Where Are the Worlds Most Famous Pieces of Art?

Every yr, billions of dollars' worth of fine art passes through international sale houses, while leading museums each concord tens of thousands -- fifty-fifty hundreds of thousands -- of artworks in their collections. But precious few ever achieve the fame required to truly exist considered household names.

As "famous" is a subjective term, CNN Style turned to Google to see which paintings topped search results worldwide over the past 5 years.

We compared dozens of pop masterpieces -- from classics such as "Mona Lisa," "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and the "Salavator Mundi," to more than modern works like "Nighthawks" and fifty-fifty the "Dogs Playing Poker" series.

Based on those results, these are the world's 10 most searched-for paintings:

1. 'Mona Lisa'

If y'all had any doubts about the wild popularity of "Mona Lisa," the crowds at the Louvre will convince you.

Credit: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated date: 1503 to 1519
Where to see it: Louvre Museum (Paris)

It should come as no surprise that the most famous painting in the world is that mysterious woman with the enigmatic grinning. But that's i of the few certainties near this work of art.

The sitter in the painting is thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florence merchant Francesco del Giocondo, but experts aren't certain. It did represent an innovation in fine art -- the painting is the primeval known Italian portrait to focus and then closely on the sitter in a half-length portrait, according to the Louvre, where information technology was offset installed in 1804.

Did y'all know? Before the 20th century, historians say the "Mona Lisa" was little known outside art circles. Just in 1911, an ex-Louvre employee pilfered the portrait and hid information technology for two years. That theft helped cement the painting's identify in popular civilization ever since and exposed millions to Renaissance art.

2. 'The Last Supper'

Visitors take photos of "The Last Supper" ("Il Cenacolo or L'Ultima Cena") at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italia.

Credit: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

Creative person: Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated appointment: 1495 to 1498
Where to run into it: Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)

Leonardo, the original "Renaissance Man," is the but artist to appear on this list twice.

Painted in an era when religious imagery was still a dominant creative theme, "The Last Supper" depicts the last time Jesus broke breadstuff with his disciples before his crucifixion.

The painting is actually a huge fresco -- 4.vi meters (15 feet) high and 8.8 meters (28.nine feet) broad, which makes for a memorable viewing.

Did yous know? The fresco has survived two wartime threats -- Napoleon's troops used the wall of the refectory on which the fresco was painted every bit target practice. Information technology also was exposed to the air for several years when bombing during World War Ii destroyed the roof of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

3. 'The Starry Night'

Tourists expect at "The Starry Dark" by Vincent Van Gogh at Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Credit: Victor Fraile Rodriguez/Corbis/Getty Images

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Date: 1889
Where to meet information technology: Museum of Modern Art (New York City)

The comparatively abstruse painting is the signature case of van Gogh'southward innovative and bold use of thick brushstrokes. The painting'south striking dejection and yellows and the dreamy, swirling temper take intrigued art lovers for decades.

Did yous know? Van Gogh was living in an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France, being treated for mental illness, when he painted "The Starry Night." He was inspired by the view from the window of his room.

4. 'The Scream'

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch is installed for a special exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Fine art Museum.

Credit: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

Creative person: Edvard Munch
Date: 1893
Where to encounter it: National Museum (Oslo, Norway -- opening in 2020) and Munch Museum (Oslo -- through May 2020)

Starting time things get-go -- "The Scream" is not a single piece of work of fine art. According to a British Museum'southward blog, there are two paintings, two pastels and so an unspecified number of prints. The paintings reside in the National Museum and the Munch Museum, and in 2012, one of the pastels sold for almost $120 million at auction.

Much like the instance of "Mona Lisa," daring thefts (1994 and 2004) of the ii painting versions of "The Scream" helped drag the public'south awareness of the artworks. (Both were somewhen plant).

Did you know? The androgynous figure in the forefront of the Fine art Nouveau-mode painting isn't producing the scream just rather is trying to block out a piercing shriek coming from nature. It was inspired by an actual experience Munch had while taking in a sunset stroll in Oslo when a dramatic blood-red hue overwhelmed his senses.

5. 'Guernica'

View of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain.

Credit: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Artist: Pablo Picasso
Date: 1937
Where to see it: Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid)

This is the most recent painting on this listing, and it depicts the German language aerial bombing of the boondocks of Guernica in the Basque region during the Castilian Civil State of war.

The painting has that distinctive Picasso mode, and its unflinching test of the horrors of war made it an essential part of 20th century culture and history.

Did you know? "Guernica" was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Modernistic Fine art in New York during World War II for safekeeping. Picasso requested that the stay be extended until commonwealth returned to Espana. It finally went dorsum to Madrid in 1981, six years afterward the death of longtime Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.

six. 'The Osculation'

Visitors admire "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt at the Upper Belvedere in Vienna, Austria.

Credit: Omar Marques/Anadolu Bureau/Getty Imagesges

Artist: Gustav Klimt
Estimated engagement: 1907 to 1908
Where to see it: Upper Belvedere museum (Vienna, Austria)

With No. half dozen, nosotros move from a study in hate to a report in love with Gustav Klimt'due south honey "The Osculation."

From Klimt's "Aureate Period," Byzantine artistic influences can be seen in the highly decorative robes worn by the passionate, life-sized couple.

The Upper Belvedere says that with "The Kiss," Klimt makes a "general allegorical statement about dearest being at the middle of human beingness." Given its magnetic appeal, it seems people agree.

Did you know? While "The Kiss" isn't for sale, other works past Klimt are bought and sold for huge sums. Oprah Winfrey offloaded the 1907 artwork "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer Two" for $150 one thousand thousand in 2016 -- for a cool $60 one thousand thousand turn a profit.

seven. 'Daughter With a Pearl Earring'

A announcer takes a photo of Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, Netherlands.

Credit: Michel Porro/Getty Images

Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Estimated date: 1665
Where to see it: Mauritshuis (The Hague, Netherlands)

This intriguing favorite often gets compared with the "Mona Lisa." Besides the stylistic differences, technically "Daughter With a Pearl Earring" isn't fifty-fifty a portrait, but a "tronie" -- a Dutch discussion for a painting of an imaginary figure with exaggerated features.

The oil on sail masterpiece is vivid in its simplicity. The daughter -- wearing a blueish and gold turban and an oversized pearl earring -- is the entire focus with merely a dark backdrop behind her.

Did you know? While the Mauritshuis underwent a renovation from 2012 to 2014, "Girl With a Pearl Earring" went on bout in the United States, Italy and Japan. It drew huge crowds, farther bolstering its status as one of the world's most famous works of fine art.

viii. 'The Birth of Venus'

A journalist examines "The Birth of Venus" by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli during a printing preview at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italia, in Oct 2016.

Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Creative person: Sandro Botticelli
Estimated date: 1485
Where to come across it: Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi (Florence, Italy)

The oldest painting in the top ten and competing with "The Buss" for nigh sensuous, "The Birth of Venus" was probably commissioned by a member of the wealthy and fine art-loving Medici family, which ruled Florence and nearby areas for centuries.

Marrying a renewed involvement in classic Greek culture with Early Renaissance style, Botticelli creates an unforgettable figure with the Goddess of Love emerging from a huge scallop shell.

Did you know? Botticelli'due south "Venus" features two significant departures from nearly other works of his contemporaries.

Kickoff, he painted on canvas instead of the more than popular forest. Secondly, nudity was rare at this fourth dimension -- so it was daring that Venus is completely exposed minus her long, flowing hair and a hand (barely) covering her well-nigh intimate body parts.

nine. 'Las Meninas'

Diego Velazquez's "Las Meninas" is seen at the Prado museum on November xix, 2013 in Madrid, Spain.

Credit: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Creative person: Diego Velázquez
Date: 1656
Where to see it: Museo del Prado (Madrid)

Madrid is the but metropolis in this roundup where yous'll find two of the about 10 famous paintings, the beginning being "Guernica" at No. 5 and "Las Maninas" here at No. nine.

Housed at the popular (and vast) Prado, "Las Meninas" is non but Diego Velázquez`s nearly famous painting, it's too one of his largest. The complexity of the piece of work has fascinated art critics and the public for centuries.

The painting does double duty every bit a portrait. It serves as a grouping portrait of Castilian royalty, but it'south also a self-portrait of Velázquez himself at work (on the left).

Did y'all know? "Las Meninas" was commissioned by Male monarch Philip Iv of Spain, who ruled from 1621 to 1665. It stayed in the royal palace until 1819, when it went to the Prado.

10. 'Creation of Adam'

On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at The Vatican, the "Creation of Adam" rounds out the acme 10 about famous paintings list.

Credit: VCG/Corbis/Getty Images

Artist: Michelangelo
Engagement: 1508 to 1512
Where to see it: Sistine Chapel (Vatican city)

The about famous work by renowned artist Michelangelo covers a section of the Sistine Chapel'southward ceiling -- you have to look up to view it. The scene depicts God and Adam with outstretched arms, their fingers nearly touching. It is one of the most replicated images in history.

Adam'south muscular form hints at Michelangelo'south other talent -- his "David" is possibly the earth's most famous sculpture. You can see the towering marble statue at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence.

Did you know? The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel had been dulled by centuries of exposure to candle fume, amid much else. Afterward a long, all-encompassing cleaning that ended in 1989, people were shocked to encounter the vivid, vibrant colors Michelangelo originally used.

Five more paintings that came shut

Here are five more than famous paintings that came close to breaking into the top 10 list:

• "American Gothic" (Grant Wood, Art Institute of Chicago)
• "H2o Lilies" series (Claude Monet, diverse museums around the earth)
• "The Persistence of Memory" (Salvador Dali, Museum of Modernistic Art in New York)
• "The Night Watch" (Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam)
• "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (Hieronymus Bosch, Museo del Prado, Madrid)

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Source: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/most-famous-paintings/index.html

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