The National Museum of Western Art
Encyclopedia
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
specializing in art from the Western tradition.
The Museum is located in the museum and zoo complex in Ueno Park
Ueno Park
is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...
in Taito
Taito, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...
, central Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. This popular Tokyo museum is also known by the English acronym NMWA (National Museum of Western Art).
NMWA history
Matsukata Kojiro
was an early 20th-century businessman who devoted his life and fortune to amassing a collection of Western art which, he hoped, would become the nucleus of a Japanese national museum focused particularly on masterworks of the Western art tradition...
(1865-1950), whose thinking is mirrored in the museum he anticipated.
Matsukata's acquisition strategies were designed to create the nucleus of what he hoped would become an evolving national museum specializing in Western art.
The museum exhibits works from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, many having been acquired since the museum's opening. The museum's purpose is to provide the public with opportunities to appreciate Western art.
Since its opening, the museum, as Japan's only national institution devoted to Western art, has been involved in exhibitions, art work and document acquisition, research, restoration and conservation, education and the publication of materials related to Western art.
The museum is involved in the development and organization of a special exhibition every year. These exhibitions feature works on loan from private collections and museums both in and out of Japan. In 1963, NMWA created a splash on the international art scene by bringing together 450 works by the French-Russian artist Marc Chagall. The exhibition brought together Chagall's work from 15 countries, including 8 paintings lent from the Soviet Union; and it was believed to be the most comprehensive show mounted during the artist's lifetime.
NMWA collections
NMWA has purchased art work every year since its establishment in its efforts to build and develop its permanent collection. The museum houses about 4,500 works, including examples of painting and sculpture from the 14th through the beginning of the 20th century. The museum's holdings have expanded in the decades since the museum was first opened to the public:Paintings; 18th century and earlier
The Main Building displays pre-18th century paintings, including those by Veronese, Rubens, Brueghel, and Fragonard. Many of these paintings are religious paintings featuring imagery from Christianity.
Paintings: 19th-20th century
The New Wing displays 19th to early 20th century French paintings, including works by Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Moreau. The galleries also feature works by the next generation of artists, such as Marquet, Picasso, Soutin, Ernst, Miro, Dubuffet and Pollock.
Drawings
The NMWA drawing collection centers on works by such 18th to 19th century French artists as Boucher, Fragonard, Delacroix, Moreau, Rodin, and Cézanne.
Prints
The prints collection features works by Durer, Holbein, Rembrandt, Callot, Piranesi, Goya, and Klinger, ranging from the 15th century through the early 20th century.
Union catalog
The "Union Catalog of the Collections of the National Art Museums, Japan" is a consolidated catalog of material held by the four Japanese national art museums :- The National Museum of Modern Art, KyotoNational Museum of Modern Art, KyotoThe is an art museum in Kyoto, Japan.This Kyoto museum is also known by the English acronym MoMAK .-MoMAK history:...
(MOMAK). - The National Museum of Modern Art, TokyoNational Museum of Modern Art, TokyoThe in Tokyo, Japan, is the foremost museum collecting and exhibiting contemporary Japanese art.This Tokyo museum is also known by the English acronym MOMAT...
(MOMAT) - The National Museum of Art, OsakaNational Museum of Art, OsakaThe is a subterranean Japanese art museum located on the island of Nakanoshima, located between the Dōjima River and the Tosabori River, about 5 minutes west of Higobashi Station in central Osaka....
(NMAO) - The National Museum of Western Art (NMWA)
The online version of this union catalog is currently under construction, with only selected works available at this time.
Le Corbusier's building
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
. It is the only representative example of his work in the Far East; and the New York Times review of its opening suggested that the building itself presented an "artistic significance and beauty" which rivaled the paintings inside. The multi-story, reinforced concrete building was completed in March 1959 as a symbol of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Japan and France after World War II.
History of the Commission
The museum was built to house the collection of works gathered by the industrialist Matsukata Kōjirō between 1920 and 1923. His collection had remained in England and France until after World War Two when the Japanese Government asked France for its return to Japan. After France stipulated that a French architect should design the museum that would house the collection, the works were returned to Japan. Le Corbusier was selected for this task.Le Corbusier designed a masterplan to include the area surrounding the museum. The design itself evolved into a building far exceeding the original brief and the library, a small lecture hall and a room for distinguished guests had to be removed. Nonetheless the removed elements were retained on the plans to provide guidance for future extension.
The Japanese contribution
Le Corbusier asked that his three Japanese apprentices: Kunio MaekawaKunio Maekawa
was a Japanese architect.-Formative years:He entered First Tokyo Middle School in 1918, and then Tokyo Imperial University in 1925. After graduation in 1928, he travelled to France to apprentice with Le Corbusier. In 1930 he returned to Japan and worked with Antonin Raymond, and in 1935 established...
, Junzo Sakakura
Junzo Sakakura
was a Japanese architect and former president of the Architectural Association of Japan.After graduating from university he worked in Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris. He rose to the position of studio chief during his seven year stay in the studio....
and Takamasa Yoshizaka
Takamasa Yoshizaka
, family name also romanized as Yosizaka, was a Japanese architect and former president of the Architectural Institute of Japan and a keen mountaineer....
be responsible for developing the detail drawings and supervising the construction.
The building
The museum is square in plan with the main body of the galleries raised on pilotiPiloti
Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood and in elevated houses such as Old Queenslanders in Australia's...
to first floor level. The layout is influenced by Le Corbusier's Sanskar Kendra
Sanskar Kendra
Sanskar Kendra is a museum located in the city of Ahmedabad in India. Designed by the renowned architect Le Corbusier, it is a city museum depicting history, art, culture and architecture of Ahmedabad. The campus is located at the junction of Sardar Bridge and the River Sabarmati.The museum rests...
museum in Ahmedabad which was being designed at the same time.
Entrance for visitors is at ground floor level via the 19th Century Hall. This double height space is lit from above with a north glazed pyramidal skylight intersected with reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
beams and a column. On the opposite side of the hall from the entrance, the ascent to the paintings gallery is via a promenade ramp which affords better views of Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
's scupltures. The paintings gallery wraps around 19th Century Hall, the ceiling is initially low but is raised to two storeys around the perimeter to display the paintings. There are also balconies at this level that push back into the 19th Century Hall to re-orient the visitor. Le Corbusier designed the paintings gallery to be lit by natural daylight via four lighting troughs, but these are no longer used and the galleries are now artificially lit.
Externally the building is clad in prefabricated concrete panels which sit on U-shaped frames supported by the inner wall. The building generally is constructed of reinforced concrete and the columns have a smooth concrete finish.
After more than two years of construction the building opened on 10 June 1959.
The Modulor
In every element of the building Le Corbusier's ModulorModulor
The Modulor is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier .It was developed as a visual bridge between two incompatible scales, the Imperial system and the Metric system...
has been applied:
"The modular, which Le Corbusier developed after many years of research, is like a musical scale which gives order to the infinitude of possible musical pitches. Based on the size and proportions of the human body, it is a means of fitting architecture to the human spirit, of ordering the infinitude of possible proportions in such a way as to make them conform to the human shape. In the new Museum of Western Art, the modulor system has been observed in everything from the structural members to the architectural details and furnishings."
- Tadayoshi, Fujiki, August 1959 "The Modular in the National Museum of Western Art" Japan Architect, p48
Additional works to the building
The museum has been added to over the years: Sakakura Associates designed a lecture hall and office building in 1964 and a ticket office in 1984. Whilst Maekawa Associates added a new annex in 1979 and in 1998 in conjunction with the Ministry of Construction, Yokoyama Engineering and Shimizu Construction installed earthquake resistant foundations to the museum.Recognition
In 1998, the importance of the structure was underscored when it was included in the former Ministry of Construction's survey -- as one of the hundred selected public buildings (the Kokyo Kenchiku 100 Sen) which are outstanding and "well established in the local community."In 2005 the museum was recognised by the international organisation DOCOMOMO as one of Japan's top one hundred modernist buildings.
In 2007, the building was registered by Japan on a provisional UNESCO list for World Heritage cultural site candidates as an Important Cultural Property
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
at the request of the French government.
Selected artists
- Heinrich AldegreverHeinrich AldegreverHeinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Dürer.-Biography:...
(1502-1561), Germany - Albrecht AltdorferAlbrecht AltdorferAlbrecht Altdorfer was a German painter, printmaker and architect of the Renaissance era.-Biography:Altdorfer was born in Regensburg or Altdorf around 1480....
(1480-1538), Germany - Edmond Aman-JeanEdmond Aman-JeanEdmond François Aman-Jean was a French symbolist painter, who co-founded the Salon des Tuileries in 1923....
(1860-1936), France - Jean ArpJean ArpJean Arp / Hans Arp was a German-French, or Alsatian, sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist in other media such as torn and pasted paper....
(1886-1966), France - Hans Baldung Grien (1484-1554), Germany
- Giovanni Francesco BarbieriGiovanni Francesco BarbieriGiovanni Francesco Barbieri , best known as Guercino or Il Guercino, was an Italian Baroque painter from the region of Emilia, and active in Rome and Bologna. Guercino is Italian for 'squinter', a nickname that was given to him because he was cross-eyed...
(1591-1666), Italy - Ernst BarlachErnst BarlachErnst Barlach was a German expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the war made him change his position, and he is mostly known for his sculptures protesting against the war...
(1870-1938), Germany - Leandro BassanoLeandro BassanoLeandro Bassano , also called Leandro dal Ponte, was an Italian artist from Bassano del Grappa, the younger brother of Francesco Bassano the Younger and third son of Jacopo Bassano, who took their name from their town of Bassano del Grappa...
(1557-1622) - Barthel BehamBarthel BehamBarthel Beham was a German engraver, miniaturist and painter.The younger brother of Hans Sebald Beham, he was born into a family of artists in Nuremberg...
(1502-1540) - Hans Sebald BehamHans Sebald BehamHans Sebald Beham was a German printmaker who did his best work as an engraver, and was also a designer of woodcuts and a painter and miniaturist...
(1500-1550), Germany - Stefano della BellaStefano della BellaStefano della Bella was an Italian draughtsman and printmaker known for etchings of a great variety of subjects, including military and court scenes, landscapes, and lively genre scenes...
(1610-1664) - Émile BernardÉmile BernardÉmile Henri Bernard is known as a Post-Impressionist painter who had artistic friendships with Van Gogh, Gauguin and Eugene Boch, and at a later time, Cézanne. Most of his notable work was accomplished at a young age, in the years 1886 through 1897. He is also associated with Cloisonnism and...
(1868-1941), France - Paul-Albert BesnardPaul-Albert BesnardPaul-Albert Besnard was a French painter and printmaker.-Biography:He was born in Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, studied with Jean Bremond and was influenced by Alexandre Cabanel...
(1849-1934), France - Joachim BeuckelaerJoachim BeuckelaerJoachim Beuckelaer was a Flemish painter.A native of Antwerp, he studied under his uncle, Pieter Aertsen. Many of his paintings contain scenes of kitchen and markets, with religious allusions in the background. His Four Elements series exemplifies this theme on a large scale...
(1533-1574), Belgium - Leonardo BistolfiLeonardo BistolfiLeonardo Bistolfi was an Italian sculptor, an important exponent of Italian Symbolism.Bistolfi was born in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, north-west Italy, to Giovanni Bistolfi, a sculptor in wood, and to Angela Amisano....
(1859-1933), Italy - William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
(1757-1827), UK - Jacques-Emile Blanche (1861-1942)
- Abraham BloemaertAbraham BloemaertAbraham Bloemaert was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was one of the "Haarlem Mannerists" from about 1585, but in the new century altered his style to fit new Baroque trends...
(1564-1651), Netherlands - Cornelis BloemaertCornelis BloemaertCornelis Bloemaert II , was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.-Biography:Bloemaert was born at Utrecht. He studied with his father, Abraham Bloemaert, his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupil, Gerard van Honthorst...
(1603-1684), Netherlands - Pierre BonnardPierre BonnardPierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis.-Biography:...
(1867-1947), France - François BonvinFrançois BonvinFrançois Bonvin was a French realist painter.Bonvin was born in humble circumstances in Paris, the son of a police officer and a seamstress. When he was four years old his mother died of tuberculosis and young François was left in the care of an old woman who underfed him...
(1817-1887), France - Abraham BosseAbraham BosseAbraham Bosse was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolour.-Life:...
(1602-1676), France - François BoucherFrançois BoucherFrançois Boucher was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, intended as a sort of two-dimensional furniture...
(1703-1770), France - Emile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), France
- Dierick Bouts (1420-1475), Netherlands
- Félix BracquemondFelix BracquemondFélix Henri Bracquemond was a French painter and etcher.Félix Bracquemond was born in Paris. He was trained in early youth as a trade lithographer, until Guichard, a pupil of Ingres, took him to his studio. His portrait of his grandmother, painted by him at the age of nineteen, attracted Théophile...
(1833-1914), France - Georges BraqueGeorges BraqueGeorges Braque[p] was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism.-Early Life:...
(1882-1963), France - Pieter Brueghel (1525-1569), Belgium
- Hendrick ter BrugghenHendrick ter BrugghenHendrick Jansz ter Brugghen was a Dutch painter, and a leading member of the Dutch followers of Caravaggio — the so-called Dutch Caravaggisti.- Biography :...
(1588-1629), Netherlands - Charles Le BrunCharles Le BrunCharles Le Brun , a French painter and art theorist, became the all-powerful, peerless master of 17th-century French art.-Biography:-Early life and training:...
(1619-1690), France - Bernard BuffetBernard BuffetBernard Buffet was a French painter of Expressionism and Member of the Anti-Abstract Art Group "L'homme Témoin [the Witness-Man]".-Life and work:...
(1928-1999), France - Hans BurgkmairHans BurgkmairHans Burgkmair the elder was a German painter and printmaker in woodcut.Burgkmair was born in Augsburg, the son of painter Thomas Burgkmair and his son, Hans the Younger, became one too. From 1488 he was a pupil of Martin Schongauer in Colmar, who died during his two years there, before Burgkmair...
(1473-1531), Germany - Jacques CallotJacques CallotJacques Callot was a baroque printmaker and draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine . He is an important figure in the development of the old master print...
(1592-1635), France - Giulio CampagnolaGiulio CampagnolaGiulio Campagnola was an Italian engraver and painter, whose few, rare, prints translated the rich Venetian Renaissance style of oil paintings of Giorgione and the early Titian into the medium of engraving; to further his exercises in gradations of tone, he also invented the stipple technique...
(1482-1516), Italy - Robert CampbellRobert Campbell-Politicians:*Robert Campbell , Australian merchant/politician from New South Wales*Robert Campbell , New South Wales politician, son of the above*Robert Campbell , New York politician...
(1944-1993), Australia - CanalettoCanalettoGiovanni Antonio Canal better known as Canaletto , was a Venetian painter famous for his landscapes, or vedute, of Venice. He was also an important printmaker in etching.- Early career :...
(1697-1768), Italy - Agostino CarracciAgostino CarracciAgostino Carracci was an Italian painter and printmaker. He was the brother of the more famous Annibale and cousin of Lodovico Carracci....
(1557-1602), Italy - Jean-Baptiste CarpeauxJean-Baptiste CarpeauxJean-Baptiste Carpeaux was a French sculptor and painter.Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpeaux entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1844 and won the Prix de Rome in 1854, and moving to Rome to find inspiration, he there studied the works of...
(1827-1875), France - Eugène CarrièreEugène CarrièreEugène Anatole Carrière was a French Symbolist artist of the Fin de siècle period. His work is best known for its brown monochrome palette. He was a close friend of the sculptor Rodin and his work influenced Picasso...
(1849-1906), France - Bernardo CavallinoBernardo CavallinoBernardo Cavallino was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, working in Naples.Born in Naples, he likely died during the plague epidemic in 1656. While his paintings are some of the more stunningly expressive works emerging from the Neapolitan artists of his day, little is known about the...
(1616-1654), Italy - Paul CézannePaul CézannePaul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
(1839-1906), France - Marc ChagallMarc ChagallMarc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
(1887-1985), France - Joos van CleveJoos van CleveJoos van Cleve was a painter active in Antwerp around 1511 to 1540. He was born around 1485 and died in between 1540 and 1541...
(1480-1540), Germany - Charles-Nicolas CochinCharles-Nicolas CochinCharles-Nicolas Cochin was a French engraver, designer, writer, and art critic. To distinguish him from his father of the same name, he is variously called Charles-Nicolas Cochin le Jeune , Charles-Nicolas Cochin le fils , or Charles-Nicolas Cochin II.-Early life:Cochin was born in Paris, the son of...
(1688-1754), France - Edwaert Collier (1640-1707), Netherlands
- Gillis van ConinxlooGillis van ConinxlooGillis van Coninxloo was a Dutch painter of forest landscapes, the most famous member of a large family of artists. He travelled through France, and lived in Germany for several years to avoid religious persecution....
(1544-1606), Belgium - Lovis CorinthLovis CorinthLovis Corinth was a German painter and printmaker whose mature work realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism....
(1858-1925), Romania - Jean-Baptiste Corot (1796-1875), France
- Charles CottetCharles CottetCharles Cottet , French painter, was born at Le Puy-en-Velay and died in Paris. A famed post-impressionist, Cottet is known for his dark, evocative painting of rural Brittany and seascapes...
(1863-1925), France - Gustave CourbetGustave CourbetJean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement , with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists...
(1819-1877), France - Charles Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720)
- Lucas Cranach the ElderLucas Cranach the ElderLucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
(1472-1553), Germany - Carlo CrivelliCarlo CrivelliCarlo Crivelli was an Italian Renaissance painter of conservative Late Gothic decorative sensibility, who spent his early years in the Veneto, where he absorbed influences from the Vivarini, Squarcione and Mantegna...
(1430-1494) - Salvador DalíSalvador DalíSalvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
(1904-1989), Spain - Charles-François DaubignyCharles-François DaubignyCharles-François Daubigny was one of the painters of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism....
(1817-1878), France - Honoré DaumierHonoré DaumierHonoré Daumier was a French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor, whose many works offer commentary on social and political life in France in the 19th century....
(1808-1879), France - Alexandre Gabriel Decamps (1803-1860)
- Edgar DegasEdgar DegasEdgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
(1834-1917), France - Eugène DelacroixEugène DelacroixFerdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
(1798-1863), France - Maurice DenisMaurice DenisMaurice Denis was a French painter and writer, and a member of the Symbolist and Les Nabis movements. His theories contributed to the foundations of cubism, fauvism, and abstract art.-Childhood and education:...
(1870-1943), France - André DerainAndré DerainAndré Derain was a French artist, painter, sculptor and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse.-Early years:...
(1880-1954), France - Georges DesvallièresGeorges DesvallièresGeorge Desvallières was a French painter.A native of Paris, Desvallières was a great-grandson of academician Gabriel Legouvé, and received a religious upbringing. He studied at the Académie Julian with Tony Robert-Fleury and with Jules Valadon at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts...
(1861-1950), France - Carlo DolciCarlo DolciCarlo Dolci was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions.-Biography:...
(1616-1686), Italy - Kees van DongenKees van DongenCornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen , usually known as Kees van Dongen or just Van Dongen, was a Dutch painter and one of the Fauves. He gained a reputation for his sensuous, at times garish, portraits....
(1877-1968), Netherlands - Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), Netherlands
- Jean DubuffetJean DubuffetJean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...
(1901-1985), France - Raoul DufyRaoul DufyRaoul Dufy[p] was a French Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textiles, as well as decorative schemes for public buildings. He is noted for scenes of open-air social events...
(1877-1953), France - Jean DuvetJean DuvetJean Duvet was a French Renaissance goldsmith and engraver, now best known for his engravings. He was the first significant French printmaker. He had a highly personal style, often compared to that of William Blake, with very crowded plates, a certain naive quality, and intense religious feeling...
(1485-1570) - Anthony van DyckAnthony van DyckSir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
(1599-1641), Belgium - Albrecht DürerAlbrecht DürerAlbrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
(1471-1528), Germany - James EnsorJames EnsorJames Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor was a Flemish-Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for almost his entire life...
(1860-1949), Belgium - Max ErnstMax ErnstMax Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
(1891-1976), Germany - William EttyWilliam EttyWilliam Etty was an English painter, best known for his paintings of nudes.-Beginnings:In accordance with the wishes of his father, Etty served seven years of apprenticeship to a printer in Hull...
(1787-1849), UK - Henri Fantin-LatourHenri Fantin-LatourHenri Fantin-Latour was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.-Biography:...
(1836-1904), France - Lyonel FeiningerLyonel FeiningerLyonel Charles Feininger was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist.-Life and work:...
(1871-1956), US - Georges de FeureGeorges de FeureGeorges de Feure was a French painter, theatrical designer, and industrial art designer in the symbolism and Art Nouveau styles....
(1868-1943), France - Copley FieldingCopley FieldingAnthony Vandyke Copley Fielding , commonly called Copley Fielding, was an English painter born in Sowerby, near Halifax and famous for his watercolour landscapes. At an early age Fielding became a pupil of John Varley...
(1787-1855), UK - Jean-Louis ForainJean-Louis ForainJean-Louis Forain was a French Impressionist painter, lithographer, watercolorist and etcher.-Overview:Forain was born in Reims, Marne but at age eight, his family moved to Paris. He began his career working as a caricaturist for several Paris journals including Le Monde Parisien and Le rire...
(1852-1931), France - Tsuguharu FoujitaTsuguharu Foujitawas a painter and printmaker born in Tokyo, Japan who applied Japanese ink techniques to Western style paintings.- Education :In 1910 when he was twenty-four years old Foujita graduated from what is now the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music....
(1886-1968), Japan - Jean-Honoré FragonardJean-Honoré FragonardJean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings , of which only five...
(1732-1806), Francis - Sam FrancisSam FrancisSamuel Lewis Francis was an American painter and printmaker.-Early life:...
(1923-1994), US - Paul GauguinPaul GauguinEugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
(1848-1903), France - Claude Gellée (1600-1682), France
- Jacques de Gheyn II (1565-1629), Belgium
- Giorgio GhisiGiorgio GhisiGiorgio Ghisi was an Italian artist in engraving and painting. Born in Mantua, he trained with Marcantonio Raimondi and subsequently worked with Hieronymus Cock in Antwerp....
(1512-1582), Italy - Alberto GiacomettiAlberto GiacomettiAlberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker.Alberto Giacometti was born in the canton Graubünden's southerly alpine valley Val Bregaglia and came from an artistic background; his father, Giovanni, was a well-known post-Impressionist painter...
(1901-1966), Czechoslovakia - Albert GleizesAlbert GleizesAlbert Gleizes , was a French painter. Born Albert Léon Gleizes and raised in Paris, he was the son of a fabric designer who ran a large industrial design workshop...
(1881-1953), France - Vincent van GoghVincent van GoghVincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
(1853-1890), Netherlands - Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1616), Germany
- Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), Spain
- Jan van Goyen (1596-1656), Netherlands
- El GrecoEl GrecoEl Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
(1541-1614), Greece - Richard HamiltonRichard Hamilton (artist)Richard William Hamilton, CH was a British painter and collage artist. His 1956 collage, Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, produced for the This Is Tomorrow exhibition of the Independent Group in London, is considered by critics and historians to be one of the...
(1922- ), UK - Cornelis de HeemCornelis de HeemCornelis de Heem was a still-life painter associated with both Flemish Baroque and Dutch Golden Age painting...
(1631-1695) - Jean-Jacques HennerJean-Jacques HennerJean-Jacques Henner was a French painter, noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in painting nudes, religious subjects, and portraits....
(1829-1905), France - Auguste HerbinAuguste HerbinAuguste Herbin was a French painter.-Biography:Born in Quiévy, Nord, he studied drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lille, from 1898 to 1901, when he settled in Paris....
(1882-1960), France - William HogarthWilliam HogarthWilliam Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
(1697-1764), UK - Hans HolbeinHans Holbein the YoungerHans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
(1497-1543), Germany - Jean-Auguste Ingres (1780-1876), France
- Tim JohnsonTim JohnsonTimothy Peter "Tim" Johnson is the senior U.S. Senator from South Dakota, serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as the U.S...
(1947- ), Australia - Jacob JordaensJacob JordaensJacob Jordaens was one of three Flemish Baroque painters, along with Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, to bring prestige to the Antwerp school of painting. Unlike those contemporaries he never traveled abroad to study Italian painting, and his career is marked by an indifference to their...
(1593-1678), Belgium - Wassily KandinskyWassily KandinskyWassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
(1866-1944), Russia - Max KlingerMax KlingerMax Klinger was a German Symbolist painter, sculptor, printmaker, and writer.Klinger was born in Leipzig and studied in Karlsruhe. An admirer of the etchings of Menzel and Goya, he shortly became a skilled and imaginative engraver in his own right. He began creating sculptures in the early 1880s...
(1857-1920), Germany - Käthe KollwitzKäthe KollwitzKäthe Kollwitz was a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work offered an eloquent and often searing account of the human condition in the first half of the 20th century...
(1867-1945), Germany
- Alfred KubinAlfred KubinAlfred Leopold Isidor Kubin was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism.-Biography:...
(1877-1959), Germany - Nicholas Lancret (1690-1743)
- Nicolas de LargillièreNicolas de LargillièreNicolas de Largillière was a painter born in Paris, France.-Early life:Largillière's father, a merchant, took him to Antwerp at the age of three. As a boy, he spent nearly two years in London. Sometime after his return to Antwerp, a failed attempt at business led him to the studio of Goubeau...
(1665-1746), France - Jean LaunoisJean LaunoisJean Launois was a French artist. Born in Les Sables-d'Olonne in Vendée, Launois demonstrated a gift and passion for drawing. His parents encouraged him, but his formal training was limited to working with Charles Milcendeau and later with Auguste Lepère. He had a short stint at the Ecole...
(1898-1942) - Ernest LaurentErnest LaurentErnest Joseph Laurent was a French painter and printmaker. He was born in Gentilly and died in Bièvre....
(1859-1929) - Le CorbusierLe CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
(1887-1965), Czechoslovakia - Bernard LeachBernard LeachBernard Howell Leach, CBE, CH , was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery"-Biography:...
(1887-1979), Hong Kong - Henri LebasqueHenri LebasqueHenri Lebasque was born at Champigné . His work is represented in French museums, notably Angers, Geneva , Lille , Nantes, and Paris...
(1865-1937), France - Fernand LégerFernand LégerJoseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
(1881-1955), France - Alphonse LegrosAlphonse LegrosAlphonse Legros , painter, etcher and sculptor was born in Dijon. His father was an accountant, and came from the neighbouring village of Véronnes....
(1837-1911), France - Stanislas LépineStanislas LépineStanislas Victor Edouard Lépine was a French painter who specialized in landscapes, especially views of the Seine.Lépine was born in Caen...
(1835-1892) - Lucas van LeydenLucas van LeydenLucas van Leyden , also named either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, was a Dutch engraver and painter, born and mainly active in Leiden...
(1489-1533) - Léon Augustin LhermitteLéon Augustin LhermitteLéon Augustin Lhermitte was a French realist painter and etcher whose primary subject matter was of rural scenes depicting the peasant worker.He was born in Mont-Saint-Père...
(1844-1925), France - Pietro LonghiPietro LonghiPietro Longhi was a Venetian painter of contemporary scenes of life.-Biography:Pietro Longhi was born in Venice in the parish of Saint Maria, first child of the silversmith Alessandro Falca and his wife, Antonia. He adopted the Longhi last name when he began to paint...
(1702-1785), Italy - Alessandro MagnascoAlessandro MagnascoAlessandro Magnasco , also known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian late-Baroque painter active mostly in Milan and Genoa...
(1667-1749), Italy - Aristide MaillolAristide MaillolAristide Maillol or Aristides Maillol was a French Catalan sculptor and painter.-Biography:...
(1861-1944), France - Édouard ManetÉdouard ManetÉdouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
(1832-1883), France - Andrea MantegnaAndrea MantegnaAndrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality...
(1431-1506), Italy - Henri MatisseHenri MatisseHenri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
(1869-1954), France - Charles MeryonCharles MéryonCharles Méryon , was a French artist, who worked almost entirely in etching, as he suffered from colour-blindness. Although now little-known in the English-speaking world, he is generally recognised as the most significant etcher of 19th century France. He also suffered from mental illness, dying...
(1821-1868), France - John Everett MillaisJohn Everett MillaisSir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
(1829-1896), UK - Jean François Millet (1814-1875), France
- Joan MiróJoan MiróJoan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
(1893-1983), Spain - Paula Modersohn-BeckerPaula Modersohn-BeckerPaula Modersohn-Becker was a German painter and one of the most important representatives of early expressionism. In a brief career, cut short by an embolism at the age of 31, she created a number of groundbreaking images of great intensity.-Life and work:Paula Becker was born and grew up in...
(1876-1907), Germany - Amedeo ModiglianiAmedeo ModiglianiAmedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form...
(1884-1920), Italy - Claude MonetClaude MonetClaude 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. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
(1840-1926), France - Bartolomeo MontagnaBartolomeo MontagnaBartolomeo Montagna was an Italian painter and architect who worked in Vicenza and Venice. He putatively was born near Brescia . His initial training was presumably under Domenico Morone in Verona, where he seems to have acquired a late Quattrocento refinement, similar to that of Carpaccio and...
(1440-1523), Italy - Adolphe Joseph Thomas MonticelliAdolphe Joseph Thomas MonticelliAdolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli was a French painter of the generation preceding the Impressionists.-Biography:Monticelli was born in Marseille in humble circumstances...
(1824-1886) - Henry MooreHenry MooreHenry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
(1898-1986), UK - Gustave MoreauGustave MoreauGustave Moreau was a French Symbolist painter whose main emphasis was the illustration of biblical and mythological figures. As a painter of literary ideas, Moreau appealed to the imaginations of some Symbolist writers and artists.- Biography :Moreau was born in Paris. His father, Louis Jean Marie...
(1826-1898), France - Sally MorganSally Morgan (artist)Sally Jane Morgan is an Australian Aboriginal author, dramatist, and artist. Morgan's works are on display in numerous private and public collections in both Australia and around the world.-Early life:...
(1951- ) - Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), Czechoslovakia
- Edvard MunchEdvard MunchEdvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
(1863-1944), Norway - Bartolomé Esteban MurilloBartolomé Estéban MurilloBartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
(1618-1682), Spain - Jean-Marc NattierJean-Marc NattierJean-Marc Nattier , French painter, was born in Paris, the second son of Marc Nattier , a portrait painter, and of Marie Courtois , a miniaturist...
(1685-1766) - Robert OwenRobert OwenRobert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
(1937- ), Australia - Arturo Pacheco AltamiranoArturo Pacheco AltamiranoArturo Pacheco Altamirano was a painter born in Chillán, Chile. He died in Santiago in 1978.-External links:*...
(1903-1978) - Samuel PalmerSamuel PalmerSamuel Palmer was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and produced visionary pastoral paintings.-Early life:...
(1805-1881), UK - George PapazovGeorge PapazovGeorge Papazov was a Bulgarian painter and writer. He became prominent in Paris, worked and died in France...
(1894-1972) - Mike ParrMike ParrMike Parr is an Australian performance artist and printmaker. Parr's works have been exhibited in Australia and internationally, including in Brazil, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States.-Early life:...
(1945- ), Australia - Jules Pascin (1885-1930)
- Jean-Baptiste PaterJean-Baptiste PaterJean-Baptiste Pater was a French rococo painter.Born in Valenciennes, Pater was the son of sculptor Antoine Pater and studied under him before becoming a student of painter Jean-Baptiste Guide. Pater then moved to Paris, briefly becoming a pupil of Antoine Watteau in 1713. Watteau, despite...
(1695-1736) - Joachim PatinirJoachim PatinirJoachim Patinir, also called de Patiner , was a Flemish Northern Renaissance history and landscape painter from the area of modern Wallonia...
(1475-1524), Belgium - Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
(1881-1973), Spain - Francesco PiranesiFrancesco PiranesiFrancesco Piranesi was an Italian engraver and architect. He was the son of the more famous Giovan Battista Piranesi and continued his series of engravings representing monuments and ancient temples. He worked for a long period in France, where he lived during the French Revolution.Piranesi died...
(1778-1810) - Giovanni Battista PiranesiGiovanni Battista PiranesiGiovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian artist famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons" .-His Life:...
(1720-1778), Italy - Camille PissarroCamille PissarroCamille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
(1830-1903), US - Jackson PollockJackson PollockPaul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
(1912-1956), US - Paulus PontiusPaulus Pontius-Biography:Paulus Pontius, an eminent Flemish engraver, was born at Antwerp in 1603, and was instructed in the art of engraving by Lucas Vorsterman; but he improved his designs by the advice and friendship of Rubens, from whose works he engraved many admirable plates...
(1603-1858), Belgium - Pierre Puvis de ChavannesPierre Puvis de ChavannesPierre Puvis de Chavannes was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.-Life:...
(1824-1898), France - Odilon RedonOdilon RedonBertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon was a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist.-Life:...
(1840-1916), France - Guido ReniGuido ReniGuido Reni was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Bologna into a family of musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that...
(1575-1642), Italy - Pierre-Auguste RenoirPierre-Auguste RenoirPierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
(1841-1919), France - Alfred RethelAlfred RethelAlfred Rethel was a German history painter.-Early life and education:Rethel was born in Aachen in 1816. He showed an interest in art in his early life, and at the age of thirteen he executed a drawing which procured his admission to the academy of Düsseldorf...
(1816-1959) - Joshua ReynoldsJoshua ReynoldsSir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
(1723-1792), UK - José de Ribera (1591-1652), Spain
- Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Netherlands
- Henri RivièreHenri Rivière (painter)Henri Rivière was a French artist and designer best known for his creation of a form of shadow play at the Chat Noir cabaret, and for his post-Impressionist illustrations of Breton landscapes and the Eiffel Tower....
(1864-1951), France - Hubert RobertHubert RobertHubert Robert , French artist, was born in Paris.His father, Nicolas Robert, was in the service of François-Joseph de Choiseul, marquis de Stainville a leading diplomat from Lorraine...
(1733-1808), France - Auguste RodinAuguste RodinFrançois-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
(1840-1917), France - Félicien RopsFélicien RopsFélicien Rops was a Belgian artist, and printmaker in etching and aquatint.-Early life:Rops was born in Namur as the only son to Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile. He was educated at the University of Brussels...
(1833-1898), Belgium - Salvatore Rosa (1615-1673), Italy
- Dante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
(1828-1882), UK - Georges RouaultGeorges RouaultGeorges Henri Rouault[p] was a French Fauvist and Expressionist painter, and printmaker in lithography and etching.-Childhood and education:Rouault was born in Paris into a poor family...
(1871-1958), France - Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Germany
- Ed Ruscha (1937- ), US
- Jacob van Ruysdael (1630-1681), Netherlands
- Egidius Sadeler (1570-1629), Belgium
- Francesco SalviatiFrancesco de' Rossi (Il Salviati)Francesco de' Rossi was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence, also active in Rome. He is known by many names, prominently the adopted name Francesco Salviati or as Il Salviati, but also Francesco Rossi and Cecchino del Salviati.-Biography:Salviati was born and died in Florence...
(1510-1563) - Ary SchefferAry SchefferAry Scheffer , French painter of Dutch and German extraction, was born in Dordrecht.-Life:After the early death of his father Johann Baptist, a poor painter, Ary's mother Cornelia, herself a painter and daughter of landscapist Arie Lamme, took him to Paris and placed him in the studio of...
(1795-1858), Netherlands - Martin SchongauerMartin SchongauerMartin Schongauer was a German engraver and painter. He was the most important German printmaker before Albrecht Dürer....
(1450-1491), France - Cornelis SchutCornelis SchutCornelis Schut was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and engraver active in Italy and Antwerp.-Biography:...
(1597-1655) - Giovanni SegantiniGiovanni SegantiniGiovanni Segantini was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century, and his paintings were collected by major museums. In later life he combined a Divisionist painting style with Symbolist images...
(1858-1899), Italy - Daniel SeghersDaniel SeghersDaniel Seghers was a Jesuit brother and Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in flower still lifes, and is particularly well-known for his contributions to the genre of "flower garland" painting. His paintings were collected enthusiastically by courtly patrons and he had numerous imitators...
(1590-1661) - Jacopo del Sellaio (1442-1493)
- Paul SérusierPaul SérusierPaul Sérusier was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabi movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism.- Education :...
(1864-1927), France - Ben ShahnBen ShahnBen Shahn was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content.-Biography:...
(1898-1969) - Paul SignacPaul SignacPaul Signac was a French neo-impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the pointillist style.-Biography:Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863...
(1863-1935), France - Alfred SisleyAlfred SisleyAlfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life, in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air...
(1839-1899), France - John Sloan (1871-1951), US
- Chaïm SoutineChaim SoutineChaïm Soutine was a Jewish painter from Belarus. Soutine made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living in Paris....
(1893-1943), Romania - Jan SteenJan SteenJan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch genre painter of the 17th century . Psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour are marks of his trade.-Life:...
(1626-1679), Netherlands - Herman van SwaneveltHerman van SwaneveltHerman van Swanevelt was a Dutch painter and etcher from the Baroque era.-Life:Herman was born in Woerden to a family of thriving artisans whose ancestors included the famous painter Lucas van Leyden. The identity of Swanevelt’s teacher remains a mystery...
(1600-1655) - David Teniers the YoungerDavid Teniers the YoungerDavid Teniers the Younger was a Flemish artist born in Antwerp, the son of David Teniers the Elder. His son David Teniers III and his grandson David Teniers IV were also painters...
(1610-1690), Belgium - David Teniers the ElderDavid Teniers the ElderDavid Teniers the Elder , Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp.-Biography:Having received his first training in the painter's art from his brother Juliaen, he studied under Rubens in Antwerp, and subsequently under Elsheimer in Rome; he became a member of the Antwerp guild of painters in...
(1582-1649) - Giovanni Battista TiepoloGiovanni Battista TiepoloGiovanni Battista Tiepolo , also known as Gianbattista or Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice...
(1696-1770), Italy - Giovanni Domenico TiepoloGiovanni Domenico TiepoloGiovanni Domenico Tiepolo was a Venetian painter and printmaker in etching. He was the son of artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and elder brother of Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo.-Life history:...
(1727-1804), Italy - Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594), Italy
- Jan TooropJan TooropJean Theodoor Toorop , better known as Jan Toorop, was an Indo painter, whose works straddle the space between the Symbolist painters and Art Nouveau.-Biography:...
(1858-1928) - Henri de Toulouse-LautrecHenri de Toulouse-LautrecHenri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
(1864-1901), France - Georges de la TourGeorges de La TourGeorges de La Tour was a French Baroque painter, who spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, which was temporarily absorbed into France between 1641 and 1648...
(1593-1653), France - Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), UK
- Adriaen van UtrechtAdriaen van UtrechtAdriaen van Utrecht was a celebrated Flemish Baroque still life painter of the Antwerp school.-Career:Adriaen van Utrecht was, contrary to the suggestion of his name, a native of Antwerp. In 1614 he joined the studio of Herman de Neyt, painter and art dealer, as an apprentice, and was early...
(1599-1653) - Armand VaillancourtArmand VaillancourtArmand Vaillancourt is a Québécois sculptor, painter and performance artist born on September 3, 1929, in the city of Black Lake, Quebec, Canada.- Major sculptures :...
(1929), Canada - Félix VallottonFélix VallottonFélix Edouard Vallotton was a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with Les Nabis. He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut.-Life and work:...
(1865-1925), Czechosolvakia - Giorgio VasariGiorgio VasariGiorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
(1511-1574), Italy - Agostino VenezianoAgostino VenezianoAgostino Veneziano, whose real name was Agostino de' Musi, was an important and prolific Italian engraver of the Renaissance.-Life:...
(1490-1536) - Claude Joseph Vernet (1714-1789), France
- Paolo VeronesePaolo VeronesePaolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
(1528-1588), Italy - Jacques VillonJacques VillonJacques Villon was a French cubist painter and printmaker.-Early life:Born Gaston Emile Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in the Haute-Normandie region of France, he came from a prosperous and artistically inclined family...
(1875-1963), France - Maurice de VlaminckMaurice de VlaminckMaurice de Vlaminck was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were united in their use of intense color.-Life:Maurice de Vlaminck was born in Paris to a family...
(1876-1958), France - Heinrich VogelerHeinrich VogelerHeinrich Vogeler was a German painter, designer, and architect.- Biography :He was born in Bremen, and studied at the academy of arts in Düsseldorf from 1890–95...
(1872-1942), Germany - Lucas VorstermanLucas VorstermanLucas Vorsterman was a Baroque engraver. He worked with the artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, as well as for patrons such as Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel and Charles I of England....
(1595-1675) - Marten de VosMarten de VosMarten de Vos , also Maarten, was a leading Antwerp painter and draughtsman in the late sixteenth century.-Biography:Like Frans Floris, he travelled to Italy and adopted the mannerist style popular at the time. De Vos was also highly influenced by the colors of Venetian painting, and might have...
(1532-1603) - Édouard VuillardÉdouard VuillardJean-Édouard Vuillard was a French painter and printmaker associated with the Nabis.-Early years and education:...
(1868-1940), France - Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464), Belgium
- James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), US
- Richard WilsonRichard Wilson (painter)Richard Wilson was a Welsh landscape painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Wilson has been described as '...the most distinguished painter Wales has ever produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country.' He is considered to be the...
(1714-1782), UK