Art has accompanied man throughout his entire history, starting from the moment the first primitive brush was invented. Be it the cave paintings of Bhimbetka or the Mona Lisa in Paris, art has found its way everywhere. It doesn’t matter who and how ancient or modern art was created - every little episode in the life of any creative person has the right to be recorded in history. But among people there will definitely be a place for those who not only deserve this place, but are simply obliged to take it. Not because the works he created were incredibly complex, but because they made people feel real emotions. Meet the 15 greatest artists who ever lived.

1. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Anyone who showed at least some interest in art as a child has probably heard the name Picasso. The Spanish artist led a creative life, later becoming one of the most influential and famous artists 20th century. He not only painted pictures, but was also a sculptor, poet, and playwright. And all this is in addition to the huge number of his other activities. One of his best works can be considered “Guernica” (1937), created as a response to the bombing of the Basque city of Guernica by Nazi troops.

It was one of many bombings that lasted more than two hours and claimed thousands of innocent lives. Today the painting is a reminder of this tragedy and the consequences of the war for people, ordinary citizens in particular. After Picasso completed Guernica, the painting went on a short tour, becoming a popular anti-war symbol and gaining fame among critics and ordinary people alike.

2. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Vincent van Gogh - Dutch post-impressionist, considered to this day one of the most famous and influential artists Western art. He created about 2,000 works in a period of time of just over 10 years. Among them, about 800 were written in the last few years of his life. He committed suicide at the age of 37 due to severe mental illness and poverty.

“The Starry Night” (1889) is one of his most famous works, written while he was in a psychiatric hospital in France. It represents a view from a window of a fictitious village, over which a bright yellow sun rises. This is one of the most recognizable paintings not only in the art world, but throughout the world.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist, sculptor, mathematician and inventor, and was also engaged in research in architecture, science, music, engineering, astronomy, geology and many other fields. This is why he received the name “Renaissance Man”, as he had knowledge in almost every field available at that time. Probably his most famous painting can be called the “Mona Lisa” (1503-1506), which is considered the most visited, recognizable and parodied painting in its history.

The reason for her popularity is the elusive mystery, the mysterious smile of the girl depicted in the portrait. Many historians, when they first saw this painting, described it as something that no photograph could capture. The portrait is believed to depict Lisa del Giocondo, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The Italian title of the Mona Lisa is “La Gioconda,” which means “jocund” (happy or alive, which can be considered a pun on the family's surname, Giocondo. The French title of the painting, “La Joconde,” has the same meaning).

4. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Rembrandt van Rijn, better known simply as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Baroque artist. He was a master of his craft in three areas - drawing, painting and engraving. Due to his versatility, he is rightfully considered the greatest visual artist in the history of art. His versatility allowed him to paint everything from landscapes and portraits to historical events and biblical scenes.

One of his most popular works, “The Night Watch” (1642), is now in the Amsterdam State Museum. The painting is notable for three qualities: its size (about 360 centimeters wide and 430 centimeters high), the play of movement in a traditionally still military portrait, and the use of light and shadow, in which Rembrandt was exceptionally experienced and skillful.

5. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Johannes Vermeer was another Dutch artist who specialized in depicting the interiors of poor houses and the lives of the middle class. Although he was not recognized during his lifetime, his works were rediscovered in 1860.

Then some of his paintings were mistakenly attributed to other artists, but soon the true author was established thanks to the painstaking work of art critics and historians. To date, 34 works by Vermeer are known. The most famous of his paintings is “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (1665). The portrait is notable for the living, breathing look of a European girl dressed in exotic clothing, as well as an unusually large polished earring, believed to be a pearl.

6. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

A rival of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo was also considered a Renaissance man for his skills in sculpture, painting and poetry. His influence and contribution to the development of Western art is unparalleled to this day. His most famous creation is considered the Statue of David (1501-1504), a 17-meter marble sculpture of the biblical hero of the same name, a favorite of Florentine artists of the time.

The statue eventually came to symbolize the civil liberties that were under threat in the Republic of Florence, a city that rivaled all the powerful cities of the time and opposed their political hegemony.

7. Edvard Munch (1863-1944)

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist painter and printmaker. It is known for its psychological themes and overtones, which are heavily influenced by 19th century symbolism. His work greatly influenced German expressionism of the early 20th century.

His most famous and recognizable painting is “The Scream” (1893-1910), which has four separate versions in two different options: made in oil and pastel. The painting is notable for its painful and harsh, but at the same time tastefully chosen colors, and the frozen emotion depicted on a highly simplistic face against a bright orange background.

8. Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

One of the most famous artists of the surrealist movement, Dali is best known for his absurdly whimsical aesthetic, which carries over from painting to painting. His art was an extension of himself, but given his Spanish expressiveness and love of attention, he was no less renowned for his eccentric behavior. His most famous work"The Persistence of Memory" (1931).

One interpretation of the picture is how time begins to melt away as soon as a person falls asleep. When asked what exactly inspired Salvador Dali to paint this painting, he replied that the shape of the melting clock was inspired by Camembert cheese melting in the sun.

9. Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Claude Monet, often referred to as one of the founders of Impressionism, was a French artist and one of the most brilliant and talented pioneers of the French Impressionist movement. In fact, the term “Impressionism” itself was coined after he created a painting called “Impression, Soleil Levant” (“Impression, Sunrise”).

His most famous work is Water Lilies (1840 to 1926), a series of 250 paintings depicting the garden at the French artist's home in Giverny, France. This series was the main focus of the artist's work during the last 30 years of his life.

10. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)

Jackson Pollock was American artist and leader of abstract impressionism. He became famous for his unusual drip painting techniques, in which paint is poured or dripped onto the canvas. Pollock was notorious for his addiction to alcohol, which led to car accident, which took his life in 1956.

One of his most famous paintings- “No 5, 1948” (1948) is one of the most expensive paintings in the world. The artist showed immense control and discipline in an image full of chaos. The painting acquired the name “Bird's Nest”, thanks to the gray, brown, yellow and white colors entangled with each other.

11. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was one of the leaders of the Impressionist movement. The French artist is well known for his depictions of female sensuality and his worship of beauty. One of his most famous works is “Ball at the Moulin de la Galette” (1876), which in typical impressionist style captures the essence of the open-air party on Parisian Sunday evenings where the city's inhabitants could drink, dance, chat and be merry.

12. Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist artist, best known for his works of explicit eroticism, varied paintings, sketches and still lifes. Along with the image female body Klimt also painted landscapes and scenes, partly influenced by Japanese art. One of his most famous works is The Kiss (1907-1908), one of the gems of his golden period. This period of his work was defined by the spectacular use of gold tones in his work, often using real gold leaf.

13. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

One of the most powerful artists of her time, and remains so to this day, Frida Kahlo was a Mexican surrealist best known for her self-portraits of loneliness and detachment. Her works are regarded as symbolic for Mexican traditions, and are widely loved by feminists for their powerful and authentic portrayal of inner world women.

One of her most famous works is “Self-Portrait with a Necklace of Thorns and a Hummingbird” (1940). They are most notable as examples of her free use of symbolism. The spiked necklace and the lifeless hanging hummingbird may have symbolized her inner agony.

14. René Magritte (1898-1967)

René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist best known for his use of everyday objects to convey his ornate perception of the everyday world. He was also known for creating works that made the viewer think, encouraging them to break away from preconceived notions of reality.

One of his famous works that adheres to this principle is “The Treachery of Images” (928-1929), which is a smoking pipe with the inscription “Ceci n" est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe). And it really is not a pipe simply because that this is only her image. This technique and style of changing what we know as reality was common to all his works and ideas.

15. Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Andy Warhol was an American visual artist who is best known for his style called “pop art.” His work explored the relationships between the glamor film industry, advertising, popular culture and artistic expression.

His most famous work is Campbell's Soup (1962), which consists of 32 fragments, each 51 centimeters high and 41 centimeters wide. Each of the elements can be considered a separate picture. The custom pieces were produced using semi-automated screen printing, which greatly helped in the development of Pop Art and the convergence of popular culture with visual art as we know it today.

If you can't wait to fulfill your dream - to learn how to draw - then this series of video lessons is what you need for the first step.

The most famous artists of the 19th century created real masterpieces, which are now kept in many famous places. Their paintings amaze with their magnificence, it is fortunate that we have the opportunity to admire them. How many artists of that time do you know?

Kazimir Malevich

This man wrote a lot famous paintings. His paintings were first shown at an exhibition of the capital's artists' association when he was 28 years old. The works of Kandinsky and other authors were also shown there. Malevich is not the most famous artist in the world, but his fame resounded throughout Russia. Having become a member of the Diamond Knife community, he became the head of the domestic group of cubists. The artist wrote his first, rather unusual creations, distinguished by abstract geometric forms (this direction was called “Suprematism”), when he was 34 years old. The pictures turned out to be very interesting. Soon Malevich got a job as a teacher at the Vitebsk art school. Perhaps his most famous work is the painting “Black Square”.

Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh is probably the most famous artist in the world. It can be said without exaggeration that he was a brilliant impressionist. However, unfortunately, he received recognition only after his death.

Van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853. From an early age he was distinguished by a difficult character and slight oddities. Often he withdrew into himself, ignoring all manifestations of the outside world.

With age, he was increasingly overtaken by despondency, he had strange attacks - the disease followed on his heels. Occasionally, Van Gogh went to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

However, in the life of this master there was not only suffering - joyful events also happened. The only pity is that he did not become famous during his lifetime, that his paintings were recognized as masterpieces much later. Now people have fully appreciated his talent: the paintings of the great impressionist evoke genuine admiration. The most famous artist in the world was truly a gifted man.

Mikhail Vrubel

This is a domestic artist who created paintings in the Art Nouveau style. He was born in Omsk on March 5, 1856.

Vrubel's paintings were distinguished by their originality and originality. He came to such an interesting manner during the restoration of the Ukrainian St. Cyril Church, which lasted from 1884 to 1889. The painting “The Virgin and Child,” painted by the author at this time, is currently in the Museum of Russian Art. It is located in the capital of Ukraine. Of course, all famous Russian artists are worthy of respect, but Vrubel deserves real admiration - he is a genius.

Victor Vasnetsov

Viktor Vasnetsov is a famous Russian painter, one of the creators of the national-romantic version of Russian Art Nouveau. His paintings are particularly beautiful and harmonious.

The artist is considered the founder of the so-called Russian movement in European symbolism and Art Nouveau. Vasnetsov reinterpreted in one of his paintings the mysterious atmosphere of a romantic legend that can coexist with medieval motifs. However, often the poetic legends themselves become the main subject of his large canvases. Vasnetsov, of course, is not the most famous artist in the world, but still many people interested in art know about him.

Ivan Aivazovsky

Ivan Aivazovsky is a famous Russian artist who specialized in marine painting. He was born in 1817. His father was a merchant. A couple of years after the start of his studies, namely, in 1835, the young painter was awarded for his work. Soon the famous Philip Tanner begins to give him lessons. In 1837, Aivazovsky was awarded a gold medal, after which he went on a two-year journey through the Crimea and European countries.

After some time, the artist founded an art school in Feodosia. The money received for his paintings was used for this. This educational institution subsequently became the most important art center located in Novorossiya.

Now you know the names of famous artists who became famous thanks to their undoubted talent. It is recommended to visit the museum to see their paintings. But if this is not possible, then you can find their creations on the Internet, on various sites dedicated to art.

Today we will find out a list of the best artists in the world that every self-respecting person should know. Prepare to be surprised and delighted by how many wonderful and talented people who create a real tale around themselves! We will list the most prominent artists and take a very brief look at some of them. Forward!

Great Artists of the World

Let's start by getting to know the ten most outstanding artists:

• Henri Matisse.
• Vincent Van Gogh.
• Pablo Picasso.
• Ivan Aivazovsky.
• Isaac Levitan.
• Jackson Pollock.
• Nikas Safronov.
• Claude Monet.
• Francis Bacon.
• Andy Warhole.

The first is Henri Matisse, who discovered his talent completely by accident. His story is not like many typical stories, but is something very special. He began drawing at a conscious age. This happened after he, as a 20-year-old young man, had his appendix removed. Caring mother To brighten up my son’s everyday life, I decided to give him paints. That's when it all started. Henri became so interested in art that he decided to master professional skills.

The second famous artist is Claude Monet, who also had an interesting story, which will be discussed below. In no case should we forget about the genius of Pablo Picasso, who is known all over the world. The whimsical paintings of Vincent Van Gogh are also loved by many. We must also not forget about domestic artists - Ivan Aivazovsky deserves an honorable place on our list.

We will consider the listed creators below in more detail. In the meantime, we need to get to know the remaining top five! The great artists of the world, a list of which is simply impossible without the following geniuses, will begin with the name of Isaac Levitan. He is rightly called the discoverer of the beauty of Russian nature, which he depicted divinely. It was his works that showed the whole world that Russia is a real pearl. Jackson Pollock completely revolutionized the public's views on the world of art. Do you want to know what his secret was? The fact is that his works bore little resemblance to paintings! They looked more like paper stained with paint due to careless movement. And only the most observant viewer could see the whole world in Pollock’s paintings.

Our top also includes contemporary artist Nikas Safronov, who is famous for painting many portraits of famous personalities. We cannot forget about the iconic pop art figure Andy Warhol, who drew his inspiration from everyday things and created masterpieces. And the list is completed by the expressionist artist Francis Bacon, who painted the human body. It is impossible to take your eyes off his works, it is impossible to remain indifferent.

Ivan Aivazovsky

The great artists of the world, the list of which is above, are associated by many with the name of Ivan Aivazovsky. It is interesting that he was Armenian by origin, and his real name was Hovhannes. Creativity has been everything for Ivan since childhood. Even then he showed great interest and ability. In addition to drawing, he played the violin excellently. Marine motifs are very noticeable in his work, and for good reason, because he was famous amateur and a connoisseur of the sea. He depicted calm and violent seas, shipwrecks, calms, breezes, etc. Just look at his paintings “Ice Mountains”, “Black Sea” and “Wave”.

Vincent Van Gogh

The great artists of the world and their paintings are a real treasure for all humanity. What a joy that anyone can admire the creations of the greats! Our next hero is Vincent Van Gogh, an artist from the Netherlands. He created a huge number of paintings that can be enjoyed forever. His works are full of secrets, riddles and parallels. He began painting as an adult. In his youth, he was rather reserved and modest, often silent and flighty in his thoughts. When he went to work, a thirst for drawing awoke in him. It so happened that every day he could observe the best works of art. This pastime left an imprint on his future work. After a painful failure in love, he decided to test himself, and it turned out that he was really great at drawing! After some hesitation, he left his previous place of work to devote himself entirely to his favorite business.

Pablo Picasso

As was said earlier, the great artists of the world and their paintings are a gift that people should cherish and pass on from generation to generation. The next great artist is Pablo Picasso. Everyone knows his name; only rare creators have achieved such popularity. It is interesting that his famous painting “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” is the most expensive painting in the world! He was not only talented artist, but also an excellent designer, ceramist and graphic artist. Moreover, it is simply impossible to imagine the art of the last century without this genius. You won’t believe it, but during his life he wrote 20 thousand works, each of which is a unique and charming world. This artist created from a very early age, and his father taught him his craft. Pablo Picasso looked for inspiration in the fairy tales that his mother wrote for him.

Henri Matisse

We talked a little about this artist at the very beginning. I would like to add that the boy’s father was categorically against such a “career.” The world's greatest artists have always found success through thorns. Despite the prohibitions, the young man still continued to gain experience. It is quite difficult to define his style; most of all, it is similar to impressionism. It is worth admitting that at first Henri Matisse only copied famous paintings, but then he began to create masterpieces himself. His most famous paintings are “The Joy of Life”, “Conversation” and “Parisian Dance”.

Claude Monet

The world's great artists often had difficult childhoods. Maybe after the difficulties experienced, a “second wind” opens? The famous artist Claude Monet was a difficult boy whom few people understood. During class, he painted the margins of his notebooks with caricatures of his teachers and his desk neighbors. Very quickly he became recognizable. At first people came to him to laugh, and then he began to take money for work. Claude Monet became a popular person who gave joy and laughter. Despite this, money was not an end in itself, and he earned pennies from it. After some time, he met a landscape painter who decided to take on the guy’s training. Only after this fateful meeting did his life change. Claude Monet truly loved nature and portrayed it masterfully.

Now we know the names of the great artists of the world. They should always be remembered, because these are the “pillars” of art on which modern culture rests. The great artists of the world have given us unforgettable masterpieces, for which we should say a huge thank you!

Great foreign artists

Foreign artists

Lorenzetti’s paintings harmoniously combined the traditions of Siena painting with its lyricism and the generality of forms and promising spatial construction characteristic of Giotto’s art. Although the artist uses religious and allegorical subjects, the features of contemporary life clearly appear in his paintings. The conventional landscape, characteristic of the paintings of the masters of the 14th century, is replaced by Lorenzetti with recognizable Tuscan landscapes. He paints very realistically vineyards, fields, lakes, sea harbors surrounded by inaccessible cliffs.

Eyck Van
Country: Netherlands

The city of Maaseik is considered the homeland of the Van Eyck brothers. Little information has been preserved about his older brother Hubert. It is known that it was he who began work on the famous Ghent Altar in the Church of St. Bavo in Ghent. Probably, the compositional design of the altar belonged to him. Judging by the surviving archaic parts of the altar - "Worship of the Lamb", figures of God the Father, Mary and John the Baptist, - Hubert can be called a master of the transition period. His works had many similarities with the traditions of late Gothic (abstract and mystical interpretation of the theme, conventionality in the transfer of space, little expressed interest in the image of man).

Foreign artists

Albrecht Durer, the great German artist, the largest representative of Renaissance culture in Germany. Born in Nuremberg in the family of a goldsmith, a native of Hungary. Initially he studied with his father, then with the Nuremberg painter M. Wolgemut (1486-89). During his years of study and during his wanderings in Southern Germany (1490-94), during a trip to Venice (1494-95), he absorbed the heritage of the 15th century, but nature became his main teacher.

Bosch Hieronymus
(1450-1516)
Country: Germany

Bosch Hieronymus, the great Dutch painter. Born in Herzogenbosch. His grandfather, grandfather's brother and all five uncles were artists. In 1478, Bosch married a wealthy patrician Aleid van Merwerme, whose family belonged to the highest aristocracy. There were no children from this marriage, and it was not particularly happy. Nevertheless, he brought material prosperity to the artist, and, not yet becoming quite famous, Bosch could afford to paint the way he wanted.

Botticelli Sandro
(1445-1510)
Country: Italy

Real name - Alessandro da Marianno di Vanni di Amedeo Filipepi, great Italian painter of the Renaissance. Born in Florence into a tanner's family. Initially, he was apprenticed to a certain Botticelli, a goldsmith, from whom Alessandro Filipepi received his surname. But the desire for painting forced him in 1459-65 to study with the famous Florentine artist Fra Philippe Lippi. Early works Botticelli ( "Adoration of the Magi", "Judith and Holofernes" and especially the Madonna - "Madonna Corsini", "Madonna with a Rose", "Madonna with Two Angels") were written under the influence of the latter.

Verrocchio Andrea
(1435-1488)
Country: Italy

Real name - Andrea di Michele di Francesco Cioni, an outstanding Italian sculptor. Born in Florence. He was a famous sculptor, painter, draftsman, architect, jeweler, and musician. In each genre he established himself as a master innovator, not repeating what his predecessors did.

Carpaccio Vittore
(c. 1455 / 1465 - c. 1526)
Country: Italy

Carpaccio Vittore (c. 1455 / 1465 - c. 1526) - Italian painter. Born in Venice. He studied with Gentile Bellini and was strongly influenced by Giovanni Bellini and partly by Giorgione. Carefully observing the events of modern life, this artist knew how to imbue his religious compositions with a lively narrative and many genre details. In fact, he created an encyclopedia of the life and customs of Venice in the 15th century. They say about Carpaccio that this master is “still at home in Venice.” And even the very idea of ​​Venice is inseparably linked with the memory of the greenish paintings of the brilliant draftsman and colorist, as if visible through sea water.

Leonardo da Vinci
(1452 - 1519)
Country: Italy

One of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists, Leonardo da Vinci was also an outstanding scientist, thinker and engineer. All his life he observed and studied nature - the heavenly bodies and the laws of their movement, mountains and the secrets of their origin, water and winds, the light of the sun and the life of plants. Leonardo also considered man as part of nature, whose body is subject to physical laws and at the same time serves as a “mirror of the soul.” He showed his inquisitive, active, restless love for nature in everything. It was she who helped him discover the laws of nature, to put its forces at the service of man, it was she who made Leonardo the greatest artist, with equal attention capturing a blooming flower, an expressive gesture of a person and a foggy haze covering distant mountains.

Michelangelo Buonarroti
(1475 - 1564)
Country: Italy

“No man has yet been born who, like me, would be so inclined to love people,” the great Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet Michelangelo wrote about himself. He created brilliant, titanic works and dreamed of creating even more significant ones. Once, when the artist was at the marble mining in Carrara, he decided to carve a statue from an entire mountain.

Rafael Santi
(1483 - 1520)
Country: Italy

Raphael Santi, the great Italian High Renaissance painter and architect. Born in Urbino in the family of G. Santi, the court artist and poet of the Duke of Urbino. He received his first painting lessons from his father. When he died, Raphael moved to T. Viti's studio. In 1500 he moved to Perugio and entered Perugino's workshop, first as an apprentice and then as an assistant. Here he learned the best features of the style of the Umbrian school of Painting: the desire for an expressive interpretation of the subject and the nobility of forms. Soon he brought his skill to the point where it became impossible to distinguish a copy from the original.

Titian Vecellio
(1488- 1576)
Country: Italy

Born in Pieve di Cadoro, a small town on the border of the Venetian possessions in the Alps. He came from the Vecelli family, very influential in the town. The artist's father rendered great services to the Republic of St. Mark during the war between Venice and Emperor Maximilian.

Foreign artists

Rubens Peter Paul, the great Flemish painter. “The King of Painters and the Painter of Kings” was called by the contemporaries of the Fleming Rubens. In one of the most beautiful corners of Antwerp, there is still “Rubens-Hughes” - the artist’s house, built according to his own design, and workshop. About three thousand paintings and many wonderful drawings came from here.

Goyen Jan van
(1596-1656)
Country: Holland

Goyen Jan van is a Dutch painter. His passion for painting manifested itself very early. At the age of ten, Goyen began to study drawing with the Leiden artists I. Swanenburg and K. Schilperort. The father wanted his son to become a glass painter, but Goyen himself dreamed of being a landscape painter, and he was assigned to study with the mediocre landscape artist Willem Gerrits in the city of Goorn.

Segers Hercules
(1589/1590 - ca. 1638)
Country: Holland

Segers Hercules - Dutch landscape painter and graphic artist. He studied in Amsterdam with G. van Koninksloo. From 1612 to 1629 he lived in Amsterdam, where he was accepted into the guild of artists. Visited Flanders (c. 1629-1630). From 1631 he lived and worked in Utrecht, and from 1633 - in The Hague.

Frans Hals
(c. 1580-1666)
Country: Holland

Decisive role in addition national art The early stage of development of the Dutch art school was influenced by the work of Frans Hals, its first great master. He was almost exclusively a portrait painter, but his art meant a lot not only to portrait painting Holland, but also for the formation of other genres. In Hals’s work, three types of portrait compositions can be distinguished: a group portrait, a commissioned individual portrait, and a special type of portrait images, similar in nature to genre painting, which he cultivated mainly in the 20s and early 30s.

Velazquez Diego de Silva
(1559-1660)
Country: Spain

Born in Seville, one of the largest artistic centers in Spain late XVI– beginning of the 17th century. The artist's father came from a Portuguese family that moved to Andalusia. He wanted his son to become a lawyer or a writer, but did not stop Velazquez from painting. His first teacher was Fr. Herrera Sr., and then F. Pacheco. Pacheco's daughter became Velazquez's wife. In Pacheco's workshop, Velazquez was busy painting heads from life. At the age of seventeen, Velazquez received the title of master. The career of the young painter was successful.

Country: Spain

El Greco
(1541-1614)
Country: Spain

El Greco, real name - Domenico Theotokopouli, great Spanish painter. Born into a poor but enlightened family in Candia on Crete. Crete at that time was the possession of Venice. He studied, in all likelihood, with local icon painters who still preserved the traditions of the medieval Byzantine art. Around 1566 he moved to Venice, where he entered Titian's workshop.

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi
(1573-1610)
Country: Italy

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi, an outstanding Italian painter. The emergence and flourishing of the realistic movement in Italian painting of the late 16th and early 17th centuries is associated with the name of Caravaggio. The work of this remarkable master played a huge role in the artistic life of not only Italy, but also other European countries. Caravaggio's art attracts us with its great artistic expressiveness, deep truthfulness and humanism.

Carracci
Country: Italy

Carracci, a family of Italian painters from Bologna in the early 17th century, the founders of academicism in European painting. At the turn of the 16th - 17th centuries in Italy, as a reaction to mannerism, an academic movement in painting took shape. Its basic principles were laid down by the Carracci brothers - Lodovico (1555-1619), Agostino (1557-1602) and Annibale (1560-1609).

Bruegel Pieter the Elder
(between 1525 and 1530-1569)
Country: Netherlands

Anyone who has read Charles de Coster’s wonderful novel “The Legend of Till Eulenspiegel” knows that the entire people took part in the Dutch revolution, in the struggle against the Spaniards for their independence, a cruel and merciless struggle. Just like Eulenspiegel, the largest Dutch artist, draftsman and engraver, one of the founders of realistic Dutch and Flemish art, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, was a witness and participant in these events.

Van Dyck Anthonys
(1599- 1641)
Country: Netherlands

Van Dyck Antonis, an outstanding Flemish painter. Born in Antwerp into the family of a wealthy businessman. Initially he studied with the Antwerp painter Hendrik van Balen. In 1618 he entered Rubens' workshop. I started my work by copying his paintings. And soon he became Rubens’s main assistant in carrying out large orders. Received the title of master of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp (1618).

Poussin Nicolas
(1594-1665)
Country: France

Poussin Nicolas (1594-1665), an outstanding French painter, a leading representative of classicism. Born in the village of Andely in Normandy in the family of a small landowner. Initially he studied in his homeland with the little-known, but quite talented and competent wandering artist K. Varen. In 1612, Poussin went to Paris, and there J. Aallemant became his teacher. In Paris he became friends with the Italian poet Marine.

XVII (17th century)

Foreign artists

Cape Albert Gerrits is a Dutch painter and etcher.

He studied with his father, the artist J. Cuyp. His artistic style was formed under the influence of the paintings of J. van Goyen and S. van Ruisdael. Worked in Dordrecht. Cuyp's early works, close to the paintings of J. van Goyen, are monochrome. He paints hilly landscapes, country roads running into the distance, poor peasant huts. The paintings are most often made in a single yellowish tonality.

Ruisdael Jacob van
(1628/1629-1682)
Country: Holland

Ruisdael Jacob van (1628/1629-1682) - Dutch landscape painter, draftsman, etcher. He probably studied with his uncle, the artist Salomon van Ruisdael. Visited Germany (1640-1650s). He lived and worked in Haarlem, and in 1648 became a member of the guild of painters. From 1656 he lived in Amsterdam, in 1676 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the Treasury and was included in the list of Amsterdam doctors.

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn
(1606-1669)
Country: Holland

Born in Leiden into a miller's family. The father's affairs went well during this period, and he was able to give his son a better education than other children. Rembrandt entered the Latin School. I studied poorly and wanted to take up painting. Nevertheless, he finished school and entered Leiden University. A year later I started taking painting lessons. His first teacher was J. van Swanenburg. After staying in his workshop for more than three years, Rembrandt went to Amsterdam to visit the historical painter P. Lastman. He had a strong influence on Rembrandt and taught him the art of engraving. Six months later (1623) Rembrandt returned to Leiden and opened his own workshop.

Terborch Gerard
(1617-1681)
Country: Holland

Terborch Gerard (1617-1681), famous Dutch painter. Born in Zwolle into a wealthy burgher family. His father, brother and sister were artists. Terborch's first teachers were his father and Hendrik Averkamp. His father forced him to copy a lot. He created his first work at the age of nine. At the age of fifteen, Terborch went to Amsterdam, then to Haarlem, where he came under the strong influence of Fr. Khalsa. Already at this time he was known as a master of the everyday genre, most willingly painting scenes from the life of military men - the so-called “guardhouses”.

Canalletto (Canale) Giovanni Antonio
(1697-1768)
Country: Italy

Canaletto's first teacher was his father, theater decorator B. Canale, whom he helped design performances in the theaters of Venice. He worked in Rome (1717-1720, early 1740s), Venice (from 1723), London (1746-1750, 1751-1756), where he performed works that formed the basis of his work. He painted ve-dutas - city landscapes, depicted streets, buildings, canals sliding along sea ​​waves boats.

Magnasco Alessandro
(1667-1749)
Country: Italy

Magnasco Alessandro (1667-1749) - Italian painter, genre painter and landscape painter. He studied with his father, the artist S. Magnasco, then with the Milanese painter F. Abbiati. His style was formed under the influence of the masters of the Genoese school of painting, S. Rosa and J. Callot. Lived and worked in Milan, Florence, Genoa.

Watteau Antoine
(1684-1721)
Country: France

Watteau Antoine, an outstanding French painter, with whose work one of the significant stages in the development of household painting in France is associated. Watteau's fate is unusual. During the years when he wrote his best works, neither in France nor in the neighboring countries was there a single artist who could compete with him. The titans of the 17th century did not live to see Watteau's era; those who followed him in glorifying the 18th century became known to the world only after his death. In fact, Fragonard, Quentin de La Tour, Perronneau, Chardin, David in France, Tiepolo and Longhi in Italy, Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough in England, Goya in Spain - all this is the middle, or even late XVIII century.

Lorraine Claude
(1600-1682)
Country: France

Lorrain Claude (1600-1682) - French painter. At an early age he worked in Rome as a servant for A. Tassi, then became his student. The artist began receiving large orders in the 1630s; his clients were Pope Urban VIII and Cardinal Bentivoglio. From that time on, Lorrain became popular in Roman and French circles of art connoisseurs.

XVIII (18th century)

Foreign artists

Gainsborough Thomas, an outstanding English painter, creator of the national type of portrait. Born in Sudbury, Suffolk, into the family of a cloth merchant. The picturesque surroundings of the town, located on the River Stour, attracted Gainsborough from childhood, who endlessly depicted them in his childhood sketches. The boy's passion for drawing was so great that his father, without hesitation for long, sent his thirteen-year-old son to study in London, which at that time had already become the center of artistic life.

Turner Joseph Mallord William
(1775-1851)
Country: England

Turner Joseph Mallord William was an English landscape artist, painter, draughtsman and engraver. He took painting lessons from T. Moulton (c. 1789), in 1789-1793. studied at the Royal Academy in London. In 1802 Turner became an academician, and in 1809 he became a professor in academic classes. The artist traveled extensively throughout England and Wales, visited France and Switzerland (1802), Holland, Belgium and Germany (1817), Italy (1819, 1828). His artistic style formed under the influence of C. Lorrain, R. Wilson and Dutch marine painters.

Johannes Vermeer of Delft
(1632-1675)
Country: Holland

Jan Vermeer of Delft is a great Dutch artist. Almost no information about the artist has survived. Born in Delft into the family of a burgher who owned a hotel. He also produced silk and sold paintings. Perhaps that is why the boy became interested in painting early. Master Karel Fabritius became his mentor. Vermeer soon married Katherine Bolney, the daughter of a wealthy burgher, and already in 1653 he was accepted into the Guild of St. Luke.

Goya y Lucientes Francisco Josse
(1746-1828)
Country: Spain

One day little Francisco, the son of a poor altar gilder from a village near spanish city Zaragoza, painted a pig on the wall of his house. A stranger passing by saw genuine talent in the child's drawing and advised the boy to study. This legend about Goya is similar to those told about other Renaissance masters when the true facts of their biography are unknown.

Guardi Francesco Lazzaro
(1712-1793)
Country: Italy

Guardi Francesco Lazzaro is an Italian painter and draftsman, a representative of the Venetian school of painting. He studied with his older brother, the artist Giovanni Antonio, in whose workshop he worked with his younger brother Niccolo. He painted landscapes, paintings of religious and mythological themes, and historical compositions. He worked on the creation of decorative decorations for the interiors of the Manin and Fenice theaters in Venice (1780-1790).

Vernet Claude Joseph
(1714-1789)
Country: France

Vernet Claude Joseph - French artist. He studied first with his father A. Vernet, then with L. R. Viali in Aix and with B. Fergioni, from 1731 in Avignon with F. Sovan, and later in Italy with Manglars, Pannini and Locatelli. In 1734-1753. worked in Rome. During the Roman period, he devoted a lot of time to working from life in Tivoli, Naples, and on the banks of the Tiber. He painted landscapes and sea views (“The seashore near Anzio”, 1743; “View of the bridge and the castle of St. Angel”, “Ponte Rotto in Rome”, 1745 - both in the Louvre, Paris; “Waterfall at Tivoli”, 1747; “Morning in Castellamare”, 1747, Hermitage, St. Petersburg; “Villa Pamphilj”, 1749, Pushkin Museum, Moscow; “Italian Harbor”, “Sea Shore with Rocks”, 1751; “Rocks at the Seashore”, 1753 - all in the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg). These works amaze with their virtuosity in conveying the light-air environment and lighting, authenticity and subtle observation.

Vernet Horace
(1789-1863)
Country: France

Verne Horace is a French painter and graphic artist. He studied with his father, Karl Vernet. Writing during the heyday of the art of romanticism, the artist uses in his works the means inherent in the romantics. He is interested in people at the mercy of natural elements, in extreme situations. Vernet depicts warriors fighting fiercely in battles, hurricanes and shipwrecks (“Battle at Sea”, 1825, Hermitage, St. Petersburg).

Delacroix Eugene
(1798 - 186)
Country: France

Born in Charenton in the family of a prefect. Received an excellent education. He studied painting first at the School of Fine Arts in Paris, then in the workshop of P. Guerin (1816-22), whose cold skill had less influence on him than the passionate art of the romantic T. Géricault, with whom he became close at the School. A decisive role in the formation of Delacroix’s painting style was played by copying the works of old masters, especially Rubens, Veronese and D. Velazquez. In 1822 he made his debut at Talon with a painting "Dante's Rook"(“Dante and Virgil”) based on the plot from the first song of “Hell” (“The Divine Comedy”).

Gericault Theodore
(1791-1824)
Country: France

Born in Rouen into a wealthy family. He studied in Paris at the Imperial Lyceum (1806-1808). His teachers were K.J. Berne and P.N. Guerin. But they had no influence on the formation of it artistic style- in the painting of Gericault, the tendencies of the art of A. J. Gros and J. L. David can be traced. The artist visited the Louvre, where he made copies of works by old masters; he was especially delighted with the paintings of Rubens.

Artvedia Art Gallery - biography of contemporary artists. Buy and sell contemporary paintings by artists from various countries.

Hiroshige Ando
(1797-1858)
Country: Japan

Born in Edo (now Tokyo) in the family of a minor samurai, Ando Genemon. His father held the position of foreman of city firefighters, and the family’s life was quite prosperous. Thanks to early training, he quickly learned to understand the properties of paper, brushes and ink. The general level of education at that time was quite high. Theaters, prints, and ikeba-fas were part of everyday life.

Hokusai Katsushika
(1760-1849)
Country: Japan

Hokusai Katsushika is a Japanese painter and draftsman, master of color woodcuts, writer and poet. He studied with the engraver Nakayama Tetsuson. He was influenced by the artist Shunsho, in whose workshop he worked. He painted landscapes in which the life of nature and its beauty are closely connected with the life and activities of man. In search of new experiences, Hokusai traveled a lot around the country, making sketches of everything he saw. The artist sought to reflect in his work the problem of the relationship between man and the nature around him. His art is permeated with the pathos of the beauty of the world and the awareness of the spiritual beginning that man brings to everything with which he comes into contact.

Foreign artists

Bonington Richard Parkes is an English painter and graphic artist. From 1817 he lived in France. He studied painting in Calais with L. Francia, and from 1820 he attended the School of Fine Arts in Paris, where his teacher was A. J. Gros. In 1822 he began exhibiting his paintings in the Paris Salons, and from 1827 he took part in exhibitions of the Society of Artists of Great Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Ensor James
(1860-1949)
Country: Belgium

Ensor James (1860-1949) - Belgian painter and graphic artist. The artist was born and raised in the port city of Ostend, where he spent almost his entire life. The image of this seaside town with narrow streets inhabited by fishermen and sailors, with annual Maslenitsa carnivals and the unique atmosphere of the sea often appears in many of his paintings.

Van Gogh Vincent
(1853- 1890)
Country: Holland

Van Gogh Vincent, the great Dutch painter, representative of post-impressionism. Born in the Brabant Village of Groot Zundert in the family of a pastor. From the age of sixteen he worked at a company selling paintings, and then as an assistant teacher at a private school in England. In 1878 he got a job as a preacher in a mining district in southern Belgium.

Anker Mikael
(1849-1927)
Country: Denmark

Anker Mikael is a Danish artist. He studied at the Academy of Arts in Copenhagen (1871-1875), as well as in the workshop of the Danish artist P. Kreyer. Later in Paris he studied in the workshop of Puvis de Chavannes, but this period was not reflected in his work. Together with his wife Anna he worked in Skagen, in small fishing villages. In his works, the sea is inextricably linked with images of Jutland fishermen. The artist depicts people in moments of their difficult and dangerous work.

Modigliani Amedeo
(1884-1920)
Country: Italy

How subtly and elegantly Anna Akhmatova spoke about Amedeo Modigliani! Of course, she was a poet! Amedeo was lucky: they met in 1911, in Paris, fell in love, and these feelings became the property of the art world, expressed in his drawings and her poems.

Eakins Thomas
(1844-1916)
Country: USA

He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1866-1869). The formation of his artistic style was greatly influenced by the work of the old Spanish masters, which he studied in Madrid. Since 1870, the painter lived in his homeland, in Philadelphia, where he was engaged in teaching activities. Already in the first independent work Eakins showed himself to be a realist (“Max Schmit in a Boat,” 1871, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; “On a Sailboat,” 1874; “Sailing Boats on the Delaware,” 1874).

Kent Rockwell
(1882-1971)
Country: USA

Kent Rockwell is an American landscape painter, draftsman, graphic artist, and writer. He studied with a representative of the plein air school of artist William Merritt Chace in Shinnecock on Long Island, then with Robert Henry at the School of Art in New York, where he also attended the classes of Kenneth Miller.

Homer Winslow
(1836-1910)
Country: USA

Homer Winslow is an American painter and draftsman. He did not receive a systematic education, having only mastered the craft of lithographer in his youth. In 1859-1861 attended evening drawing school at the National Academy of Arts in New York. Since 1857, he made drawings for magazines; during the Civil War (1861-1865) he collaborated in the illustrated weekly publication Harpers Weekly, for which he made realistic drawings of battle scenes, distinguished by expressive and strict forms. In 1865 he became a member of the National Academy of Arts.

Bonnard Pierre
(1867-1947)
Country: France

Bonnard Pierre - French painter, draftsman, lithographer. Born in the vicinity of Paris. In his youth he studied law, while also studying drawing and painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian. He was interested in Japanese prints. Together with the artists E. Vuillard, M. Denis, P. Sérusier, they formed the core of a group that called itself “Nabi” - from the Hebrew word for “prophet”. The members of the group were supporters of a symbolism that was less complex and literary than the symbolism of Gauguin and his followers.

Marriage Georges
(1882-1963)
Country: France

Braque Georges - French painter, engraver, sculptor. In 1897-1899 studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, then at the Ambert Academy and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1902-1903). His early work was marked by the influence of the Fauves, especially A. Derain and A. Matisse. It was during this period that the artist most often turned to the landscape genre: he painted harbors, sea bays with boats, and coastal buildings.

Gauguin Paul
(1848-1903)
Country: France

Gauguin Paul (1848-1903), outstanding French artist. Representative of impressionism. Born in Paris. His father was an employee of the moderate-republican newspaper Nacional. A change in political course forced him to leave his homeland in 1849. On a ship heading to South America, he died suddenly. Gauguin spent the first four years of his life in Lima (Peru) with his mother's relatives. At the age of 17-23 he served as a sailor, fireman, helmsman in the merchant and navy, sailed to Rio de Janeiro and other distant cities.

Degas Edgar
(1834-1917)
Country: France

Edgar Degas was a contradictory and strange person at first glance. Born into a banker's family in Paris. The scion of an aristocratic family (his real name was de Ha), he refused the noble prefix from a young age. He showed interest in drawing as a child. Received a good education. In 1853 he passed the exams for a bachelor's degree and began to study law. But already at that time he studied with the painter Barrias, then with Louis Lamothe. Like Edouard Manet, he was prepared for brilliant career, but he dropped out of law school for the School of Fine Arts.

Derain Andre
(1880-1954)
Country: France

Derain Andre - French painter, book illustrator, engraver, sculptor, one of the founders of Fauvism. He began painting in Chatou in 1895, his teacher was a local artist. In 1898-1900 studied in Paris at the Career Academy, where he met A. Matisse, J. Puy and A. Marquet. Very soon Derain left the academy and began studying on his own.

Daubigny Charles Francois
(1817-1878)
Country: France

Daubigny Charles Francois - French landscape painter, graphic artist, representative of the Barbizon school. He studied with his father, the artist E. F. Daubigny, then with P. Delaroche. Was influenced by Rembrandt. In the Louvre he copied the paintings of Dutch masters; he was especially attracted to the works of J. Ruisdael and Hobbema. In 1835-1836 Daubigny visited Italy, and in 1866 he went to Holland, Great Britain and Spain. But these trips were practically not reflected in the artist’s work; almost all of his works are devoted to French landscapes.

Dufy Raoul
(1877-1953)
Country: France

Dufy Raoul - French painter and graphic artist. He studied in Le Havre, in evening classes at the Municipal Art School, where Luyer taught (1892-1897). Here Dufy met O. J. Braque and O. Fries. During this period, he painted portraits of his family members, as well as landscapes similar to the paintings of E. Boudin.

Isabey Louis Gabriel Jean
(1803-1886)
Country: France

Isabey Louis Gabriel Jean (1803-1886) - French painter of the romantic movement, watercolorist, lithographer. He studied with his father, the miniaturist J.-B. Izabe. He was influenced by the painting of English marine painters and the small Dutch of the 17th century. Worked in Paris. In search of new impressions, Isabey visited Normandy, Auvergne, Brittany, Southern France, Holland, England, and as an artist accompanied an expedition to Algeria.

Courbet Gustave
(1819-1877)
Country: France

Gustave Courbet is an outstanding French painter, a wonderful master of realistic portraiture. “...never belonged to any school, to any church... to any regime, other than the regime of freedom.”

Manet Edouard
(1832-1883)
Country: France

Edouard MANET (1832-1883), an outstanding French artist who rethought the traditions of narrative realistic painting. “Brevity in art is both necessity and elegance. A person who expresses himself concisely makes one think; a verbose person is boring.”

Marche Albert
(1875-1947)
Country: France

Marche Albert (1875-1947) - French painter and graphic artist. In 1890-1895 studied in Paris at the School of Decorative Arts, and from 1895 to 1898 - at the School of Fine Arts in the workshop of G. Moreau. He painted portraits, interiors, still lifes, landscapes, including views of the sea, images of harbors and ports. In the landscapes created by the artist from the late 1890s to the early 1900s. the strong influence of the Impressionists is noticeable, in particular A. Sisley (“Trees at Billancourt”, ca. 1898, Museum of Art, Bordeaux).

Monet Claude
(1840-1926)
Country: France

Claude Monet, French painter, founder of impressionism. “What I write is a moment.” Born in Paris in the family of a grocer. He spent his childhood in Le Havre. In Le Havre he began making caricatures, selling them in a stationery shop. E. Boudin drew attention to them and gave Monet his first lessons in plein air painting. In 1859, Monet entered the Paris School of Fine Arts, and then the Gleyer atelier. After a two-year stay in Algeria for military service (1860-61), he returned to Le Havre and met Ionkind. Ionkind's landscapes, full of light and air, made a deep impression on him.

Pierre Auguste Renoir
(1841-1919)
Country: France

Pierre Auguste Renoir was born into the family of a poor tailor with many children and from the very beginning early childhood I learned to “live happily” even when there was no piece of bread in the house. At the age of thirteen, he already mastered the craft - he painted cups and saucers at a porcelain factory. He was wearing his work blouse, stained with paint, when he arrived at the School of Fine Arts. In Gleyre's atelier, he picked up empty paint tubes thrown by other students. Squeezing them to the last drop, he hummed something carefree and cheerful under his breath.

Redon Odilon
(1840-1916)
Country: France

Redon Odilon is a French painter, draftsman and decorator. He studied architecture in Paris, but did not complete the course. For some time he attended the School of Sculpture in Bordeaux, then studied in Paris in the studio of Jerome. As a painter, he was formed under the influence of the art of Leonardo da Vinci, J. F. Corot, E. Delacroix and F. Goya. Big role his life was played by the botanist Armand Clavo. Having a rich library, he introduced the young artist to the works of Baudelaire, Flaubert, Edgar Poe, as well as Indian poetry and German philosophy. Together with Clavo, Redon studied the world of plants and microorganisms, which was later reflected in his engravings.

Cezanne Paul
(1839-1906)
Country: France

Until now, one of the participants in the first exhibition on the Boulevard des Capucines, the most silent of the visitors to the Guerbois cafe, remained in the shadows - Paul Cézanne. It's time to get closer to his paintings. Let's start with self-portraits. Let's take a closer look at the face of this high-cheeked, bearded man, who looks either like a peasant (when he is wearing a cap) or like a scribe-sage (when his steep, powerful forehead is visible). Cézanne was both at the same time, combining the persistent work ethic of a peasant with the searching mind of a scientific researcher.

Toulouse Lautrec Henri Marie Raymond de
(1864-1901)
Country: France

Toulouse Lautrec Henri Marie Raymond de, an outstanding French artist. Born in Albi in the south of France into a family that belonged to the largest aristocratic family, which once led the Crusades. Since childhood, his talent as an artist has manifested itself. However, he took up painting after a fall from a horse (at the age of fourteen), as a result of which he became disabled. Soon after his father introduced him to Princeteau, Henri began to regularly come to the workshop on the rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. For hours he could watch the artist draw or write.

Foreign artists

Dali Salvador, great spanish artist, the largest representative of surrealism. Born in Figueres (Catalonia) in the family of a famous lawyer. At the age of sixteen, Dali was sent to a Catholic college in Figueres. The development of his personality was greatly influenced by the Pichot family. All family members owned musical instruments, organized concerts. Ramon Pichot is a painter who worked in Paris and knew P. Picasso closely. In the Pichots' house, Dali was engaged in drawing. In 1918, his first exhibition took place in Fegeras, which was favorably noted by critics.

Kalnins Eduardas
(1904-1988)
Country: Latvia

Kalnins Eduardas is a Latvian marine painter. Born in Riga into the family of a simple artisan, he began to draw early. Kalnins' first teacher was the artist Evgeniy Moshkevich, who opened a studio for aspiring painters in Tomsk, where the boy's family moved at the beginning of the First World War. After 1920, Kalnins returned to Riga with his parents and in 1922 entered the Latvian Academy of Arts. His teacher was Vilhelme Purvitis, a student of A.I. Kuindzhi.

"Card Players"

Author

Paul Cezanne

A 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 personal exhibition organized by collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts of his 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 artist’s only rule was the direct transfer of an object or plot onto the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment to the viewer. Cezanne combined in his art two main French traditions: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful textures, he gave the shape of objects amazing plasticity.

The series of five paintings “Card Players” was painted in 1890–1895. Their plot is the same - several people enthusiastically play 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 (Museum d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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 Georg 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 Acquavella 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. Journalist Alexandra Pierce reported this in Vanity Fair. 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 sheikh for this purpose.

The mostexpensive paintingin the world

Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani

The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for more than 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 has 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 country’s development and in creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have 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

A country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism

Jack the Sprinkler - this was the nickname Pollock was given by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured paint over the surface of the canvas or fiberboard during continuous movement around and inside them. From an early age, he was interested in 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
on the auction Sotheby's

The value of Pollock's work lies not in the result, but in the process. It is no coincidence that the author called his art “action painting.” With his light hand, it became the main asset of America. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand and broken glass, and painted with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, and a dustpan. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s imitators were found even 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, purchased it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby's auction 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 Lately collected works of modern art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a “big fish” as Pollock’s “Number 5”.

3

"Woman III"

Author

Willem de Kooning

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism

A native of the Netherlands, he immigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948, the artist’s personal exhibition took place. Art critics appreciated the complex, nervous black and white compositions, recognizing their author as a great modernist artist. He suffered from alcoholism for most of his life, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of his painting and 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
at private auction

In the 1950s, women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly facial features appeared in de Kooning’s paintings. "Woman III" became last job from this series participating in the auction.

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

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

4

"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I"

Author

Gustav Klimt

A 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. Ernest Klimt's three sons became artists, but only Gustav became famous throughout the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After his father's death, he became responsible for the entire family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Any viewer freezes in front of his paintings: frank eroticism is clearly visible under the thin strokes of gold.

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

The fate of the painting, which is called the “Austrian Mona Lisa,” could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The artist’s work caused a conflict between an entire state and one elderly lady.

So, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last wish was to hand over the painting to the Austrian state gallery. However, Bloch canceled the donation in his will, and the Nazis expropriated the painting. Later, the gallery found it difficult to buy " Golden Adele“, but then an heiress appeared - Maria Altman, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch.

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

5

"Scream"

Author

Edvard Munch

A country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism

Munch’s first painting, which became famous throughout the world, “The Sick Girl” (there are five copies) is dedicated to the artist’s sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch was always interested in the theme of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressive subjects, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take "Scream" for example.

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

The full title of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German as “the cry of nature”). The face of either a human or an alien expresses despair and panic - the same emotions the viewer experiences when looking at the picture. One of the key works of expressionism warns of 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 which he suffered all his life.

The painting was stolen twice from different museums, but was returned. Slightly damaged after the theft, The Scream was restored and was again ready for display at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work became a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of print copies of it, and the mask from the film “Scream” was made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.

Munch wrote four versions of the work for one subject: the one that is in a private collection is made in pastels. 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 “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 of past centuries.

6

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

Author

Pablo Picasso

A country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism

He is Spanish by origin, but by spirit and place of residence he is a true Frenchman. Own art studio Picasso discovered in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most of his life there. That is why his surname has a double accent. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the idea that an object depicted on canvas can only be viewed from one angle.

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

During his work in Rome, the artist met dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy and moved into a luxurious apartment with her. By that time, recognition had found the hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - out of 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 to a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait, depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The canvas was purchased by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg, and in 1951 he sold it to Sidney F. Brody. The Brodys showed the painting to the world only once and only because the artist was turning 80 years old. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Brody put the work up for auction at Christie’s in March 2010. Over six decades, the price has increased more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $106.5 million. In 2011, an “exhibition of one painting” took place in Britain, where it was released for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.

7

"Eight Elvises"

Author

Andy Warhole

A 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 art artist, director, 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 the I.Miller company. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting 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

The Warhol 60s was the name given to the era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory studio, where all the bohemians of New York gathered. Its prominent representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other famous personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tested the technique of silk-screen printing - repeated repetition of one image. He also used this method when creating “The Eight Elvises”: the viewer seems to be seeing footage from a movie where the star comes to life. Here there is everything that the artist loved so much: 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 former spent $200 million in 2008 to acquire more than 15 works by Warhol. The second one buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only at a higher price. But it was not they, but the modest French art consultant Philippe Segalot who helped the Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlinghieri sell “Eight Elvises” to an unknown buyer for a record amount for Warhol – $100 million.

8

"Orange,Red Yellow"

Author

Mark Rothko

A 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), into a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the USA. Rothko studied at the Yale University art department and won 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 shades, and in the 1960s they became brown and 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 color dissolving in the air, and nothing more. He recommended viewing the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer would be “drawn” into the color, like into a funnel. Be careful: viewing according to all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, the awareness of infinity, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, and purification gradually come. Color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (they say, sometimes healing). The artist declared: “The viewer should cry while looking at them,” and such cases actually happened. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people live the same spiritual experience as he did while working on the painting. If you were able to understand it on such a subtle level, you will not be surprised that these works of abstract art are often compared by critics to icons.

The work “Orange, Red, Yellow” expresses the essence of Mark Rothko’s painting. Its initial price at Christie’s auction in New York is $35–45 million. An unknown buyer offered a price twice the estimate. The name of the lucky owner of the painting, as often happens, is not disclosed.

9

"Triptych"

Author

Francis Bacon

A country
Great Britain
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism

The adventures of Francis Bacon, a complete namesake and also 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 tracks became confused throughout Europe. During his lifetime, his works were exhibited in 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 sought to possess Bacon's paintings, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said about him: “The man who paints these terrifying pictures.”

The artist himself considered the post-war period to be the starting period in his work. Returning from service, he took up painting again and created major masterpieces. Before the participation of “Triptych, 1976,” Bacon’s most expensive work was “Study for a Portrait of Pope Innocent X” ($52.7 million). In “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 torment. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives it special value and, accordingly, increases the cost. But what is a few million for an art connoisseur, and a generous one at that? Roman Abramovich began creating his collection in the 1990s, in which he was significantly influenced by his friend Dasha Zhukova, who became a fashionable gallery owner in modern Russia. According to unofficial data, the businessman personally owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, purchased 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 Arkadyevich again became the buyer.

10

"Pond with water lilies"

Author

Claude Monet

A 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 “Luncheon on the Grass” (the original version of the work by 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

In addition to the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also a keen gardener and 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 paintings of late Monet, the theme of water and life in it occupies a special place. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds he specially brought from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to draw. 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, time of year and weather, the appearance of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, he came to understand the essence of nature. Some of the paintings in the series are kept in leading galleries in the world: National Museum Western Art (Tokyo), Orangerie (Paris). A 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

A country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art

In 1949, Jones entered 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 honor in the United States.

137.2x170.8 cm
1959
price
$80 million
sold in 2006
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: a beer bottle, a flag or cards. There is no clear composition in the film False Start. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “wrongly” labeling the colors in the painting, inverting the very concept of color: “I wanted to find a way to depict color so that it could be determined by some other method.” His most explosive and “unconfident” painting, according to critics, was acquired by an unknown buyer.

12

"Seatednudeon the couch"

Author

Amedeo Modigliani

A country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism

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

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

In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hebuterne, who became his model and then his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $31.3 million, the last record before the sale of “Nude Seated 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 artist’s death. He died in poverty, sick with tuberculosis, and the next day Jeanne Hebuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.

13

"Eagle on a Pine"

Author

Qi Baishi

A country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style Guohua

Interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to painting. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. The Chinese Ministry of Culture awarded him the title of "Great Artist of the Chinese People", and 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 that 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 am afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China.” The composition “Eagle on a Pine” is recognized as the most a major work artist. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the work was purchased represents a record - 425.5 million yuan. The scroll of the ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian alone was sold for 436.8 million.

14

"1949-A-No. 1"

Author

Clyfford Still

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism

At the age of 20, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later he signed up for a course at the Student Arts League, but left 45 minutes after the class started - it turned out to be “not for him.” 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

Still bequeathed all his works, more than 800 canvases and 1,600 works on paper, to an American city where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but construction alone was expensive for the authorities, and to complete it, four works were put up for auction. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned again, which has increased their price in advance. The painting “1949-A-No.1” was sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale for a maximum of 25–35 million dollars.

15

"Suprematist composition"

Author

Kazimir Malevich

A country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style Suprematism

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

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

The painting was kept in the Amsterdam City Museum 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 announced even before the auction that it would not sell for less than $60 million. private collection. 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 the Phillips auction for $17 million.

16

"Bathers"

Author

Paul Gauguin

A 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 and became 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 organized a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to travel deep into the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which the subtle connection between nature and man is felt. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was 13-year-old Tahitian Tehura, which did not stop the artist from engaging in promiscuous relationships. Having contracted syphilis, he left for France. However, it was crowded for Gauguin 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 tablecloth in blue and pink tones"

Author

Henri Matisse

A country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style Fauvism

In 1889, Henri Matisse suffered an attack of appendicitis. When he was recovering from surgery, his mother bought him paints. At first, Matisse copied color postcards out of boredom, then he copied 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 Tablecloth in Blue and Pink” belonged to Yves Saint Laurent for a long time. After the death of the couturier, his entire art collection 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 tones,” 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. From the famous series of paintings painted on tablecloths, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.

18

"Sleeping Girl"

Author

RoyLee

htenstein

A 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 took art courses. In 1949, Lichtenstein received a Master of Fine Arts degree. His interest in comics and his ability to use irony made him a cult artist of the last century.

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

One day, chewing gum fell into Lichtenstein's hands. He redrew the picture from the insert onto canvas and became famous. This story from his biography contains the entire message of pop art: consumption is the new god, and there is no less beauty in a chewing gum wrapper than in the Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Lichtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, drew rasters, used screen printing and silk-screen 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

A country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism

My 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 Neoplasticism 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 20th century artists made a living from 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 are what inspired him the most! Painting “Victory. Boogie Woogie" - the best one example. The signature neat squares were achieved using adhesive tape, Mondrian’s favorite material. In America he was called “the most famous immigrant.” In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent released world-famous “Mondrian” dresses with large checkered prints.

20

"Composition No. 5"

Author

BasilKandinsky

A 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 Soviet power, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and not without difficulties emigrated to Germany.

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, and in Paris he freely participated in the 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,” said the artist. Unlike many of his followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if he were writing notes.

21

"Study of a Woman in Blue"

Author

Fernand Léger

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

Léger received an architectural education and then attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for Cubism, and in the 20th century was also successful as a sculptor.

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

David Norman, president of the international department of impressionism and modernism at Sotheby's, considers the huge amount paid for “The Lady in Blue” to be completely justified. The painting belongs to the famous Léger collection (the artist painted three paintings on the same subject, 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

A country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism

For German expressionism, Kirchner became an iconic person. However, local authorities accused him of adhering 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
on the auction Christie's

After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches of street scenes. He was inspired by the bustle and nervousness of the big city. In the painting, sold in 2006 in New York, the artist’s anxious state is especially acutely felt: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. It was the last work from the famous series sold at auction; the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, the Nazis treated Kirchner harshly: 639 of his works were removed from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.

23

"Vacationist"dancer"

Author

Edgar Degas

A country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism

Degas's history as an artist began with his work as a copyist at 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. Scenes from the lives of the dancers seem to have been spied on: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas’s gaze. “Resting Dancer” was 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 by the artist ever put up for auction. Degas paid great attention to frames, designed them himself and forbade them to be changed. I wonder what frame is installed on the painting sold?

24

"Painting"

Author

Joan Miro

A country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art

During civil war in Spain the artist was on the side of the Republicans. In 1937, he fled from the fascist regime to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro painted 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 title of the painting is “Blue Star”. The artist painted 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 works with garbage. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but, having coped with this, Miro created own myth- surreal abstraction. His “Painting” belongs to the cycle of “dream paintings”. At the auction, four buyers fought for it, but one phone call incognito resolved the dispute, and “Painting” became the artist’s most expensive painting.

25

"Blue Rose"

Author

Yves Klein

A 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 frame gilder, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and cheeky 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 monochromatic yellow, orange, and pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein was offended and next time 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 Klein blue.” The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings by exposing paper to the rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a person’s body on canvas. In a word, I experimented as best I could. To create “Blue Rose” I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and a natural sponge.

26

"In Search of Moses"

Author

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

A country Great Britain
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism

Sir Lawrence himself added the prefix “alma” to his surname so that he could be listed first in art catalogues. 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 his paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even carried out archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. Mythological subjects became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was extremely in demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is being revived, as evidenced by the cost of the painting “In Search of Moses,” which is seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.

27

"Portrait of a sleeping naked official"

Author

Lucian Freud

A 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 Great Britain. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection Museum 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

Bye fashion artists 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 fading flesh,” he said. Critics believe that all this is the “legacy” of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and sold successfully that experts began to doubt: do they have hypnotic properties? The Portrait of a Nude Sleeping Official, sold at auction, according to the Sun, was purchased by a connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

28

"Violin and Guitar"

Author

Xone Gris

A 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, Léger, and also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.

5x100 cm
1913
price
$28.642 million
sold in 2010
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 random stroke, which makes creativity similar to geometry. The artist created his own version of cubism, although he greatly respected Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the movement. The successor even dedicated his first work in the cubist style, “Tribute to Picasso,” to him. The painting “Violin and Guitar” is recognized as outstanding in the artist’s work. During his lifetime, Gris was famous and favored by critics and art critics. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.

29

"PortraitFields of Eluard"

Author

Salvador Dali

A 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 during this historic visit. “I felt that I was entrusted with the responsibility of capturing the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I stole one of the muses,” said the artist. Before meeting Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of sex with a woman. Love triangle existed until the death of Eluard, after which it became the Dali-Gala duet.

30

"Anniversary"

Author

Marc Chagall

A 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, during the seizure of power by the Nazis, he left for the United States with the help of the American consul. He returned to France only in 1948.

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

The painting “Anniversary” is recognized as one of the artist’s best works. It contains 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 bourgeois life, and love is at the center of the plot. Chagall did not draw people from life, but only from memory or imagination. The painting “Anniversary” depicts the artist himself and his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been auctioned since then. Interestingly, the New York Museum of Modern Art MoMA houses exactly the same one, only under the name “Birthday”. By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.

prepared the project
Tatiana Palasova
the rating has been compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine No. 13 (May-June 2013)