Top 10 Greatest Artists of All Time

These are the artists who not only hold the title of being the best in the world but also have exerted a deep influence on society, culture, and individuals across the globe.

What does it mean to be an artist of exceptional magnitude? It's about more than just technical skill, although that's certainly part of it. It's about vision and innovation, about seeing the world in a way no one else does, and then having the audacity and the talent to share that vision with the rest.

A truly great artist pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. They force us to see the world in new ways, to question our assumptions, and to explore the very nature of perception and experience. They create work that is not only aesthetically appealing but also thought-provoking and emotionally moving. And in doing so, they change us, they inspire us, and they drive us to see, think, and feel more deeply.

Throughout history, we've been graced by the presence of such extraordinary individuals whose work continues to resonate with us. These are the artists whose masterpieces grace the halls of prestigious museums, whose names are known universally, and whose influence can be seen in the works of many artists who followed in their footsteps.
The Top Ten
1 Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, was an Italian polymath whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy,... read more

A man whose legendary works grace the modern world.

2 Michelangelo Buonarroti Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564) was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art... read more
3 Peter Paul Rubens
4 Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669) was a Dutch draughtsman, painter, and printmaker. A prolific and versatile master across three media, he is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art and the most important in Dutch art history.

You can stand right next to a Rembrandt painting and find it impossible to believe that the material of clothes he has painted is not real. You almost know that it will feel like velvet and not paint!

5 Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, and a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
6 Oscar Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting.

I love his landscape paintings the most, his landscape paintings are mostly very beautiful and colorful. He knew how to blend the colors very well to paint the landscapes and they were mostly meticulously done. Although he used dots and lines as the main brush strokes but he knew how to use dots and lines to paint marvelous looking landscapes. My most favorite paintings of him are the landscape near Monte Carlo, San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk, and Woman on the Parasol.

He is the true founder of impressionism, and his style formed itself upon his pure emotion and expression. Every painting was so beautifully unique, and his lilly pad series was wonderfully remarkable. Truly the greatest artist of his time.

7 Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) also known as Pablo Picasso, was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France... read more

The most unique painter to be ever existed, his paintings are mostly very unique and interesting to look at. And the best thing about him is that he is a perfectionist who always work hard to make his paintings as pleasing as possible.

Broke new ground during a time of convention and turned art on it's head

8 Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy

I believe that she gave more hope and inspiration to more people than any other artist in history - yet most of those people will never be aware of it!

In my view the outstanding artist of the 21st century and one of the best in the 20th. If only I could afford her work...

What a tragedy that she is no longer here. The world has lost the greatest artist of our time

9 Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art... read more

An artist who lived a very depressing life, but his works of art beams with happiness. Over the great periods of life, his art still stands over to astound us. The bright, vibrant colors he plasters across his paintings, his transformation and presentations of the array of emotions he beholds, he really is an artist to be deserving of a good reputation.

10 Ben Enwonwu

Outstanding African Artist of the last century. Led the way for other notable artists from Africa and North America

A ground breaker and trend setter in a time of repression and prejudice

The Contenders
11 Francesco Hayez
12 Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, and also aired in Canada, Latin America,... read more

Amazing artist. Made landscape paintings that look photo realistic in a matter of minutes, and taught you how to do it at the same time.

13 Salvador Dali Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí de Púbol (11 May 1904 – 23 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí, was a prominent Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain.
14 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), also known as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the late 19th century allowed him to produce a... read more

He did more for the poster industry than all the others put together

15 Frank Frazetta

One of the greatest artists of all time. He taught Boris Vallejo how to paint and his art is just as awesome and interesting.

16 Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with... read more
17 Boris Vallejo

I love his art. He and Julie Bell do everything from fantasy art to mythology to Marvel and DC. So much amazing art. I visit their site once in a while just to look at their artwork. Boris and Julie are my favorite artists in the world.

18 Julie Bell

I love Boris and Julie. They always have such great art and interesting art. I visit their site every now and then just to look at their art. They're awesome.

19 Jeff Easley
20 Dave Rapoza
21 Gerald Brom
22 Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician, songwriter, actor, painter, multimedia artist, author, and former music journalist.
23 Giorgio Morandi
24 Rene Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions... read more
25 Mervyn Peake
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