Mona Lisa
The world's most famous portrait. Her enigmatic smile and Leonardo's revolutionary sfumato technique have captivated viewers for over 500 years.
The Starry Night
Painted from memory during Van Gogh's stay at the asylum. The swirling night sky represents one of the most recognized images in Western art.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
The most famous work of Japanese art. A towering wave threatens boats near Mount Fuji in this iconic woodblock print.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Often called the 'Mona Lisa of the North.' A mysterious young woman with an exotic turban and luminous pearl earring.
The Birth of Venus
Venus emerges from the sea as a fully grown woman, symbolizing the birth of beauty. A masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance.
The Creation of Adam
God giving life to Adam through near-touching fingers. Part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The Scream
An agonized figure against a tumultuous sky. Munch described it as painting 'the scream of nature.'
The Persistence of Memory
Melting watches in a dreamlike landscape. The soft watches symbolize the irrelevance of time in the unconscious mind.
Guernica
Picasso's powerful anti-war statement responding to the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
The Night Watch
A monumental group portrait of a militia company, revolutionary for its use of light and shadow.
The Kiss
A couple embracing amid elaborate gold leaf patterns. Klimt's masterpiece of his 'Golden Period.'
Water Lilies
Monet's series of approximately 250 oil paintings depicting his flower garden at Giverny.
Nighthawks
Customers in a downtown diner late at night. An iconic portrayal of urban isolation.
American Gothic
A farmer and his daughter before a house with a distinctive Gothic window. One of the most familiar images in American art.
The Last Supper
The moment Jesus announces one of his disciples will betray him. Revolutionary for its use of perspective.
Sunflowers
Van Gogh's series of sunflower paintings, created to decorate Gauguin's room. The vibrant yellows represent friendship.
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
A man contemplating a sublime landscape. The quintessential Romantic painting.
Liberty Leading the People
Liberty personified leads citizens over the barricades. A powerful allegory of the July Revolution of 1830.
The School of Athens
The greatest philosophers and scientists of antiquity, with Plato and Aristotle at the center.
The Garden of Earthly Delights
A triptych depicting paradise, earthly pleasures, and hell. Bosch's fantastical imagery continues to puzzle viewers.
The Arnolfini Portrait
A revolutionary double portrait filled with symbolism, including a convex mirror reflecting the entire room.
David
A 5-meter marble statue of the Biblical hero, carved from a single block. The ideal of Renaissance humanism.
Pietà
Mary cradling the dead Christ, carved when Michelangelo was just 24. The only work he ever signed.
Venus de Milo
An ancient Greek statue of Aphrodite, famous for her missing arms. An icon of ideal beauty.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Nike alighting on a ship's prow. The dramatic pose and wind-blown drapery create extraordinary dynamism.
The Thinker
Dante contemplating his poem. The bronze figure became a universal symbol of philosophy and intellect.
Terracotta Army
Over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers buried with China's first emperor. Each figure has unique facial features.
Nataraja (Dancing Shiva)
The cosmic dancer Shiva in bronze, representing the cycle of creation and destruction.
Benin Bronze Plaque
Sophisticated lost-wax casting from the Kingdom of Benin that astonished European collectors.
Aztec Sun Stone
A massive carved basalt disk depicting the Aztec cosmos and calendar. Weighing 24 tons.
Lascaux Cave Paintings
Stunning prehistoric paintings of animals, created 17,000 years ago. Called the 'Sistine Chapel of Prehistory.'
Book of Kells
An illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels. Its intricate interlace patterns are unmatched in medieval art.
Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)
Mount Fuji bathed in early morning light, its slopes turned red by the rising sun.
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge
Hiroshige's mastery of atmosphere and weather effects influenced Van Gogh and the Impressionists.
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Five nude women with fractured, angular forms that launched Cubism. This revolutionary painting changed modern art.
Marilyn Diptych
Fifty images of Marilyn Monroe, half in color, half fading to black. A meditation on celebrity and mortality.
The Two Fridas
A double self-portrait showing Kahlo's European and Mexican identities, their hearts connected by a vein.
Infinity Mirror Room
Mirrored rooms filled with lights creating infinite reflections. Kusama explores obsession and self-obliteration.
Cloud Gate (The Bean)
A 110-ton stainless steel sculpture reflecting Chicago's skyline. Its seamless surface creates a liquid mirror.