrialist Duncan Phillips in 1923 by the patron’s son, Luncheon of the Boating Party has been held at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884

Between 1884 and 1886, the founding father of Pointillism, Georges Seurat, worked on Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. This large-scale canvas, depicting Parisians spending their leisure time at the banks of the River Seine, captures the essence of modern urban life while reflecting the artist’s exploration of form, light, and color. While working on this painting, Seurat made a dozen preliminary sketches and drawings.

Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is held at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889

The Starry Night is one of the most recognizable works by famous Vincent van Gogh. The grand master produced this painting in 1889 during his stay at an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The night setting captures the beauty of the surrounding landscape and provides insight into Vincent van Gogh’s mental state during a period of personal struggle.

Since 1941, Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night has been held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

Painted in 1893, Edvard Munch‘s iconic work, The Scream, is a representation of the pain and despair felt by individuals living in modern urban settings. The artwork not only captured the spirit of the times during the turn of the century but also played a significant role in the development of Expressionism as an art movement. Munch created two versions of the painting in oil, two in pastels, and a lithograph stone from which several prints were produced. While both painted versions have been stolen in the past, they have since been recovered.

Paintings of The Scream are held at the National Gallery of Norway and the Munch Museum in Oslo.

Paul Gauguin, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, 1897–1898

In 1897-98, Paul Gaugin painted Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? during his time spent in Tahiti. The most prolific work by this Post-Impressionist artist depicts the leisure time of the native islanders set to respond to the themes from the Christian iconography. Although enigmatic, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? reflects the artist’s philosophical inclinations and is rightfully considered his masterpiece.

Gauguin’s Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? is held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Henri Rousseau, The Snake Charmer, 1907

The Snake Charmer is an incredibly mysterious oil on canvas painting by French Naïve artist Henri Rousseau. This work, made in 1907, features a glowing-eyed woman playing the flute in the moonlight, standing on the verge of a dark jungle. The painting was commissioned by the mother of artist Robert Delaunay and it was first shown in the 1907 Autumn Salon. From 1922 to 1936, it belonged to Jacques Doucet, who promised to endow the painting to the Louvre.

In 1937, The Snake Charmer officially entered the collection of the Louvre, where is has been held ever since.

Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907-1908

The Kiss, a famous seminal work by Gustav Klimt, enchants thousands of curious visitors with its golden allure. Created between 1907 and 1908, it depicts the tantalizing embrace of the couple kissing. Alongside some of Klimt’s other paintings and murals, The Kiss enormously impacted the international Art Nouveau style.

Klimt’s The Kiss is part of the Belvedere Museum collection in Vienna.

Henri Matisse, Dance, 1910

In 1910, Henri Matisse painted Dance, a masterpiece that championed the artist’s mature phase marked by the reduction of form and bold color palette. This work was commissioned by the Russian businessman and art collector Sergei Shchukin, who eventually donated it to the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The composition featuring figures involved in a frivolous dance is widely perceived as a pivotal moment in the development of modern painting.

Matisse’s Dance is still held at the Hermitage Museum, while a study for the work titled Dance (I) is held at work at MoMA in New York City.

Wassily Kandinsky, Composition 8, 1923

Wassily Kandinsky was the ultimate trailblazer of abstract art who created a compelling oeuvre rooted in the master’s spiritually driven theory summarized in one of the most relevant art texts, Concerning The Spiritual in Art. The painting Composition 8, which Kandinsky made in 1923, embodies these ideas. The sway of geometric shapes juxtaposed against a pale blue-yellowish surface created an illusion of a self-sufficient order of things that may lead the observer to contemplation or transcendence.

During a European tour in 1929, Solomon Guggenheim, his wife Irene, and artist Hilla Rebay visited Kandinsky in a Dessau studio. They purchased this painting, the first among over 150 works by the artist acquired for the Guggenheim collection, where it still resides.

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930

A 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood ultimately became one of the most iconic images of American art, widely parodied across popular culture. A striking portrait of two farmers, the painting was based on the American Gothic House in the state of Iowa. The painter modeled these characters of a farmer and his daughter after his sister and their dentist.

Wood’s American Gothic is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, 1930

The seminal modern art masterpiece is Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, made by Piet Mondrian in 1930. This reduced composition centered on the three color planes strictly divided by thick black borders is inspired by the teachings of the Theosophical Society and the legacy of Cubism. The work is a testament to Mondrian’s bold approach to artmaking.

Mondrian’s Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow is part of Kunsthaus Zurich’s collection.

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937

Guernica, the monumental grey, black, and white painting by Pablo Picasso, is the work commemorating the horrific bombing of the Basque town of Guernica, a military attack carried out by German and Italian aircraft during the Spanish Civil War on April 26, 1937, at the request of the Nationalist forces of General Francisco Franco. After completing Guernica, the Cubist master had fully developed his visual vocabulary. The painting was exhibited at the 1937 Paris International Exposition and other exhibitions across the world. Many scholars regard Guernica as one of the most remarkable anti-war paintings in the history of art.

Picasso’s Guernica is held in Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942

The American painter Edward Hopper made Nighthawks in 1942. Featuring four people in a diner late at night, this oil on canvas reflects the atmosphere reminiscent of the film noir and was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story The Killers. Not only is this Hoper’s best-known work, but it is also one of the most iconic American paintings. 

Hopper’s Nighthawks was sold to the Art Institute of Chicago a few months after its completion, where it resides to this day.