Prominent Modern Artists

Listed below are only a few of many prominent modern artists who revolutionised the development of the 20th century art as well as influenced many contemporary art forms and artists:

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Widely considered as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, the renowned Spanish painter, sculptor, ceramist and printmaker is perhaps best known as the central figure of the Cubist movement although he also experimented and helped develop a number of art forms and styles. Amongst other, he also laid the foundation for abstract art.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954). The French painter and sculptor played the key role in the development of modern art and is regarded as one of the most influential modern artists. He rose to prominence as one of the leading figures of Fauvism which initiated the modern art movement.

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). The French-American painter, sculptor and writer is next to Picasso and Matisse seen as one of the key figures of the 20th century art although he wasn’t even close as productive as Picasso and Matisse. In fact, he created relatively few works but those few works had a profound influence on later development of modern art, most notably Conceptual art.

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). The Russian painter who is credited with the creation of the very first purely abstract painting started his artistic career relatively late. He began his painting studies only at the age of 30 when he moved to Munich. He returned to Russia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War but returned to Germany in 1921 because he disliked the Communist art theories. In the 1930s he moved again, this time to France where he created some of his greatest masterpieces.

Edvard Munch (1863-1944). The Norwegian painter and graphic artist had a major influence on the Expressionist movement. His artworks reflect strong emotions which are a product of personal tragedy from childhood, dramatic love affairs and problems with alcohol but they also reflect his awareness of social issues in his time.

Salvador Dali (1904-1989). The celebrated Spanish artist was one of the foremost figures of Surrealist movement whose works and eccentric appearance made him an icon of his own. He was highly productive throughout his life in a variety of fields, while his works are often also cited as a source of inspiration for many late 20th and early 21st century artists.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987). The foremost figure of Pop art and one of the most influential 20th century artists is admired for his unique blend of artistic expression, advertisement and celebrity culture. Although surrounded with a lot of controversy, Warhol’s paintings are among the most expensive artworks ever sold.