20 Famous Oil Paintings of All Time

Oil paintings have a way of stopping you in your tracks. There’s something about the texture, the depth, the richness of color that makes you feel like you're looking into another world.

But there are so many names, styles, and centuries. If you aren’t an artist, you might not even see which medium a painting is at first glance.

That’s exactly why this list exists, to cut through the clutter. These are the works that shaped movements, stirred emotions, and still pull millions of people into museums, books, and deep internet rabbit holes every year.

1. Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci

Year: c. 1503–1506 | Medium: Oil on poplar panel | Location: Louvre Museum, Paris

No matter how many times you’ve seen her face, the Mona Lisa still holds an uncanny power. Leonardo da Vinci painted her over 500 years ago, yet her half-smile continues to spark endless debate. Is she happy? Mysterious? Bored? This portrait isn’t just a painting; it’s a puzzle wrapped in layers of technique, science, and storytelling. From the soft sfumato blending that gives her skin its lifelike glow to the hazy mountains in the background, every detail was crafted with astonishing control. It’s no surprise this became da Vinci’s most famous work, and arguably the most famous painting in the world.

“It is the ultimate symbol of the Renaissance and perhaps the most iconic portrait ever painted.” - Dr. Martin Kemp.

But her fame isn’t just about beauty. The Mona Lisa has survived theft, attacks, and centuries of obsession. She was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 (and recovered two years later), making international headlines that catapulted her into pop culture. Today, she draws millions of visitors every year, most of whom make a beeline through the museum just to stand in front of her, even if it’s only for a few seconds. Somehow, even behind glass and a crowd, she still feels intimate, timeless, and quietly alive.

2. The Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh

Year: 1889 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

Swirling skies, glowing stars, a sleepy village below… The Starry Night feels like a dream pulled straight from Vincent van Gogh’s restless mind. Painted from his asylum room in southern France, this masterpiece blends emotion and movement in a way that still feels electric. The bold brushstrokes, the oversized moon, the cypress reaching into the sky. It’s not a realistic night, but it’s one you can feel.

What makes this painting unforgettable isn’t just the style, but the story behind it. Van Gogh created it during a period of deep struggle, yet it radiates energy and hope. That tension, between darkness and beauty, is why it continues to resonate with millions. It’s more than a painting. It’s a window into the soul of an artist who saw the world differently and dared to show it.

3. The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dalí

Year: 1931 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

The melting clocks. That’s what most people remember. But The Persistence of Memory is more than just surreal shapes, it’s Salvador Dalí’s strange, dreamlike take on time, memory, and reality itself. The quiet landscape feels still, almost frozen, while the soft, drooping clocks suggest that time is slipping away or maybe doesn’t matter at all.

Dalí painted this in his early 20s, during a time when he was fascinated by dreams and the subconscious. Some say it’s a nod to Einstein’s theory of relativity, others think it was inspired by melting cheese. Whatever the case, it changed the way people saw art, and reality. Even now, nearly a century later, it keeps people staring, wondering, and interpreting it in their own way.

4. Girl with a Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer

Year: c. 1665 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague

She’s not royalty, not a mythological figure, just a girl in a turban, turning toward us with a single pearl catching the light. And yet, Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most iconic portraits in the world. Vermeer captured something incredibly intimate here: soft light on her face, the shimmer of the earring, and a gaze that feels like she might speak at any moment.

We know almost nothing about the model or her story, which only adds to the mystery. Some call it the “Mona Lisa of the North” because of that quiet, magnetic expression. The painting isn’t grand or dramatic, it’s simple, but powerful. And sometimes, that’s exactly what makes something unforgettable.

5. The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn

Year: 1642 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Night Watch is anything but quiet. This massive painting is full of movement, soldiers getting ready to march, a girl glowing in the shadows, weapons raised mid-action. Rembrandt didn’t just paint a group portrait; he turned it into a dramatic scene, packed with energy and emotion.

What makes this piece so impressive is how it plays with light. Rembrandt uses brightness and shadow to guide your eye across the canvas, making sure you notice every key detail. At over 12 feet wide, it’s a true showstopper, and a bold reminder that even a formal military portrait can feel alive.

6. The Kiss – Gustav Klimt

Year: 1907–1908 | Medium: Oil and gold leaf on canvas | Location: Belvedere Museum, Vienna

Few paintings feel as romantic, or as instantly recognizable, as The Kiss. Wrapped in gold and pattern, two lovers melt into each other, their forms almost disappearing into the shimmering background. This was Gustav Klimt at his boldest, blending fine art with decorative beauty in a way that still feels fresh today.

“It’s not just a romantic image, it’s a spiritual one, suggesting transcendence through love and union.” - Dr. Alessandra Comini.

Painted during his “Golden Period,” Klimt used real gold leaf to create a glow that feels almost sacred. But beyond the glitter is a quiet tenderness, the way her eyes are closed, the soft touch of his hand. It’s sensual, symbolic, and timeless, capturing a moment of love that feels both intimate and universal.

7. Las Meninas – Diego Velázquez

Year: 1656 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid

Las Meninas isn’t just a painting, it’s a puzzle. At first glance, it looks like a portrait of a young princess and her entourage. But then you notice the artist himself standing at his easel, the king and queen reflected in a mirror, and suddenly you're part of the scene. Diego Velázquez blurred the line between viewer and subject in a way that was centuries ahead of its time.

This painting has fascinated art lovers for generations. It plays with perspective, power, and presence, making you question who the real focus is. Is it the princess? The painter? The royal couple? That mystery is exactly what’s made Las Meninas one of the most studied, and admired, paintings in Western art.

8. American Gothic – Grant Wood

Year: 1930 | Medium: Oil on beaverboard | Location: Art Institute of Chicago

With a pitchfork, a stern stare, and a house with a pointy window, American Gothic became one of the most iconic images in American art. Grant Wood painted it during the Great Depression, capturing the grit and quiet pride of rural life. The man and woman, often mistaken for a couple, are actually modeled after his dentist and sister, posed as a farmer and his daughter.

The painting has been praised, parodied, and reinterpreted countless times. Some see it as a tribute to hardworking Americans; others read it as a subtle critique. Either way, its sharp detail, unusual stillness, and unforgettable expressions make it a portrait that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it.

9. Guernica – Pablo Picasso

Year: 1937 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid

Guernica doesn’t just hang on a wall, it hits like a punch to the chest. Painted in response to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, Picasso’s black-and-white mural is raw, chaotic, and full of pain. Twisted figures, a screaming horse, a broken sword, every inch of the canvas speaks to the horror of war.

What makes this painting so powerful is how it communicates without color, without gore, just shapes, symbols, and emotion. It became a symbol of anti-war resistance, shown around the world as a reminder of what violence leaves behind. Even today, Guernica feels urgent, emotional, and impossible to ignore.

10. The Scream – Edvard Munch

Year: 1893 | Medium: Oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard | Location: National Museum, Oslo (and other versions)

You don’t need to know anything about art to recognize The Scream. That ghostly figure, hands to face, mouth wide open, it’s become a universal symbol for anxiety, fear, and emotional overwhelm. Edvard Munch painted it after a moment of panic while walking at sunset, saying he felt “a great scream pass through nature.”

The sky burns red, the lines swirl, and everything feels unstable, like the whole world is vibrating. Munch wasn’t trying to paint reality, he was painting emotion. That’s why The Scream still resonates. It’s raw, vulnerable, and honest in a way that few works of art have ever been.

11. Impression, Sunrise – Claude Monet

Year: 1872 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris

With a hazy sky, soft water, and a small orange sun, Impression, Sunrise feels quiet and fleeting, like a memory you’re trying to hold onto. Claude Monet painted the port of Le Havre, his hometown, with quick brushstrokes and soft light. It was never meant to be a polished scene, it was about capturing a feeling.

When this painting first appeared in 1874, it was actually mocked. One critic used the word “Impression” to insult it. But that word stuck, and it ended up naming an entire movement: Impressionism. What started as a sketchy little sunrise turned into a turning point in art history, and it still glows with that same soft energy today.

12. The Birth of Venus – Sandro Botticelli

Year: c. 1485 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The Birth of Venus is pure poetry on canvas. Floating on a seashell, the goddess Venus arrives at the shore, blown by the wind gods and greeted by a nymph with a flowing cloak. Botticelli painted this during the Italian Renaissance, blending classical mythology with a dreamy, otherworldly style.

What makes this painting stand out is its grace. The figures don’t look realistic, they’re idealized, almost weightless. But that’s the magic of it. It isn’t trying to show how things are, but how beauty feels. Even centuries later, The Birth of Venus still captures the imagination with its elegance, romance, and sense of divine arrival.

13. Irises – Vincent van Gogh

Year: 1889 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Van Gogh painted Irises during his stay at a mental asylum in Saint-Rémy, but there’s nothing chaotic about it. The flowers stretch calmly across the canvas, vibrant, flowing, alive. Each iris feels unique, and the loose, expressive brushwork gives the painting a sense of quiet movement, like a breeze passing through a garden.

Inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, Van Gogh focused more on rhythm and color than strict realism. The result is peaceful, almost meditative. For a man battling so much inside, this work feels like a deep breath. It’s a reminder of how beauty can be found, even in the middle of struggle.

14. Water Lily Pond – Claude Monet

Year: 1899 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Musée d'Orsay (and others around the world)

With soft greens, gentle reflections, and that iconic arched bridge, Water Lily Pond feels like a quiet escape. Monet painted his garden in Giverny over and over again, but this version, lush, layered, and full of light, is one of the most beloved. You can almost hear the stillness of the water.

Monet wasn’t just painting flowers, he was painting how light dances, how time passes, how nature feels. The brushstrokes are loose and flowing, blurring the line between solid and reflection. It’s peaceful, immersive, and endlessly soothing, like standing in a garden that never stops blooming.

15. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – Georges Seurat

Year: 1884–1886 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Art Institute of Chicago

At first glance, it looks like a peaceful park scene, Parisians relaxing by the water. But look closer, and you’ll see that Seurat didn’t use brushstrokes. He used thousands of tiny dots. This technique, called pointillism, creates an almost pixel-like effect long before pixels existed.

Seurat spent two years painting this, placing color next to color so your eyes would blend them from a distance. It’s precise, scientific, yet somehow full of charm. The scene feels calm and orderly, but there’s something surreal about the stillness. It’s one of those paintings that pulls you in the longer you look.

16. Whistler’s Mother – James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Year: 1871 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Musée d'Orsay, Paris

She sits perfectly still, side profile, hands folded in her lap. Whistler’s Mother might seem quiet at first, but that stillness carries weight. James McNeill Whistler painted his own mother during a time when portraiture was shifting toward mood and composition, not just likeness.

Often called the “Victorian Mona Lisa,” this piece became a symbol of motherhood, dignity, and restraint. The gray tones, the minimal setting, the calm expression, it all adds up to a painting that speaks softly, but powerfully. It’s not flashy, but its quiet presence is exactly what’s made it timeless.

17. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee – Rembrandt van Rijn

Year: 1633 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Stolen (formerly at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston)

Waves crash, sails twist, and panic fills the boat, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is Rembrandt at his most dramatic. This is his only seascape, and he didn’t hold back. The painting shows a biblical scene where Jesus calms a violent storm, but for most of the canvas, the chaos takes center stage.

Every figure is doing something different, shouting, praying, vomiting, clinging to the mast. One even looks straight out at the viewer, and that’s Rembrandt himself, inserting his own face into the story. The painting was stolen in 1990 and has never been recovered, which only adds to its mystery and legend.

18. The Old Guitarist – Pablo Picasso

Year: 1903–1904 | Medium: Oil on panel | Location: Art Institute of Chicago

Bent over his guitar, frail and hunched, the figure in The Old Guitarist feels both haunting and tender. Picasso painted this during his Blue Period, a time marked by grief, poverty, and deep introspection after the loss of a close friend. The result is a portrait that’s quiet, sorrowful, and deeply human.

The muted blues, the elongated limbs, the way the man seems fused with his guitar, it all speaks to loneliness, but also to the power of music as comfort. X-rays later revealed hidden figures beneath the surface, showing that even in despair, Picasso was constantly searching, experimenting, and expressing something bigger than himself.

19. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I – Gustav Klimt

Year: 1907 | Medium: Oil, silver, and gold leaf on canvas | Location: Neue Galerie, New York City

Shimmering with gold and intricate patterns, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I feels more like a jewel than a painting. Gustav Klimt created this stunning portrait during his “Golden Period,” blending fine portraiture with ornate, decorative design. Adele, a Viennese socialite and art patron, sits draped in flowing robes, surrounded by mosaics of gold and symbolism.

The painting took three years to complete and quickly became one of Klimt’s most iconic works. It’s not just about beauty, it’s layered with meaning, from Adele’s mysterious gaze to the ancient Egyptian and Byzantine motifs woven into the background. Sometimes called the "Austrian Mona Lisa," this piece is a dazzling fusion of sensuality, symbolism, and sheer craftsmanship.

20. The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist – Caspar David Friedrich

Year: 1818 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

A lone figure stands on a rocky cliff, looking out over a swirling sea of fog. His back is to us, so we can’t see his face, but somehow, we feel what he’s feeling. The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist is one of the most iconic images of Romanticism, capturing that moment of awe when nature makes you feel small and infinite all at once.

Friedrich painted not just what the eye sees, but what the soul feels. The mist hides the world below, leaving only mystery and imagination ahead. It’s a painting about solitude, reflection, and standing at the edge of the unknown, something as relatable now as it was two centuries ago.

Final Thoughts

There’s a reason oil paintings have held our attention for centuries. They’re not just beautiful to look at, they’re full of life, history, and emotion. Whether it’s the calm of Monet’s gardens, the chaos of Picasso’s Guernica, or the quiet mystery behind the Mona Lisa’s smile, these works speak across time and place.

Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Rembrandt, and Gustav Klimt didn’t just paint, they built worlds. And oil paint gave them the perfect tool to do it. With its rich texture, slow drying time, and deep, luminous color, oil allows for blending, layering, and subtle detail like no other medium. It’s forgiving and versatile, letting artists make bold moves or capture the quietest gestures.

That’s why oil paintings still fill museums, inspire artists, and leave people staring a little longer than they expected. They don’t just show us what something looks like, they show us how it feels