Mona Lisa (da Vinci, c.1503)

The Mona Lisa is the most visited, most written about, and most parodied artwork globally, drawing 9 million annual viewers to the Louvre—outpacing The Starry Night by nearly 4 million visitors per year. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1519, this 77cm x 53cm panel rests behind 6.7cm of bulletproof glass in its own dedicated room. Its insurance value of $870 million in 2021 remains the highest ever assessed for an artwork, a benchmark no other piece on this list approaches. The painting's enigmatic smile and sfumato technique have inspired centuries of analysis, securing its place as the world's most recognized image.