Famous Historical Paintings

The Scream by Edvard Munch is a universal emblem of modern anxiety: a simple silhouette anyone can recognize. Its notoriety was amplified by its thefts (1994 and 2004), by the existence of several versions displayed in major museums, by its auction record (2012), and by being one of the most parodied images of the 20th and 21st centuries, even inspiring emojis and campaigns. Its ability to capture a collective feeling explains its ubiquity.

The international fame of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt is due to its having become the most recognizable image of Viennese Modernism and Art Nouveau. The radiant gold, inspired by Byzantine mosaics, makes it instantly stand out in any visual context, which has encouraged its mass reproduction on posters, stationery, textiles, and even jewelry. Permanently displayed at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, it is one of Vienna’s main tourist attractions. Moreover, its universal theme—romantic love—and its ornamental aesthetic have allowed it to be constantly reinterpreted in advertising campaigns, social media, and pop culture, securing it a lasting place among the most famous works in the world.

The Return of the Prodigal Son, although painted in the final years of Rembrandt’s life, remained relatively little known until it entered the collection of the Hermitage Museum in 1766, when it was acquired by Catherine the Great as part of a lot of European art aimed at culturally legitimizing the Russian court. In the 19th century, the Hermitage placed it in prominent galleries, enabling travelers, writers, and diplomats to disseminate it through chronicles and engravings. During the 20th century, its prestige was reinforced by its inclusion in scholarly publications that identified it as a synthesis of Rembrandt’s late style: loose brushwork, restrained composition, and profound spiritual depth. International dissemination multiplied with photographic reproductions after World War II, coinciding with renewed interest in Dutch Golden Age art. Its fame reached an even broader audience thanks to theologian Henri Nouwen’s book The Return of the Prodigal Son (1992), which turned the image into a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation in religious and educational contexts. Today, it is one of the most requested works on guided tours of the Hermitage and a regular reference in lectures, thematic exhibitions, and audiovisual material on Rembrandt.

Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh is famous because it distills the artist’s most recognizable and celebrated style: energetic brushstrokes, intense color contrasts, and a nature that seems to move and breathe. It represents the peak of his creative maturity and has become an iconic image of Post-Impressionism, cited and reproduced as an example of how Van Gogh transformed the landscape into an emotional experience.

Café Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh is famous not only for its vibrant palette and nocturnal atmosphere without black—achieved through deep blues and luminous yellows—but also because it anticipates the visual language that would make The Starry Night an icon. The work captures the warmth and bustle of an outdoor café, but also the artist’s fascination with artificial light and the starry sky. Its fame lies in that unique blend of urban intimacy and technical experimentation, which has made it one of the most beloved and reproduced images of Post-Impressionism.

Walk on the Beach by Joaquín Sorolla is famous for capturing, with unmistakable technical mastery, the light and movement of the Mediterranean. It depicts the artist’s wife and daughter walking along the shore, wrapped in white fabrics that seem to shimmer in the wind and sunlight. Its fame comes from how Sorolla brought Luminism to its highest expression, turning an intimate scene into a universal celebration of light and outdoor life.

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous painting due to a combination of extra-artistic factors: the 1911 theft that made it world news, its permanent display in the most visited museum (the Louvre) with massive queues, the enigma of the smile that fuels endless theories and articles, its omnipresence in schoolbooks and merchandising, and a history of tours and conservation measures that always make headlines. Moreover, it is the ultimate icon in memes and pop culture, constantly renewing its notoriety generation after generation.

The fame of Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez rests on the Prado’s “magnet effect” and its academic weight: it has been analyzed to exhaustion (from Foucault to school textbooks), reinterpreted by Picasso, and cited in debates on gaze, power, and self-representation. It is the quintessential "intellectual" work appearing in courses, documentaries, and exhibitions, and its compositional mystery makes it an obligatory reference in any ranking of celebrated works.