

Leonardo da Vinci / Louvre, Paris
From Leonardo's enigmatic Mona Lisa to Picasso's devastating Guernica, these 10 paintings have shaped human culture, provoked revolutions in art, and attracted billions of viewers across five centuries. Together they span 1503 to 1937 and reside in the world's greatest museums, drawing over 30 million visitors annually.
Top 10 lists on this topic
Curated by our education editors. Rankings built from outcomes, expert input, and reader vote.
Create a free account or sign in to join the discussion.
Sign in to join the conversation

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci between c.1503-1519, the Mona Lisa is displayed at the Louvre in Paris behind bulletproof glass and draws approximately 9 million visitors per year. Its estimated value exceeds $870 million, making it the most valuable painting and the most recognized human face in history.

Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night in June 1889 while voluntarily committed to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France. The swirling night sky and cypress tree depict the view from his asylum window, and the work now draws 1.5 million visitors annually to MoMA in New York.

Salvador Dali painted his iconic melting clocks in just two hours one afternoon in 1931, reportedly inspired by the sight of a melting Camembert cheese. The 8x11-inch painting has since become the most recognized surrealist artwork ever created, and its four draped timepieces have inspired countless interpretations about the fluidity of time.

Johannes Vermeer c.1665 masterpiece is sometimes called the Dutch Mona Lisa for its mysterious subject and luminous technique. The identity of the girl has never been established, and the painting currently attracts over 400,000 annual visitors to the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague.

Sandro Botticelli's tempera painting (c.1484-86) depicts the goddess Venus emerging from the sea fully grown, based on classical mythology and Neoplatonic philosophy. At 5.7 million visitors per year, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence attributes much of its traffic to this single work, which redefined the ideal of female beauty for 500 years.

Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper directly onto the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan between 1495-1498, using a tempera-and-oil technique that began deteriorating within 20 years. Despite centuries of damage, restoration, and wartime near-destruction, it attracts 1,500 ticketed visitors per day and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Michelangelo painted The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in 1512, as the central panel of a 520-square-meter fresco commissioned by Pope Julius II. The image of God reaching toward Adam across a spark of space has become the most reproduced religious painting in history and is visited by over 6 million people annually.

Edvard Munch created four versions of The Scream between 1893-1910, depicting a howling, skeletal figure against a tumultuous orange sky that he described as representing infinite screaming through nature. The pastel version sold at Sotheby's in May 2012 for $119.9 million, at the time the highest auction price for a work of art.

Diego Velazquez's 1656 painting of the Spanish royal court includes a mirror reflection of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana, making the viewer simultaneously an observer and the subject of royal attention. Luca Giordano called it the theology of painting, and it draws over 3 million visitors to Madrid's Prado Museum annually.

Pablo Picasso painted Guernica in 1937 as a response to the Nazi bombing of the Basque village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The 11x25-foot monochrome oil painting on canvas became the 20th century most powerful anti-war statement and now draws 4 million annual visitors to the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.
The most-voted lists across every category — curated weekly. Join the early readers.
No spam. One email per week. Unsubscribe anytime.
Explore more Education rankings on Top10Grid
Cast your vote above to unlock the real distribution
Tap the arrows on any item to vote

Top 10 Space Missions That Rewrote History
36 views · @admin

Top 10 Scientific Discoveries That Changed Everything
31 views · @admin

Top 10 Countries With the Best Education Systems in the World — What They Do Differently
188 views · @admin

Top 10 Best Universities in the World
48 views · @admin

Top 10 Cognitive Biases That Shape Your Decisions
42 views · @admin

Top 10 Most Influential Photographers of All Time
41 views · @admin
Because you're viewing Education

This Week's Most-Tracked Books on Open Library
693 views · 3 votes

Books the Internet Can't Stop Reading Right Now
575 views · 2 votes

Top 10 Countries With the Best Education Systems in the World — What They Do Differently
188 views · 1 votes

Top 10 YouTube Channels to Watch for Self-Improvement & Productivity in 2026
173 views · 0 votes

Top 10 Greatest Novels of All Time
102 views · 0 votes

Histories Worth Losing a Weekend To
74 views · 0 votes

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci between c.1503-1519, the Mona Lisa is displayed at the Louvre in Paris behind bulletproof glass and draws approximately 9 million visitors per year. Its estimated value exceeds $870 million, making it the most valuable painting and the most recognized human face in history.

Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night in June 1889 while voluntarily committed to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France. The swirling night sky and cypress tree depict the view from his asylum window, and the work now draws 1.5 million visitors annually to MoMA in New York.

Salvador Dali painted his iconic melting clocks in just two hours one afternoon in 1931, reportedly inspired by the sight of a melting Camembert cheese. The 8x11-inch painting has since become the most recognized surrealist artwork ever created, and its four draped timepieces have inspired countless interpretations about the fluidity of time.

Johannes Vermeer c.1665 masterpiece is sometimes called the Dutch Mona Lisa for its mysterious subject and luminous technique. The identity of the girl has never been established, and the painting currently attracts over 400,000 annual visitors to the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague.

Sandro Botticelli's tempera painting (c.1484-86) depicts the goddess Venus emerging from the sea fully grown, based on classical mythology and Neoplatonic philosophy. At 5.7 million visitors per year, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence attributes much of its traffic to this single work, which redefined the ideal of female beauty for 500 years.

Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper directly onto the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan between 1495-1498, using a tempera-and-oil technique that began deteriorating within 20 years. Despite centuries of damage, restoration, and wartime near-destruction, it attracts 1,500 ticketed visitors per day and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Michelangelo painted The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in 1512, as the central panel of a 520-square-meter fresco commissioned by Pope Julius II. The image of God reaching toward Adam across a spark of space has become the most reproduced religious painting in history and is visited by over 6 million people annually.

Edvard Munch created four versions of The Scream between 1893-1910, depicting a howling, skeletal figure against a tumultuous orange sky that he described as representing infinite screaming through nature. The pastel version sold at Sotheby's in May 2012 for $119.9 million, at the time the highest auction price for a work of art.

Diego Velazquez's 1656 painting of the Spanish royal court includes a mirror reflection of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana, making the viewer simultaneously an observer and the subject of royal attention. Luca Giordano called it the theology of painting, and it draws over 3 million visitors to Madrid's Prado Museum annually.

Pablo Picasso painted Guernica in 1937 as a response to the Nazi bombing of the Basque village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The 11x25-foot monochrome oil painting on canvas became the 20th century most powerful anti-war statement and now draws 4 million annual visitors to the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Top 10 Most Decisive Battles in History
10 items

Top 10 Most Influential People in Human History
10 items

This Week's Most-Tracked Books on Open Library
10 items

Books the Internet Can't Stop Reading Right Now
10 items

Top 10 Countries With the Best Education Systems in the World — What They Do Differently
10 items

Top 10 YouTube Channels to Watch for Self-Improvement & Productivity in 2026
10 items
If you liked this, you might love these





