From The Thinker to The Scream - check out our 20 favourite works of art
With a rich history of culture – it is no wonder that we are a nation of art lovers.
Whether it’s paintings, sculpture or graffiti, 68% of us are fans. But which are most popular?
A study by baker Jacksons of Yorkshire and charity Create, found our most treasured pieces. Van Gogh's masterpiece, shown in or main image, is arguably the most famous of the lot - but how many of the others do you recognise?
Girl with Balloon by Banksy (2002)
At an auction in 2018 the painting was destroyed in front of the winning bidder by a hidden shredder inside the frame. It was later renamed Love is in the Bin that year and was sold for £20million.
Girl with Balloon (PA)The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)
In 2004 an armed man stole a 1910 version of the painting in Oslo, Norway, but after he was convicted in 2006 it was still missing. Two million M&Ms were offered as a reward and days later the painting’s location was revealed.
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The Scream (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The Thinker (Getty Images)The Thinker by Auguste Rodin (1904)
This bronze sculpture of a nude man was so perfectly carved that Rodin was accused of using a man’s body to craft it. He then avoided carving full-scale statues as the controversy followed him for life.
Water Lilies by Claude Monet (1897-1926)
Monet imported water lilies from South America and Egypt for his Giverney property in north-west France. But the council in demanded them to be uprooted before they poisoned the water. However, if Monet had obeyed it would have been a great loss to art fans everywhere.
Water Lilies (Corbis via Getty Images)Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch (between 150 and 125BC)
Discovered in 1820 by a Greek farmer on the island of Milos, this statue of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is 6ft 8ins tall
Venus de Milo (Print Collector/Getty Images)
Fearless Girl (Future Publishing via Getty Images)Fearless Girl by Kristen Visbal (2016)
This sculpture of a 10-year-old Latina girl was commissioned to encourage companies to have more women on their board, and is situated across from the New York Stock Exchange Building
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1831)
It was the first print made as part of the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji in Japan and depicts a rogue wave that catches fishermen off guard.
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Going To The Match by L.S. Lowry (1953)
The painting depicts Bolton Wanderers’ old stadium at Burnden Park, Lancs, which was demolished in 1999.
Going To The Match (Paul Cooper/REX/Shutterstock)Whistler's Mother by James McNeill Whistler (1871)
An example of the US artist’s talents, this painting also had a starring role in the 1997 film Bean, where Rowan Atkinson’s comedy character accidentally defaces it.
Whistler's Mother (THA/REX/Shutterstock)Angel of the North by Antony Gormley (1998)
The colossal steel work is a homage to the coal mine past of North-East England, and a monument to future industry. It is thought to be the largest angel sculpture in the world.
Angel of the North (KeystoneUSA-ZUM/REX/Shutterstock)The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)
For hundreds of years people thought this painting was of a nighttime scene, but this was only because there was a buildup of dirt and dark varnish. In the 1940s all this varnish was finally removed, however the title remains.
The Night Watch (Getty Images)The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí (1931)
Surrealist Salvador Dali said the floppy clocks were inspired by melted Camembert cheese he once had for dinner
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The Persistence of Memory (Alamy Stock Photo)Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo (1940)
Kahlo’s divorce inspired this painting. It is believed the necklace piercing her neck reflects her pain during the split
Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (Corbis via Getty Images)Guernica by Picasso (1937)
It is based on the horrors of April 27, 1937, when the German air force bombed the village of Guernica in northern Spain. It was history’s first aerial saturation bombing of a civilian population.
Guernica (Getty Images)The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907-1908)
Despite the painting of two clothed figures then being viewed as pornographic, it sold before it was finished for a record 25,000 Austrian crowns– about £186,650 today
The Kiss (Getty Images)Jimson Weed by Georgia O’Keeffe (1936)
In 2014, it broke the record for the dearest painting by a female artist when bought by heiress Alice Walton for £34.5million.
Jimson Weed (Getty Images)Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor (2006)
Kapoor was inspired by liquid mercury to create this landmark, which is the centrepiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Par in Chicago, US.
Cloud Gate (Getty Images)The Splash by David Hockney (1966)
The series of paintings that include The Little Splash, The Splash and The Bigger Splash were inspired by a snap on the front of a technical manual on swimming pool construction.
The Splash (PA)Maman by Louise Bourgeois (1999-2002)
This spider sculpture is a tribute to Bourgeois’ mother who passed away when he was 18 years old, it is a symbol of nurture, fertility and protection of the home.
Maman (VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Read more similar news:
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