20 Beautiful and Famous Oil Paintings from top artists around the world

Famous Oil Paintings

Oil Painting is one of the most loved painting technique since the 15th century. Famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh started the trend and it's one of most loved art forms. The most famous oil paintings have been recreated several times by the current artists with very subtle changes and sometimes may go unnoticed to the untrained eye. The beautiful oil paintings by the famous artists are collectors items and some of them are owned by private persons and others can be viewed at Museums. Most of these artists have started their own art movements like impressionist, Cubism, expression, modern art, surrealism, fauvism and more. Did you know that Pablo Picasso founded many art movements like Cubism, symbolism and surrealism?

1. Starry Night - Vincent Van Gogh

starry night by vincent van gogh
The famous oil painting starry night was the work of Vincent Van Gogh in 1889. Currently this painting is located in the Museum of Modern Art. It's a beautiful night view of the Saint Remy de Provence at night.

 

2. Girl with a Pearl Earring - Johannes Vermeer

girl with pearl earring by johannes vermeer
Girl with a pearl earring is a famous oil painting work of Johannes Vermeer a dutch artist in 1665. Currently the painting is available for public view at Mauritshuis museum, Hague. The oil painting portrays a young woman wearing a large pearl earring.

 

3. Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci

monalisa by leonardo da vinci
Mona lisa by Italian artist, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most popular oil paintings in the world. Eventhough there are many speculations about the lady in the picture, it's one of the greatest works by the master artist Leonardo Da Vinci. It's available for public view at the Louvre mueseum, Paris.

 

4. Starry Night Over the Rhone- Vincent Van Gogh

starry night rhone by vincent van gogh

Starry Night Over the Rhone was a masterpiece oil painting by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. The view was from Place Lamartine and the night sky and stars provided an inspiration for his next masterpiece 'Starry Night in 1889'. You can see the beautiful reflections on the water and a couple taking a stroll near the lake.

 

5. The Night Watch- Rembrandt

night watch by rembrandt
The night watch is one of the greatest dutch oil paintings by Rembrandt. Rembrandt is believed to have a cameo role in this oil painting, it's not so easy to spot him, but you can see half an eye and beret, which is believed to be the artist. It was Rembrandt's greatest works and it was completed in 1642.

 

6. The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali

the persistence of memory surreal art by salvador dali
The persistence of memory is one of the great oil paintings by Salvador Dali. He seems intrigued by the modern day dynamics of time and space. This popular oil painting was completed within a span of five hours.

 

7. The Kiss - Gustav Klimt

kiss by gustav klimt

The Kiss is one of the greatest oil paintings of Gustav Klimt in 1908. Gustav Klimt is popular for his patterns and iconography in his paintings and it's his unique strait. He used gold leaves to give a shimmering effect to his paintings and till this date it's one of the most exquisite paintings.

 

8. Guernica - Pablo Picasso

guernica pablo picasso
Guernica is one of the greatest oil paintings works of famous artist Pablo Piccasso. He used two colors in this painting : Grey and White. It's termed as one of the most heart touching paintigs, because it's all about destruction and loss of life during the bombing of Guernica. This painting was created in 1937.

 

9. Last Supper - Jacopo Tintoretto

last supper by jacopo tintoretto
Last Supper is one of the greatest oil paintings during the renaissance period. It was completed between 1592 - 1594 by the Italian artist, Jacopo Tintoretto. It's currently placed in Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.

 

10. Whistler's Mother - James McNeil Whistler

whistlers mother by james mcneil whistler
Whister's Mother is a famous oil painting by James McNeil Whistler and it was completed in 1871. The palette choice for this painting was grey and black. The woman in the painting is the mother of the artist. Currently it's available for public view at Musee d'orsay, Paris.

 

11. Impression, Sunrise - Claude Monnet

impression sunrise by claude monnet
Impression - Sunrise by Claude Monnt is one of the first oil piantings which was said to have started the impression movement. The oil painting was completed in 1872 and currently it's placed in Musee Marmottan in Paris.

 

12. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - Georges Seurat

sunday afternoon island by georges pierre seurat
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is a famous oil painting of chicago based artist, Georges-Pierre Seurat. The name of the painting is very long, but the name is apt for the scene. The oil painting is currently placed in art institute of Chicago.

 

13. Irises - Vincent Van Gogh

irises by vincent van gogh
Irises by Vincent Van Gogh is a famous oil painting and was completed in the year 1889. It's currently available for public view at J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

 

14. Almond Blossoms - Vincent Van Gogh

almond blossoms by vincent van gogh
Almond Blossoms is a famous oil painting by Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh. The oil painting was completed in 1890 and currently located in Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

 

15. Arnolfini Portrait - Jan van Eyck

arnolfini by jan van eyck
Arnolfini Portrait is a famous oil painting on oak panel by Jan Van Eyck. Currently, the painting is available for public view at National Gallery, London.

 

16. Lady with an Ermine - Leonardo da Vinci

lady with an ermine by leonardo da
Lady with an Ermine is a famous oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci and it was completed in the year 1490. The oil painting is currently available for public view at the National Museum, Poland and it's a national treasure.

 

17. The Old Guitarist - Pablo Picasso

the old guitar by pablo picasso
The Old Guitarist is an oil painting by Pablo Picasso completed in the year 1903. It's quite popular for it's blue monochromatic theme and the subject is an old poor man hugging his guitar.

 

18. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee - Rembrandt Van Rijn

the storm on the sea of galilee
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a famous oil painting by Rembrandt Van Rijn and was completed in 1633. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston used to house this famous oil painting, but it has been missing since 1990.

 

19. American Gothic - Grant Wood

american gothic by grant wood
American Gothic is a famous oil painting by Chicago artist, Grant Wood. The oil painting is currently available for public view at Art Institute of Chicago.

 

20. The Hay Wain - John Constable

hay wain by john constable
The Hay Wain is a famous oil painting, work on canvas, completed in 1821 by John Constable. The oil painting is currently available for public view at National Gallery, London.