British newspaper The Times ranked Top 200 Artists who lived from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

As a result, according to British readers, first place occupied by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

Second place given to post-impressionist Paul Cezanne, the third - the founder of the Austrian Art Nouveau Gustav Klimt. The last line is occupied by a contemporary Japanese artist Hiroshi Sujimoto.

French artists appear in the top ten Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and American artist Jackson Pollock.
The top ten is closed by the legend of pop art Andy Warhole, representative of abstractionism Willem de Kooning and famous modernist Piet Mondrian.
It is impossible not to notice the overestimation of the rating of some artists and ignoring others, no less talented. The editors of The Times, summing up the results of the survey, are perplexed: “What does Martin Kippenberger do in the top 20? Why is he rated higher than Rothko, Schiele and Klee? Is Munch (46th) worse than Frida Kahlo? Most likely, this is due to the desire of women to place the fair sex as high as possible in the ranking.

From Russian artists appear in the ranking Basil Kandinsky(15th), creator of the Black Square " Casimir Malevich(17th). 95th marked Ukrainian-American artist Alexander Archipenko. 135th - one of the founders of constructivism Alexander Rodchenko. Also included in the list Marc Chagall-71st, and Vladimir Tatlin- 145th.

Here 20 best artists of the XX century, according to British art lovers

Twenty best artists of the XX and the beginning of the XXI century

1. Pablo Picasso

2. Paul Cezanne

3. Gustav Klimt

4. Claude Monet

5. Marcel Duchamp

6. Henri Matisse

7. Jackson Pollock

8. Andy Warhol

9. Willem de Kooning

10. Piet Mondrian

11. Paul Gauguin

12. Francis Bacon

13. Robert Rauschenberg

14. Georges Braque

15. Wassily Kandinsky

16. Constantin Brancusi

17. Kazimir Malevich

18. Jasper Johns

19. Frida Kahlo

20. Martin Kippenberger
………………
Yes, if such a survey were conducted in our country, the list would be completely different. As well as the lists of the best literary works - in each country they differ significantly.
But so far we have only this list, in which we do not know many artists.
Therefore - here short story about the first twenty artists.
A complete list 200 best artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries- at the end of the post.
...................
1.Picasso Pablo- Spanish artist, graphic artist

8. Andy Warhol(real name - Andrew Warhola, Rusyn. Andriy Vargola; 1928-1987) is an American artist and producer, a notable person in the history of pop art and modern art in general. Founder of the "homo universale" ideology.
Warhol created several paintings that became a sensation in the art world. In 1960, he created designs for cans of Coca-Cola, which brought him fame as an artist with an extraordinary vision of art. And in 1960-1962, a cycle of works appeared depicting cans of Campbell's soup.


Warhol one of the first to use screen printing and silk-screen printing as a method for creating paintings.
Warhol created a number of paintings in which he depicted the idols of modern society. Among the stars that Andy painted: recurring Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Lenin and others. These drawings in bright colors became Warhol's trademark. recreating the atmosphere of America in the 60s.


According to critics, these paintings reflected the vulgarity of the culture of mass consumption, the mentality of Western civilization. Warhol is considered among the representatives of pop art and conceptual art, such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. Currently, the prices for his paintings reach tens of millions of dollars. A whole subculture has gathered around the figure of Warhol.

In 2015, the painting was sold to the Qatari Museum Authority for $300 million. 287\237\225

12. Francis Bacon-(1909-1992) - English artist- expressionist. Bacon's painting is always expressive, it is a kind of cry that conveys the tragedy of existence. The main theme of his work is human body- distorted, elongated, enclosed in geometric shapes. Several works are included in the list of the most expensive paintings.

On May 14, 2008, Francis Bacon's 1976 Landmark of the Canonical 20th Century triptych was sold at Sotheby's for $86.3 million. Sold by the Muy family, owners of Château Pétrus wine production, to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. And the painter received the title of the most expensive post-war artist and took third place in the top ten dear artists world in general, yielding only to Picasso and Klimt. 180\122\96

13.Robert Rauschenberg(1925, Port Arthur -2008, Captiva Island, Florida) is an American artist. A representative of abstract expressionism, and then conceptual art and pop art, in his works he gravitated towards the technique of collage and readymade, used garbage.
Like other representatives of pop art, he tried to express his vision of the world in unusual, shocking forms. For this, canvases, collages, installations were used.
In the early 50s, Rauschenberg went through three stages of creation paintings:
« white painting» - black numbers and some symbols are shown on a white background.
"Black Painting" - scraps of newspapers were pasted onto the canvas, and all this was covered with black enamel.
"Red Painting" - abstract canvases in red tones, partly with stickers from newspapers, nails, photographs, etc.
In 1953, Rauschenberg erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning and exhibited it under the title "Erased De Kooning Drawing", raising the question of the nature of art.

Since the mid-50s, Rauschenberg has been creating spatial objects that he calls "combined paintings", for example:
"Odalisque" (satin pillow, stuffed chicken, photographs and reproductions)
"Bed" - a bed spattered with paint and placed vertically ...


In the late 50s, he mastered the frottage technique (rubbing introduced into art by Max Ernst) to transfer magazine photographs to paper. Rauschenberg used it to create a graphic cycle of 34 illustrations for Dante's Inferno in the pop art style. In 1962, he mastered the technique of silk-screen printing and created a number of large works in it. One of the paintings in this series way to heaven» ( sky way, 1964). On it, pop cultural symbols (for example, American astronauts) coexist with images of Rubens.

Rauschenberg is the owner of many awards, including: the main prize at the Venice Biennale, the Grammy, the US National Medal, the Imperial Prize of Japan and others.
In the 60s and 70s, Rauschenberg was involved in the field of performance, happenings and other theatrical actions.

1 Pablo Picasso 21587
2 Paul Cezanne 21098
3 Gustav Klimt 20823
4 Claude Monet 20684
5 Marcel Duchamp 20647
6 Henry Matisse 17096
7 Jackson Pollock 17051
8 Andy Warhol 17047
9 Willem de Kooning 17042
10 Piet Mondrian 17028
11 Paul Gauguin 17027
12 Francis Bacon 17018
13 Robert Rauschenberg 16956
14 Georges Braque 16788
15 Wassily Kandinsky 16055
16 Constantin Brancusi 14224
17 Kazimir Malevich 13609
18 Jasper Johns 12988
19 Frida Kahlo 12940
20 Martin Kippenberger 12784
21 Paul Klee
22 Egon Schiele
23 Donald Judd
24 Bruce Nauman
25 Alberto Giacometti
26 Salvador Dali
27 Auguste Rodin
28 Mark Rothko
29 Edward Hopper
30 Lucian Freud
31 Richard Serra
32 René Magritte
33 David Hockney
34 Philip Gaston
35 Gary Cartier-Bresson 8779
36 Pierre Bonnard
37 Jean-Michel Basquiat
38 Max Ernst
39 Diane Arbus
40 Georgia O'Keefe
41 Cy Twombly
42 Max Beckmann
43 Barnet Newman
44 Giorgio de Chirico
45 Roy Lichtenstein 7441
46 Edvard Munch
47 Pierre August Renoir
48 Men Ray
49 Henry Moore
50 Cindy Sherman
51 Jeff Koons
52 Tracey Emin
53 Damien Hirst
54 Yves Klein
55 Henry Russo
56 Chaim Soutine
57 Archil Gorki
58 Amadeo Modigliani
59 Umberto Boccioni
60 Jean Dubuffet
61 Eva Hesse
62 Edward Villard
63 Carl Andre
64 Juan Gris
65 Lucio Fontana
66 Franz Kline
67 David Smith
68 Joseph Beuys
69 Alexander Calder
70 Louise Bourgeois
71 Marc Chagall
72 Gerhard Richter
73 Balthus
74 Joan Miro
75 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
76 Frank Stella
77 Georg Baselitz
78 Francis Picabia
79 Jenny Saville
80 Dan Flavin
81 Alfred Stiglitz
82 Anselm Kiefer
83 Matthew Burney
84 Georges Gros
85 Bernd and Hilla Becher
86 Sigmar Polke
87 Bryce Marden
88 Maurizio Catellan
89 Saul Levitt
90 Chuck Close 2915
91 Edward Weston
92 Joseph Cornell
93 Karel Appel
94 Bridget Riley
95 Alexander Archipenko
96 Anthony Caro
97 Richard Hamilton
98 Clifford Still
99 Luc Tuymans
100 Oldenburg class
101 Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi
102 Frank Auerbach
103 Dinos and Jake Chapman
104 Marlene Dumas
105 Antona Tapies
106 Giorgio Morandi
107 Walker Evans
108 Nan Goldin
109 Robert Frank
110 Georges Rouault
111 Arp Hans
112 August Sender
113 James Rosenquist
114 Andreas Gursky
115 Eugene Atget
116 Jeff Wall
117 Ellsworth Kelly
118 Bill Brandt
119 Christo and Jean-Claude
120 Howard Hodgkin
121 Joseph Albers
122 Piero Manzoni
123 Agnes Martin
124 Anish Kapoor
125 L. S. Lowry
126 Robert Motherwell
127 Robert Delaunay
128 Stuart Davis
129 Ed Ruscha
130 Gilbert and George 2729
131 Stanley Spencer
132 James Ensor
133 Fernard Ledger
134 Brassai (Gyula Halas)
135 Alexander Rodchenko
136 Robert Ryman
137 Ed Reindhard
138 Hans Belmer
139 Isa Genzken
140 Kees van Dongen
141 Weegee
142 Paula Rego
143 Thomas Hart Benton
144 Hans Hoffman
145 Vladimir Tatlin
146 Odilon Redon
147 George Segal
148 Jörg Imendorff
149 Robert Smithson
150 Peter Doig 2324
151 Ed and Nancy Kienholz
152 Richard Prince
153 Ansel Adams
154 Naum Gabo 2256
155 Diego Rivera 2239
156 Barbara Hepworth 2237
157 Nicola de Stael 2237
158 Walter de Maria 2229
159 Felix Gonzalez-Torres 2228
160 Giacomo Balla 2225
161 Ben Nicholson 2221
162 Anthony Gormley 2218
163 Lionel Feininger 2216
164 Emil Nolde 2213
165 Mark Wallinger 2211
166 Hermann Nietzsch 2209
167 Paul Signac 2209
168 Jean Tigli 2209
169 Kurt Schwitters 2209
170 Grayson Perry 2208
171 Julian Schnabel 2208
172 Raymond Duchamp-Villon 2208
173 Robert Gobert 2208
174 Duane Hanson 2208
175 Richard Diebenkorn 2207
176 Apex Katz 2207
177 Alighiero Boetti 2206
178 Godier-Brzeska Henri 2206
179 Laszlo Moholy-Nagy 2205
180 Jacques-Henri Lartigue 2205
181 Robert Morris 2205artists

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was a famous Italian painter, architect, philosopher, musician, writer, explorer, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, inventor and geologist. Known for his paintings, the most famous of which are The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, as well as numerous inventions that were far ahead of their time, but remained only on paper. In addition, Leonardo da Vinci made an important contribution to the development of anatomy, astronomy and technology.

Raphael Santi (March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520) was a great Italian painter and architect active during the Renaissance, covering the period from the end of the 15th century to the early years of the 16th century. Traditionally, Raphael is considered one of the three great masters of this period, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Many of his works are in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, in a room called Raphael's Stanza. Among others, here is his most famous work - "The School of Athens".

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (June 6, 1599 - August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, portrait painter, court painter of King Philip IV, the greatest representative of the golden age of Spanish painting. In addition to numerous paintings depicting historical and cultural scenes from the past, he painted many portraits of the Spanish royal family, as well as other famous European figures. The most famous work of Velasquez is the painting "La Meninas" (or "Family of Philip IV") of 1656, located in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuseno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Martir Patricio Ruiz and Picasso (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) is a world-famous Spanish artist and sculptor, the founder of the direction in fine arts - cubism. Considered one of the greatest artists influenced the development of fine arts in the 20th century. Experts recognized best artist among those who lived in the last 100 years, as well as the most "expensive" in the world. During his life, Picasso created about 20 thousand works (according to other sources, 80 thousand).

Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a famous Dutch painter who gained fame only after his death. According to many experts, Van Gogh is one of the greatest artists in history. European art, as well as one of the most prominent representatives of post-impressionism. Author of more than 2,100 works of art, including 870 paintings, 1,000 drawings and 133 sketches. His numerous self-portraits, landscapes and portraits are among the most recognizable and expensive works of art in the world. Most famous work Vincent van Gogh is perhaps considered a series of paintings called "Sunflowers".

Michelangelo Buonarroti (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) - the world-famous Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet and thinker, who left an indelible imprint on the whole world culture. The most famous work of the artist, perhaps, are the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Among his sculptures, the most famous are "Pieta" ("Lamentation of Christ") and "David". Of the works of architecture - the design of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Interestingly, Michelangelo became the first representative of Western European art, whose biography was written during his lifetime.

In fourth place in the list of the most famous artists in the world is Masaccio (December 21, 1401-1428) - a great Italian artist who had a huge impact on other masters. Masaccio lived a very short life, so there is little biographical evidence about him. Only four of his frescoes have survived, which, without a doubt, are the work of Masaccio. Others are believed to have been destroyed. Masaccio's most famous work is the Trinity fresco in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy.

Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a Flemish (South Dutch) painter, one of the greatest artists of the Baroque era, known for his extravagant style. Considered the most versatile artist of his time. In his works, Rubens emphasized and embodied the vitality and sensuality of color. He painted numerous portraits, landscapes and historical paintings with mythological, religious and allegorical subjects. The most famous work of Rubens is the triptych "Descent from the Cross" written in the period from 1610 to 1614 and brought the artist worldwide fame.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (September 29, 1571 - July 18, 1610) - the great Italian artist of the early Baroque period, the founder of the European realistic painting XVII century. In his works, Caravaggio skillfully used the contrasts of light and shadow, focusing on details. Often depicted ordinary Romans, people from the streets and markets in the images of saints and Madonnas. Examples are the "Evangelist Matthew", "Bacchus", "Conversion of Saul", etc. One of the most famous paintings The artist is considered to be The Lute Player (1595), which Caravaggio called the most successful piece of painting for him.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) - famous Dutch painter and engraver, who is considered the greatest and most famous artist peace. Author of about 600 paintings, 300 etchings and 2 thousand drawings. Its characteristic feature is a masterful play with light effects and deep shadows. The most famous work of Rembrandt is the four-meter painting "Night Watch", written in 1642 and now stored in the State Museum of Amsterdam.

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"Card Players"

Author

Paul Cezanne

Country France
Years of life 1839–1906
Style post-impressionism

The artist was born in the south of France in the small town of Aix-en-Provence, but began painting in Paris. Real success came to him after a solo exhibition organized by the collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts hometown. Young artists called trips to him "a pilgrimage to Aix".

130x97 cm
1895
price
$250 million
sold in 2012
at private auction

Cezanne's work is easy to understand. The only rule of the artist was the direct transfer of the subject or plot to the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment of the viewer. Cezanne combined in his art two main French traditions: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful texture, he gave the form of objects an amazing plasticity.

A series of five paintings "Card Players" was written in 1890-1895. Their plot is the same - several people are enthusiastically playing poker. The works differ only in the number of players and the size of the canvas.

Four paintings are kept in museums in Europe and America (the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and the Courtauld Institute of Art), and the fifth, until recently, was an adornment of the private collection of the Greek billionaire shipowner George Embirikos. Shortly before his death, in the winter of 2011, he decided to put it up for sale. Potential buyers of Cezanne's "free" work were art dealer William Aquavella and world-famous gallery owner Larry Gagosian, who offered about $220 million for it. As a result, the painting went to the royal family of the Arab state of Qatar for 250 million. The largest art deal in the history of painting was closed in February 2012. This was reported to Vanity Fair by journalist Alexandra Pierce. She found out the cost of the painting and the name of the new owner, and then the information penetrated the media around the world.

In 2010, the Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Qatar National Museum opened in Qatar. Now their collections are growing. Perhaps the fifth version of The Card Players was acquired by the sheik for this purpose.

The mostexpensive picturein the world

Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani

The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for over 130 years. About half a century ago, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, which instantly made Qatar one of the richest regions in the world. Thanks to the export of hydrocarbons, this small country recorded the largest GDP per capita. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power in 1995, while his father was in Switzerland, with the support of family members. The merit of the current ruler, according to experts, is in a clear strategy for the development of the country, creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By the way, it was the Emir of Qatar who founded the Al Jazeera news channel. The authorities of the Arab state pay great attention to culture.

2

"Number 5"

Author

Jackson Pollock

Country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism

Jack the Sprinkler - such a nickname was given to Pollock by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured the paint on the surface of the canvas or fiberboard during continuous movement around and inside them. From an early age, he was fond of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the main message of which is that the truth is revealed during a free "outpouring".

122x244 cm
1948
price
$140 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's

The value of Pollock's work is not in the result, but in the process. The author did not accidentally call his art "action painting". With his light hand it has become the main asset of America. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand, broken glass, and wrote with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, a shovel. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s there were even imitators in the USSR. The painting "Number 5" is recognized as one of the strangest and most expensive in the world. One of the founders of DreamWorks, David Geffen, bought it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby`s for $140 million to Mexican collector David Martinez. However, the law firm soon issued a press release on behalf of its client stating that David Martinez was not the owner of the painting. Only one thing is known for certain: the Mexican financier is really in recent times collected works of modern art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a big fish", like Pollock's "Number 5".

3

"Woman III"

Author

Willem de Kooning

Country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism

A native of the Netherlands, he emigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948 took place personal exhibition artist. Art critics appreciated the complex, nervous black-and-white compositions, recognizing in their author a great modernist artist. For most of his life he suffered from alcoholism, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of painting, broad strokes, which is why sometimes the image does not fit within the boundaries of the canvas.

121x171 cm
1953
price
$137 million
sold in 2006 year
at private auction

In the 1950s, women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly features appear in de Kooning's paintings. "Woman III" was the last work from this series participating in the auction.

Since the 1970s, the painting has been kept in the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, but after the introduction of strict moral rules in the country, they sought to get rid of it. In 1994, the work was taken out of Iran, and 12 years later, its owner David Geffen (the same producer who sold Jackson Pollock's "Number 5") sold the painting to millionaire Stephen Cohen for $137.5 million. It is interesting that in one year Geffen began to sell his collection of paintings. This gave rise to a lot of rumors: for example, that the producer decided to buy the Los Angeles Times.

At one of the art forums, an opinion was expressed about the similarity of "Woman III" with the painting by Leonardo da Vinci "Lady with an Ermine". Behind the toothy smile and shapeless figure of the heroine, the connoisseur of painting discerned the grace of a person of royal blood. This is also evidenced by the poorly traced crown crowning the head of a woman.

4

"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I"

Author

Gustav Klimt

Country Austria
Years of life 1862–1918
Style modern

Gustav Klimt was born into the family of an engraver and was the second of seven children. Three sons of Ernest Klimt became artists, and only Gustav became famous all over the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After the death of his father, he was responsible for the entire family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Before his paintings, any viewer freezes: under the thin strokes of gold, frank eroticism is clearly visible.

138x136 cm
1907
price
$135 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's

The fate of the painting, which is called " Austrian Mona Lisa", could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The work of the artist became the cause of the conflict of the whole state and one elderly lady.

So, the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last will was to transfer the painting to the Austrian State Gallery. However, Bloch canceled the donation in his will, and the Nazis expropriated the painting. Later, the gallery barely bought " Golden Adele”, but then the heiress appeared - Maria Altman, niece of Ferdinand Bloch.

In 2005, the high-profile trial "Maria Altman against the Republic of Austria" began, as a result of which the picture "left" with her to Los Angeles. Austria took unprecedented measures: loans were negotiated, the population donated money to buy the portrait. Good never conquered evil: Altman raised the price to $300 million. At the time of the trial, she was 79 years old, and she went down in history as the person who changed the will of Bloch-Bauer in favor of personal interests. The painting was purchased by Ronald Lauder, owner of " New Gallery in New York City, where it remains to this day. Not for Austria, for him Altman reduced the price to $135 million.

5

"Scream"

Author

Edvard Munch

Country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism

Munch's first painting, which became famous all over the world, "The Sick Girl" (exists in five copies) is dedicated to the artist's sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch has always been interested in the theme of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressing plots, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take at least "Scream".

73.5x91 cm
1895
price
$119.992 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The full name of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German as “the cry of nature”). The face of either a person or an alien expresses despair and panic - the viewer experiences the same emotions when looking at the picture. One of the key works of expressionism warns the themes that have become acute in the art of the 20th century. According to one version, the artist created it under the influence mental disorder who suffered all his life.

The painting was stolen twice from different museums but it was returned. Slightly damaged after the theft, The Scream was restored and was ready to be shown again at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work became a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of its prints-copies, and the mask from the movie "Scream" was made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.

For one plot, Munch wrote four versions of the work: the one in a private collection is made in pastel. Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put it up for auction on May 2, 2012. The buyer was Leon Black, who did not spare a record amount for the "Scream". Founder of Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P. known for his love of art. Black is a patron of Dartmouth College, the Museum of Modern Art, the Lincoln Art Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has the largest collection of paintings by contemporary artists and classical masters past centuries.

6

"Nude against the background of a bust and green leaves"

Author

Pablo Picasso

Country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism

By origin he is a Spaniard, but in spirit and place of residence he is a real Frenchman. Picasso opened his own art studio in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most life. That is why there is a double stress in his last name. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the opinion that the object depicted on the canvas can be viewed from only one angle.

130x162 cm
1932
price
$106.482 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's

During his work in Rome, the artist met the dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy, moved with her to a luxurious apartment. By that time, recognition had found a hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - according to Great love, which, as always with Picasso, was short-lived. In 1927, he became interested in the young Marie-Therese Walter (she was 17 years old, he was 45). Secretly from his wife, he left with his mistress for a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The painting was purchased by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg and sold in 1951 to Sidney F. Brody. The Brodys showed the painting to the world only once, and only because the artist was 80 years old. After her husband's death, Mrs. Brody put the work up for auction at Christie's in March 2010. In six decades, the price has risen more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $106.5 million. In 2011, a “one-painting exhibition” was held in Britain, where it saw the light for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.

7

"Eight Elvises"

Author

Andy Warhole

Country USA
Years of life 1928-1987
Style
pop Art

“Sex and parties are the only places where you need to appear in person,” said the cult pop artist, director, and one of the founders of Interview magazine, designer Andy Warhol. He worked with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, designed record covers, and designed shoes for I.Miller. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting the symbols of America: Campbell`s soup and Coca-Cola, Presley and Monroe - which made him a legend.

358x208 cm
1963
price
$100 million
sold in 2008
at private auction

Warhol's 60s - the so-called era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory Studio, where all the bohemia of New York gathered. Its brightest representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other famous personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tried the technique of silk-screen printing - multiple repetitions of one image. He also used this method when creating "Eight Elvises": the viewer seems to see frames from a movie where the star comes to life. Everything that the artist loved so much is here: a win-win public image, silver color and a premonition of death as the main message.

There are two art dealers promoting Warhol's work on the world market today: Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mugrabi. The first in 2008 spent $200 million to purchase more than 15 Warhol works. The second buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only more expensive. But it was not them, but the humble French art consultant Philippe Segalo who helped Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlinghieri sell the Eight Elvises to an unknown buyer for a Warhol-record $100 million.

8

"Orange,Red Yellow"

Author

Mark Rothko

Country USA
Years of life 1903–1970
Style abstract expressionism

One of the creators of color field painting was born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), in a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the USA. Rothko studied at the art department of Yale University, achieved a scholarship, but anti-Semitic sentiments forced him to leave his studies. Despite everything, art critics idolized the artist, and museums pursued him all his life.

206x236 cm
1961
price
$86.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Christie's

Rothko's first artistic experiments were of a surrealist orientation, but over time he simplified the plot to color spots, depriving them of any objectivity. At first they had bright hues, and in the 1960s they were filled with brown, purple, thickening to black by the time of the artist's death. Mark Rothko warned against looking for any meaning in his paintings. The author wanted to say exactly what he said: only the color that dissolves in the air, and nothing more. He recommended looking at the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer is "dragged" into the color, like into a funnel. Caution: viewing in accordance with all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, the awareness of infinity gradually comes, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, purification. The color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (sometimes it is said to be healing). The artist said: "The viewer should cry looking at them" - and there really were such cases. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people live the same spiritual experience that he had in the process of working on the picture. If you managed to understand it at such a subtle level, then do not be surprised that these works of abstractionism are often compared by critics with icons.

The work "Orange, Red, Yellow" expresses the essence of Mark Rothko's painting. Its initial cost at Christie's auction in New York is 35-45 million dollars. An unknown buyer offered a price twice the estimate. The name of the happy owner of the painting, as is often the case, was not disclosed.

9

"Triptych"

Author

Francis Bacon

Country
Great Britain
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism

The adventures of Francis Bacon, a full namesake and, moreover, a distant descendant of the great philosopher, began when his father disowned him, unable to accept his son's homosexual inclinations. Bacon went first to Berlin, then to Paris, and then his traces are confused all over Europe. Even during his lifetime, his works were exhibited in the leading cultural centers world, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.

147.5x198 cm (each)
1976
price
$86.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

Prestigious museums strove to possess paintings by Bacon, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of him: "The man who paints these horrific pictures."

The starting period in his work, the artist himself considered the post-war period. Returning from the service, he again took up painting and created the main masterpieces. Prior to the participation of "Triptych, 1976" in the auction, Bacon's most expensive work was "Study for a Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (52.7 million dollars). In the "Triptych, 1976" the artist depicted the mythical plot of the persecution of Orestes by the furies. Of course, Orestes is Bacon himself, and the furies are his torments. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives it a special value and, accordingly, increases the cost. But what is a few million for a connoisseur of art, and even generous in Russian? Roman Abramovich began to create his collection in the 1990s, in this he was significantly influenced by his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, who has become a fashionable gallery owner in modern Russia. According to unofficial data, the businessman owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, bought for amounts exceeding $100 million. In 2008, he became the owner of the Triptych. By the way, in 2011, another valuable work by Bacon was acquired - "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud." Hidden sources say that Roman Arkadievich again became the buyer.

10

"Pond with water lilies"

Author

Claude Monet

Country France
Years of life 1840–1926
Style impressionism

The artist is recognized as the founder of impressionism, who "patented" this method in his canvases. The first significant work was the painting "Breakfast on the Grass" (the original version of the work of Edouard Manet). In his youth, he drew caricatures, and took up real painting during his travels along the coast and in the open air. In Paris, he led a bohemian lifestyle and did not leave it even after serving in the army.

210x100 cm
1919
price
$80.5 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

Besides the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also enthusiastically engaged in gardening, adored wildlife and flowers. In his landscapes, the state of nature is momentary, objects seem to be blurred by the movement of air. The impression is enhanced by large strokes, from a certain distance they become invisible and merge into a textured, three-dimensional image. In the painting of the late Monet, a special place is occupied by the theme of water and life in it. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds specially brought by him from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to paint. The Water Lilies series consists of 60 works that the artist painted over almost 30 years, until his death. His vision deteriorated with age, but he did not stop. Depending on the wind, season and weather, the view of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, an understanding of the essence of nature came to him. Some of the paintings of the series are kept in the leading galleries of the world: National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), Orangerie (Paris). The version of the next "Pond with water lilies" went into the hands of an unknown buyer for a record amount.

11

False Star t

Author

Jasper Johns

Country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art

In 1949, Jones entered the design school in New York. Along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and others, he is recognized as one of the main artists of the 20th century. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

137.2x170.8 cm
1959
price
$80 million
sold in 2006 year
at private auction

Like Marcel Duchamp, Jones worked with real objects, depicting them on canvas and in sculpture in full accordance with the original. For his works, he used simple and understandable objects for everyone: a beer bottle, a flag or maps. There is no clear composition in the False Start picture. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “incorrectly” signing the colors in the picture, turning the very concept of color upside down: “I wanted to find a way to depict the color so that it could be determined by some other method.” His most explosive and "insecure", according to critics, painting was acquired by an unknown buyer.

12

"Seatednudeon the sofa"

Author

Amedeo Modigliani

Country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism

Modigliani was often ill from childhood, during a feverish delirium, he recognized his destiny as an artist. He studied drawing in Livorno, Florence, Venice, and in 1906 he left for Paris, where his art flourished.

65x100 cm
1917
price
$68.962 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hebuterne, who became his model and later his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $31.3 million, the last record before the sale of Seated Nude on a Sofa in 2010. The painting was purchased by an unknown buyer for the maximum price for Modigliani at the moment. Active sales of works began only after the death of the artist. He died in poverty, suffering from tuberculosis, and the next day, Jeanne Hebuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.

13

"Eagle on a Pine"

Author

Qi Baishi

Country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style guohua

Interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to paint. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. The Ministry of Culture of China awarded him the title of "Great Artist of the Chinese People", in 1956 he received the International Peace Prize.

10x26 cm
1946
price
$65.4 million
sold in 2011
on the auction China Guardian

Qi Baishi was interested in those manifestations of the surrounding world, which many do not attach importance to, and this is his greatness. A man without education became a professor and an outstanding creator in history. Pablo Picasso said about him: "I'm afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China." The composition "Eagle on a Pine Tree" is recognized as the largest work of the artist. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the product was bought is a record - 425.5 million yuan. Only the scroll of the ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million dollars.

14

"1949-A-#1"

Author

Clifford Still

Country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism

At the age of 20, he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later, he signed up for a student arts league course, but left 45 minutes after the start of the class - it turned out to be “not his”. The first personal exhibition caused a resonance, the artist found himself, and with it recognition

79x93 cm
1949
price
$61.7 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

All his works, which are more than 800 canvases and 1600 works on paper, Still bequeathed to the American city, where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but only the construction was expensive for the authorities, and four works were put up for auction to complete it. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned ever again, which raised their price in advance. Painting "1949-A-No.1" sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale of a maximum of 25-35 million dollars.

15

"Suprematist composition"

Author

Kazimir Malevich

Country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style Suprematism

Malevich studied painting at the Kyiv Art School, then at the Moscow Academy of Arts. In 1913, he began to paint abstract geometric paintings in a style that he called Suprematism (from Latin “dominance”).

71x 88.5 cm
1916
price
$60 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

The painting was kept in the city museum of Amsterdam for about 50 years, but after a 17-year dispute with Malevich's relatives, the museum gave it away. The artist painted this work in the same year as The Manifesto of Suprematism, so Sotheby`s even before the auction announced that it would not go into a private collection for less than $60 million. And so it happened. It is better to look at it from above: the figures on the canvas resemble an aerial view of the earth. By the way, a few years earlier, the same relatives expropriated another "Suprematist composition" from the MoMA Museum in order to sell it at Phillips for $17 million.

16

"Bathers"

Author

Paul Gauguin

Country France
Years of life 1848–1903
Style post-impressionism

Until the age of seven, the artist lived in Peru, then returned to France with his family, but childhood memories constantly pushed him to travel. In France, he began to paint, was friends with Van Gogh. He even spent several months with him in Arles, until Van Gogh cut off his ear during a quarrel.

93.4x60.4 cm
1902
price
$55 million
sold in 2005
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1891, Gauguin arranged a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to go deep into the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which one can feel the subtle connection between nature and man. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was a 13-year-old Tahitian Tehura, which did not prevent the artist from engaging in promiscuity. Having contracted syphilis, he left for France. However, Gauguin was cramped there, and he returned to Tahiti. This period is called the "second Tahitian" - it was then that the painting "Bathers" was painted, one of the most luxurious in his work.

17

"Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink"

Author

Henri Matisse

Country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style Fauvism

In 1889, Henri Matisse had an attack of appendicitis. When he recovered from the operation, his mother bought him paints. First, out of boredom, Matisse copied colored postcards, then - the works of great painters that he saw in the Louvre, and at the beginning of the 20th century he came up with a style - fauvism.

65.2x81 cm
1911
price
$46.4 million
sold in 2009
on the auction Christie's

The painting "Daffodils and a Tablecloth in Blue and Pink" belonged to Yves Saint Laurent for a long time. After the death of the couturier, his entire collection of art passed into the hands of his friend and lover Pierre Berger, who decided to put it up for auction at Christie's. The pearl of the sold collection was the painting "Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink", painted on an ordinary tablecloth instead of canvas. As an example of Fauvism, it is filled with the energy of color, the colors seem to explode and scream. Of the well-known series of tablecloth paintings, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.

18

"Sleeping Girl"

Author

RoyLee

chtenstein

Country USA
Years of life 1923–1997
Style pop Art

The artist was born in New York, and after graduating from school, he went to Ohio, where he went to art courses. In 1949, Liechtenstein received his Master of Fine Arts degree. Interest in comics and the ability to be ironic made him a cult artist of the last century.

91x91 cm
1964
price
$44.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

Once, chewing gum fell into Liechtenstein's hands. He redrawn the picture from the insert on the canvas and became famous. This plot from his biography contains the whole message of pop art: consumption is the new god, and in a wrapper from chewing gum less beauty than in Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Lichtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, drew rasters, used screen printing and silkscreen printing. The painting "Sleeping Girl" belonged to collectors Beatrice and Philip Gersh for almost 50 years, whose heirs sold it at auction.

19

"Victory. Boogie Woogie"

Author

Piet Mondrian

Country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism

His real name - Cornelis - the artist changed to Mondrian when he moved to Paris in 1912. Together with the artist Theo van Doesburg, he founded the neoplastic movement. The Piet programming language is named after Mondrian.

27x127 cm
1944
price
$40 million
sold in 1998
on the auction Sotheby's

The most "musical" of the artists of the 20th century made a living with watercolor still lifes, although he became famous as a neoplastic artist. He moved to the USA in the 1940s and spent the rest of his life there. Jazz and New York - that's what inspired him the most! Painting "Victory. Boogie Woogie is the best example of this. "Branded" neat squares were obtained through the use of adhesive tape - Mondrian's favorite material. In America, he was called "the most famous immigrant." In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent produced the world-famous "Mondrian" dresses with a large colored check print.

20

"Composition No. 5"

Author

BasilKandinsky

Country Russia
Years of life 1866–1944
Style avant-garde

The artist was born in Moscow, and his father was from Siberia. After the revolution, he tried to cooperate with the Soviet authorities, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and emigrated to Germany not without difficulties.

275x190 cm
1911
price
$40 million
sold in 2007
on the auction Sotheby's

Kandinsky was one of the first to completely abandon object painting, for which he received the title of genius. During Nazism in Germany, his paintings were classified as "degenerate art" and were not exhibited anywhere. In 1939, Kandinsky took French citizenship, in Paris he freely participated in artistic process. His paintings “sound” like fugues, which is why many are called “compositions” (the first was written in 1910, the last in 1939). “Composition No. 5” is one of the key works in this genre: “The word “composition” sounded like a prayer to me,” the artist said. Unlike many followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if writing notes.

21

"Study of a Woman in Blue"

Author

Fernand Léger

Country France
Years of life 1881–1955
Style cubism-post-impressionism

Leger received an architectural education, and then was a student at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for cubism, and in the 20th century he also had success as a sculptor.

96.5x129.5 cm
1912–1913
price
$39.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

David Normann, president of Sotheby's International Impressionism and Modernism, believes the huge sum paid for The Lady in Blue is entirely justified. The painting belongs to the famous Leger collection (the artist painted three paintings on one plot, the last of them is in private hands today. - Ed.), and the surface of the canvas has been preserved in its original form. The author himself gave this work to the Der Sturm gallery, then it ended up in the collection of Hermann Lang, a German collector of modernism, and now belongs to an unknown buyer.

22

"Street scene. Berlin"

Author

Ernst LudwigKirchner

Country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism

For German expressionism, Kirchner became a landmark person. However, local authorities accused him of adherence to "degenerate art", which tragically affected the fate of his paintings and the life of the artist, who committed suicide in 1938.

95x121 cm
1913
price
$38.096 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Christie's

After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches street scenes. He was inspired by the turmoil and nervousness big city. The painting, sold in 2006 in New York, is particularly poignant anxiety state artist: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. She was the last work from the famous series, sold at auction, the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, the Nazis brutally treated Kirchner: 639 of his works were seized from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.

23

"Restingdancer"

Author

Edgar Degas

Country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism

The history of Degas as an artist began with the fact that he worked as a copyist in the Louvre. He dreamed of becoming "famous and unknown", and in the end he succeeded. At the end of his life, deaf and blind, 80-year-old Degas continued to attend exhibitions and auctions.

64x59 cm
1879
price
$37.043 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

“Ballerinas have always been for me just an excuse to depict fabrics and capture movement,” said Degas. The scenes from the life of the dancers seem to be peeped: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas's gaze. The Resting Dancer sold for $28 million in 1999, and less than 10 years later it was bought for $37 million - today it is the most expensive work artist ever put up for auction. Degas paid much attention to frames, he designed them himself and forbade changing them. I wonder what frame is installed on the sold painting?

24

"Painting"

Author

Juan Miro

Country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art

During the Spanish Civil War, the artist was on the side of the Republicans. In 1937, he fled from fascist power to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro paints the painting "Help Spain!", Drawing the attention of the whole world to the dominance of fascism.

89x115 cm
1927
price
$36.824 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The second name of the painting is "Blue Star". The artist wrote it in the same year when he announced: “I want to kill painting” and mercilessly mocked the canvases, scratching the paint with nails, gluing feathers to the canvas, covering the work with garbage. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but, having coped with this, Miro created his own myth - a surreal abstraction. His "Painting" refers to the cycle of "pictures-dreams". Four buyers fought for it at the auction, but one incognito phone call settled the dispute, and "Painting" became the artist's most expensive painting.

25

"Blue Rose"

Author

Yves Klein

Country France
Years of life 1928–1962
Style monochrome painting

The artist was born into a family of painters, but studied oriental languages, navigation, the craft of a gilder of frames, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and impudent antics were many times more interesting than monochrome paintings.

153x199x16 cm
1960
price
$36.779 million
sold in 2012
at Christie's auction

The first exhibition of solid yellow, orange, pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein was offended and the next time he presented 11 identical canvases, painted with ultramarine mixed with a special synthetic resin. He even patented this method. The color went down in history as "international Blue colour Klein". The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings by exposing paper to rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a human body on canvas. In a word, I experimented as best I could. To create the "Blue Rose" I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and a natural sponge.

26

"Looking for Moses"

Author

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Country Great Britain
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism

Sir Lawrence himself added the prefix "alma" to his surname in order to appear first in art catalogs. In Victorian England, his paintings were so in demand that the artist was awarded a knighthood.

213.4x136.7 cm
1902
price
$35.922 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

The main theme of Alma-Tadema's work was antiquity. In the paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even engaged in archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. mythological plots became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was in great demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is reviving, as evidenced by the cost of the painting "In Search of Moses", seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.

27

"Portrait of a sleeping naked official"

Author

Lucian Freud

Country Germany,
Great Britain
Years of life 1922–2011
Style figurative painting

The artist is the grandson of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. After the establishment of fascism in Germany, his family emigrated to the UK. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection in London, where no contemporary artist has previously exhibited.

219.1x151.4 cm
1995
price
$33.6 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

While the fashionable artists of the 20th century created positive "color spots on the wall" and sold them for millions, Freud painted extremely naturalistic paintings and sold them for even more. “I capture the cries of the soul and the suffering of withering flesh,” he said. Critics believe that all this is the "legacy" of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and successfully sold that the experts had a doubt: do they have hypnotic properties? Sold at auction, "Portrait of a sleeping naked official", according to the Sun, was acquired by connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

28

"Violin and Guitar"

Author

Xone gris

Country Spain
Years of life 1887–1927
Style cubism

Born in Madrid, where he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1906 he moved to Paris and entered the circle of the most influential artists of the era: Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse, Leger, also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.

5x100 cm
1913
price
$28.642 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's

Gris, in his own words, was engaged in "planar, colored architecture." His paintings are precisely thought out: he did not leave a single accidental stroke, which makes creativity related to geometry. The artist created his own version of cubism, although he had great respect for Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the movement. The successor even dedicated his first Cubist work, Tribute to Picasso, to him. The painting "Violin and Guitar" is recognized as outstanding in the artist's work. During his lifetime, Gris was known, favored by critics and art historians. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.

29

"PortraitFields of Eluard»

Author

Salvador Dali

Country Spain
Years of life 1904–1989
Style surrealism

“Surrealism is me,” Dali said when he was expelled from the Surrealist group. Over time, he became the most famous surrealist artist. Dali's work is everywhere, not just in galleries. For example, it was he who came up with the packaging for Chupa-Chups.

25x33 cm
1929
price
$20.6 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1929, the poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Gala came to visit the great provocateur and brawler Dali. The meeting was the beginning of a love story that lasted more than half a century. The painting "Portrait of Paul Eluard" was painted just during this historic visit. “I felt that I was entrusted with the duty to capture the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I stole one of the muses,” the artist said. Before meeting Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of having sex with a woman. Love triangle existed until the death of Eluard, after which he became the Dali-Gala duet.

30

"Anniversary"

Author

Marc Chagall

Country Russia, France
Years of life 1887–1985
Style avant-garde

Moishe Segal was born in Vitebsk, but in 1910 he emigrated to Paris, changed his name, and became close to the leading avant-garde artists of the era. In the 1930s, when the Nazis seized power, he left for the United States with the help of an American consul. He returned to France only in 1948.

80x103 cm
1923
price
$14.85 million
sold in 1990
at Sotheby's auction

The painting "Jubilee" is recognized as one of the best works of the artist. It has all the features of his work: the physical laws of the world are erased, the feeling of a fairy tale is preserved in the scenery of petty-bourgeois life, and love is in the center of the plot. Chagall did not draw people from nature, but only from memory or fantasizing. The painting "Jubilee" depicts the artist himself with his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been bid since. Interestingly, the New York Museum of Modern Art MoMA keeps exactly the same, only under the name "Birthday". By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.

draft prepared
Tatyana Palasova
rating compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine №13 (May-June 2013)

Art is almost as old as humanity itself, and countless unique works have been created over the centuries of our existence.

It would probably be too bold to make a list of the most outstanding masterpieces, because the criteria for evaluating creativity are too subjective. That is why our rating contains paintings and sculptures that are certainly the most recognizable in the world, which does not mean at all that they are somehow better than other brilliant works.
What creations are the most famous? Find out right now! Perhaps you are not familiar with everyone, and it's time to test your erudition and horizons.

25. Bathers by Paul Cézanne

This painting is considered a real masterpiece of modern art. "Bathers" is one of the most famous works Paul Cezanne. For the first time, the work was presented to the general public at an exhibition in 1906. Oil painting Cezanne paved the way for the artists of the future, allowing them to move away from traditional patterns, and built a bridge between post-impressionism and the art of the 20th century.

24. Discus Thrower by Miron

"Discobolus" - legendary greek statue, executed by the famous Greek sculptor Myron from Eleutherae (Eleutherae) in the period from about 460 to 450 BC. e. The Romans admired the work a lot, and they even made several copies of this sculpture before its original disappeared without a trace. Subsequently, "Discobolus" became a symbol of the Olympic Games.

23. Apollo and Daphne by Bernini

"Apollo and Daphne" is a sculpture in life size, created by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini around 1622-1625. The masterpiece depicts a half-naked woman trying to escape her pursuer. The sculpture clearly demonstrates the high skill of its creator, who recreated the climax famous history Ovid (Ovid) about Daphne and Phoebus (Daphna, Phoebus).

22. Night Watch by Rembrandt

A masterpiece by the internationally acclaimed Danish artist Rembrandt, The Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings of the 17th century. The work was completed in 1642 and commissioned to depict a group portrait of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg (Frans Banning Cocq, Willem van Ruytenburgh). Today, the painting adorns the exhibition of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

21. Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens

“The Massacre of the Innocents” is a picture that tells about the terrible order of the Jewish king Herod, by whose command all the babies of Bethlehem and its environs up to 2 years old were killed. The tyrant believed in the prediction that the day was coming when the King of Israel would remove him from the throne, and he hoped that his future rival would be among the children killed. A representative of the Flemish baroque, Rubens wrote two versions of the famous biblical story with a difference of 25 years. The first version of the picture is now in front of you, and it was painted between 1611 and 1612.

20. Campbell - Onion Soup with Beef by Warhol

Written American artist Andy Warhol in 1962, Campbell's Onion Soup with Beef is one of the most famous examples of contemporary art. In his work, Warhol masterfully demonstrated the monotony of the advertising industry by reproducing many copies of the same product on his giant canvas. Warhol also said that he ate these soups every day for 20 years. Perhaps that is why the can of onion soup became the object of his famous work.

19. Starry Night by Van Gogh

Oil painting " Starlight Night"is by the Danish Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh, who completed this legendary work in 1889. The artist was inspired to write the picture, looking at the night sky through the window of his room in the Saint-Paul hospital, the city of Saint-Remy, Southern France (Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Remy). It was there that the famous creator at one time sought rest from the emotional suffering that haunted him until the end of his days.

18. Rock paintings of Chauvet cave

The drawings discovered in the south of France in the Chauvet cave are one of the most famous and best preserved prehistoric masterpieces of world art. The age of these works is approximately 30,000 - 33,000 years. The walls of the cave are masterfully depicted with hundreds of prehistoric animals, including bears, mammoths, cave lions, panthers and hyenas.

17. Kiss by Rodin

The Kiss is a marble statue created by the eminent French sculptor Auguste Rodin in 1889. The plot of the masterpiece was inspired by the author sad story Paolo and Francesca, characters from the legendary work of Dante Alighieri "The Divine Comedy" (Paolo, Francesca, Dante Alighieri). The lovers were killed by Francesca's husband, who suddenly caught the young people when the boy and girl, enchanted by each other, exchanged their first kiss.

16. Manneken Pis, author unknown

"Manneken Pis" or "Manneken Pis" is a small bronze sculpture that has become a real attraction of the fountain in the center of Brussels. The original authorship of the work is unknown, but in 1619 it was finalized by the Belgian sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy. Business card city, "Manneken Pis" was allegedly installed in memory of the events of the Grimbergen War, during which a pissing baby, according to one version, urinated on soldiers, and according to another, he extinguished enemy ammunition that threatened to destroy the whole city. On holidays, the sculpture is dressed up in themed costumes.

15. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Painted in 1931 by the famous Spanish painter Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable masterpieces of Surrealist art in the history of painting. The work depicts a gloomy sandy shore strewn with melting clocks. For such an unusual plot, Dali was inspired by the theory of relativity of Albert Einstein.

14. Pieta or Lamentation of Christ by Michelangelo

The Pieta is a famous Renaissance sculpture created by the Florentine artist Michelangelo between 1498 and 1500. The work describes a biblical scene - Mary holds in her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the cross. Now the sculpture is in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Pieta is the only work by Michelangelo that he signed.

13. Water Lilies by Claude Monet

"Water Lilies" is a series of about 250 oil paintings, and the authorship of which belongs to the world famous French impressionist Claude Monet. The collection of these works is recognized as one of the most outstanding achievements of art of the early 20th century. If you place all the paintings together, it creates the illusion of an endless landscape filled with water lilies, trees and clouds reflected in the water.

12. Scream by Edvard Munch

The Scream is an iconic masterpiece by the Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch. He wrote 4 different versions this story between 1893 and 1910. The famous work of the artist was inspired by the real experiences of the author associated with a walk in nature, during which Munch was abandoned by his companions (they are also depicted in the picture in the background).

11. Moai, author unknown

Moai statues are massive stone monoliths discovered on Easter Island in pacific ocean, Western Polynesia. The statues are also known as Easter Island Heads, but in fact they all have bodies hidden underground. The Moai statues date from about 1400-1650 and were supposedly carved from stone by aborigines who once lived on the island of Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui, the local name for Easter Island). In total, about 1000 such gigantic masterpieces of antiquity were discovered in this area. The mystery of their movement around the island is still unsolved, and the heaviest figure weighs about 82 tons.

10. Thinker, by Rodin

The Thinker is the most famous work of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The author completed his masterpiece in 1880 and originally called the sculpture "The Poet". The statue was part of a composition called "The Gates of Hell" and personified Dante Alighieri himself, the author of the famous " Divine Comedy". According to Rodin's original idea, Alighieri leans over the circles of Hell, reflecting on his work. Subsequently, the sculptor rethought the character and made him a universal image of the creator.

9. Guernica by Pablo Picasso

An oil painting the size of an entire fresco, Guernica is one of the most famous works eminent Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The black and white painting is Picasso's reaction to the Nazi bombardment of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The masterpiece demonstrates all the tragedy, the horrors of war and the suffering of all innocent citizens in the face of just a few characters.

8. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

You can admire this picture today while visiting the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Santa Maria delle Grazie) in Milan. The legendary painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper is one of the most famous masterpieces in the world. The artist worked on this fresco from 1494 to 1498, and depicted on it the famous biblical scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ surrounded by his disciples, which is described in detail in the Gospel of John.

7. Statue of Liberty by Eiffel, Bartholdi

The iconic sculpture is located on New York's Liberty Island and was once a gift of friendship between the peoples of France and the United States. Today, the Statue of Liberty is considered an international symbol of freedom and democracy. The author of the composition was the French sculptor Bartholdi, and it was designed and built by the architect Gustav Eiffel. The gift was presented on October 28, 1886.

6. Hermes with the baby Dionysus or Hermes Olympus, by Praxiteles (Praxiteles)

Hermes with the Infant Dionysus is an ancient Greek sculpture discovered during an 1877 excavation in the middle of the ruins of a temple of the goddess Hera in Greece. Right hand Hermes is lost, but archaeologists believe that according to the plot, the god of trade and athletes kept a vine in it, showing it to the infant Dionysus, the god of wine, orgies and religious ecstasy.

5. Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

The Creation of Adam is one of Michelangelo's most famous frescoes. It was created between 1508 and 1512 and is considered the most popular composition of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a cult Catholic center located in the Vatican. The painting illustrates the moment of the biblical creation of the first man in history, described in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament.

4. Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite from the island of Milos

"Venus de Milo" was born approximately between 130 and 100 BC and is one of the most famous ancient Greek sculptures. The marble statue was discovered in 1820 on the island of Milos (Milo), which is part of the Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea. The identity of the heroine has not yet been precisely established, but the researchers suggest that the author of the masterpiece carved out of stone exactly Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, who was often depicted as half-naked. Although there is a version that the statue is molded in the image of the sea goddess Amphitrite, who was especially revered on the island where the artifact was found.

3. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

"The Birth of Venus" - work Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, painted between 1482 and 1485, and is considered one of the most famous and valuable masterpieces of art in the world. The painting illustrates a scene from Ovid's famous poem Metamorphoses, in which the goddess Venus first comes ashore from the sea foam. The work is on display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

2. David by Michelangelo

The legendary sculpture of the Renaissance was created between 1501 and 1504 by the brilliant creator Michelangelo. To date, "David" is considered the most famous statue in the world. This delightful masterpiece is the biblical hero David etched in stone. Artists and sculptors of the past traditionally depicted David during the battle, the victor over the formidable Goliath, a warlike husband and hero, but Michelangelo chose for his work the image of a charming young man who had not yet learned the art of war and murder.

1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Perhaps some of the works from this list were unknown to you, but Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is known to everyone. It is the most famous, most talked about, most celebrated and most visited painting in the world. The ingenious master wrote it in 1503-1506, and Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, posed for the canvas (Lisa Gherardini, Francesco del Giocondo). Famous for its enigmatic facial expression, the Mona Lisa is the pride of the Louvre, the oldest and richest museum in France and the world.

"Mona Lisa". Leonardo da Vinci 1503–1506

One of the most recognizable and famous paintings in the world, its full title is Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo. The portrait depicts the Italian Lisa del Giocondo, a representative of the middle class of the Renaissance, the mother of six children. The model has shaved eyebrows and hair on the top of the forehead, which corresponds to the Quattrocento fashion. Leonardo da Vinci attributed this portrait to his favorite works, often described it in his notes and undoubtedly considered it his best work. This picture rightfully tops the list of the most popular paintings in the world.

"The Birth of Venus". Sandro Botticelli 1482 - 1486

An excellent illustration of the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. Naked Venus heading towards earth in a shell, urged on western wind Zephyr, wind mixed with flowers - this symbolizes spring and beauty. On the shore, Aphrodite is met by one of the goddesses of beauty. After the creation of this painting, the artist Botticelli received worldwide recognition, his unique writing style helped him in this, he favorably differed from his contemporaries with his floating rhythms, which were not used by anyone except him.

"The Creation of Adam". Michelangelo 1511

Placed on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the fourth of nine works in the series. Michelangelo clarified the unreality of the symbiosis of the heavenly and the human, according to the artist, the image of God contains not a phenomenal heavenly power, but a creative energy that can be conveyed without touching.

"Morning in a pine forest". Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky 1889

"Girl on the Ball". Pablo Picasso 1905

A picture of contrasts. It depicts a halt of a traveling circus in a scorched desert. The main characters are also very contrasting: A strong, sad, monolithic man sits on a cube. At that time, a fragile and smiling girl is balancing near him, on a ball.

"The last day of Pompeii". Karl Bryullov 1833

During a visit to Pompeii in 1828, Bryulov made many sketches and sketches, he already knew what the final work would look like. The painting was presented in Rome, but then it was moved to the Louvre, where many critics and art historians admired Karl's talent. After this work, world classics came to him, but unfortunately, most of his work is associated only with this painting.

One of the most recognizable paintings

"Starlight Night". Vincent van Gogh 1889

iconic painting Dutch artist, which he wrote according to his memoirs (which is not typical for Van Gogh), because at that time he was in the hospital. After all, when the attacks of rage passed, he was quite adequate and could draw. For this, his brother Theo agreed with the doctors, and they allowed him to work with paints in the ward. Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? Read my article.

"The Ninth Wave". Ivan Aivazovsky 1850

One of the most famous paintings on the marine theme (marina). Aivazovsky was originally from the Crimea, so it is not difficult to explain his love for water and the sea. The ninth wave is an artistic image of inevitable danger and tension, you can also say: the calm before the storm.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" Jan Vermeer 1665

The cult scene of the Dutch artist, she is also called the Dutch Mona Lisa. This work is not entirely portraiture, but rather belongs to the “touch” genre, where the emphasis is not on the portrait of a person, but on his head. Girl with a pearl earring is popular in contemporary culture and several films have been made about her.

"Impression. Rising Sun Claude Monet 1872

The painting that gave rise to the genre of "impressionism". Popular journalist Louis Leroy, after visiting the exhibition with this work, smashed Claude Monet, he wrote: "wallpaper hanging on the wall, and they look more finished than this" Impression "". It is considered the canonical representative of the genre, more popular than many other paintings by great artists.

Afterword and a small request

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