Every year, billions of dollars’ worth of art passes through international auction houses, while leading museums each hold tens of thousands — even hundreds of thousands — of artworks in their collections. But precious few ever achieve the fame required to truly be considered household names.
CNN Style turned to Google to see which paintings topped search results worldwide over the past five years.
“Mona Lisa,”
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” and the
“Salavator Mundi,” to more modern works like “Nighthawks” and even the “Dogs Playing Poker” series.
Based on those results, these are the world’s 10 most searched-for paintings:
1. ‘Mona Lisa’
If you had any doubts about the wild popularity of “Mona Lisa,” the crowds at the Louvre will convince you. Credit: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
It should come as no surprise that the most famous painting in the world is that mysterious woman with the enigmatic smile. But that’s one of the few certainties about this work of art.
according to the Louvre, where it was first installed in 1804.
pilfered the portrait and hid it for two years. That theft helped cement the painting’s place in popular culture 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, Italy. Credit: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
Estimated date: 1495 to 1498
Where to see it:
Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)
Leonardo, the original “Renaissance Man,” is the only artist to appear on this list twice.
Painted in an era when religious imagery was still a dominant artistic theme, “The Last Supper” depicts the last time Jesus broke bread with his disciples before his crucifixion.
actually a huge fresco — 4.6 meters (15 feet) high and 8.8 meters (28.9 feet) wide, which makes for a memorable viewing.
Did you know? The fresco has survived two wartime threats — Napoleon’s troops used the wall of the refectory on which the fresco was painted as target practice. It 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 look at “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh at Museum of Modern Art in New York. Credit: Victor Fraile Rodriguez/Corbis/Getty Images
The comparatively abstract painting is the signature example of van Gogh’s innovative and bold use of thick brushstrokes. The painting’s striking blues and yellows and the dreamy, swirling atmosphere have intrigued art lovers for decades.
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 Art Museum. Credit: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images
Date: 1893
Where to see it:
National Museum (Oslo, Norway — opening in 2020) and
Munch Museum (Oslo — through May 2020)
a British Museum’s blog, there are two paintings, two pastels and then 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 case of “Mona Lisa,” daring thefts (1994 and 2004) of the two painting versions of “The Scream” helped elevate the public’s awareness of the artworks. (Both were eventually found).
actual experience Munch had while taking in a sunset stroll in Oslo when a dramatic 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
This is the most recent painting on this list, and it depicts the German aerial bombing of the town of Guernica in the Basque region during the Spanish Civil War.
The painting has that distinctive Picasso style, and its unflinching examination of the horrors of war made it an essential part of 20th century culture and history.
“Guernica” was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York during World War II for safekeeping. Picasso requested that the stay be extended until democracy returned to Spain. It finally went back to Madrid in 1981, six years after the death of longtime Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.
6. ‘The Kiss’
Visitors admire “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt at the Upper Belvedere in Vienna, Austria. Credit: Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency/Getty Imagesges
Estimated date: 1907 to 1908
Where to see it:
Upper Belvedere museum (Vienna, Austria)
With No. 6, we move from a study in hate to a study in love with Gustav Klimt’s beloved “The Kiss.”
Byzantine artistic influences can be seen in the highly decorative
robes worn by the passionate, life-sized couple.
Did you know? While “The Kiss” isn’t for sale, other works by Klimt are bought and sold for huge sums. Oprah Winfrey offloaded the 1907 artwork “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II” for $150 million in 2016 — for a cool $60 million profit.
7. ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’
A journalist 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
but a “tronie” — a Dutch word for a painting of an imaginary figure with exaggerated features.
The oil on canvas masterpiece is brilliant in its simplicity. The girl — wearing a blue and gold turban and an oversized pearl earring — is the entire focus with only a dark backdrop behind her.
went on tour in the United States, Italy and Japan. It drew huge crowds, further bolstering its status as one of the world’s most famous works of art.
8. ‘The Birth of Venus’
A journalist examines “The Birth of Venus” by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli during a press preview at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, in October 2016. Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
Estimated date: 1485
Where to see it:
Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi (Florence, Italy)
was probably commissioned by a member of the wealthy and art-loving
Medici family, which ruled Florence and nearby areas for centuries.
Marrying a renewed interest in classic Greek culture with Early Renaissance style, Botticelli creates an unforgettable figure with the Goddess of Love emerging from a huge scallop shell.
two significant departures from most other works of his contemporaries.
more popular wood. Secondly, nudity was rare at this time — so it was daring that Venus is completely exposed minus her long, flowing hair and a hand (barely) covering her most intimate body parts.
9. ‘Las Meninas’
Diego Velazquez’s “Las Meninas” is seen at the Prado museum on November 19, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. Credit: Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Madrid is the only city in this roundup where you’ll find two of the most 10 famous paintings, the first being “Guernica” at No. 5 and “Las Maninas” here at No. 9.
it’s also one of his largest. The complexity of the work has fascinated art critics and the public for centuries.
The painting does double duty as a portrait. It serves as a group portrait of Spanish royalty, but it’s also a self-portrait of Velázquez himself at work (on the left).
King 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 top 10 most famous paintings list. Credit: VCG/Corbis/Getty Images
The most famous work by renowned artist Michelangelo covers a section of the Sistine Chapel’s 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’s muscular form hints at Michelangelo’s other talent — his “David” is possibly the world’s most famous sculpture. You can see the towering marble statue at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.
dulled by centuries of exposure to candle smoke, among much else. After a long, extensive cleaning that ended in 1989, people were shocked to see the bright, vibrant colors Michelangelo originally used.
Five more paintings that came close
Here are five more famous paintings that came close to breaking into the top 10 list:
- “American Gothic” (Grant Wood, Art Institute of Chicago)
- “Water Lilies” series (Claude Monet, various museums around the world)
- “The Persistence of Memory” (Salvador Dali, Museum of Modern Art in New York)
- “The Night Watch” (Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam)
- “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (Hieronymus Bosch, Museo del Prado, Madrid)
