a
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Berenice Abbott
Photographer / 1898 - 1991
Berenice Abbott was an American photographer best known for her work with
expatriates in Paris and of Depression New York City neighborhoods.
See full bio
(1898-1991)
Photographer
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Ansel Adams
Environmental Activist, Photographer / 1902 - 1984
Ansel Adams was an American photographer best known for his iconic images of the American West, including Yosemite National Park.
See full bio
(1902-1984)
Environmental Activist, Photographer
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Robert Adamson
Photographer, Chemist / 1821 - 1848
Robert Adamson was a Scottish chemist and photographer who is best known for producing 2500 Calotype photographic prints with painter David Octavius Hill.
See full bio
(1821-1848)
Photographer, Chemist
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Charles Addams
Illustrator / 1912 - 1988
Charles Addams was an American cartoonist whose work was frequently featured in The New Yorker. His most famous creation was the humorously macabre Addams Family.
See full bio
(1912-1988)
Illustrator
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Carl Andre
Sculptor / 1935 -
Artist Carl Andre created sculptures with wood and large sheets of metal. Andre was tried for his wife’s murder in 1985, but was acquitted.
See full bio
(1935-)
Sculptor
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Fra Angelico
Painter, Monk / 1400 - 1455
Dominican friar and painter Fra Angelico lived in Florence during the early 1400s. He is considered one of the best fresco painters of the century.
See full bio
(1400-1455)
Painter, Monk
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Patrick Lichfield
Photographer, Royalty / 1939 - 2005
British photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield achieved success in personal royal portraits, and created the well-known Unipart calendar.
See full bio
(1939-2005)
Photographer, Royalty
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Diane Arbus
Photographer / 1923 - 1971
Photographer Diane Arbus's distinctive portraits showed the world how crazy (and beautiful) New Yorkers were in the 1950s and '60s. She was married to actor Allan Arbus.
See full bio
(1923-1971)
Photographer
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Eugène Atget
Actor, Photographer / 1857 - 1927
French photographer Eugène Atget recorded everything he considered picturesque or artistic in and around Paris, with an eye for strange and unsettling images.
See full bio
(1857-1927)
Actor, Photographer
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John James Audubon
Illustrator, Painter, Scientist / 1785 - 1851
John James Audubon was an American ornithologist, artist and naturalist known for his studies, drawings and paintings of North American birds.
See full bio
(1785-1851)
Illustrator, Painter, Scientist
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Richard Avedon
Photographer / 1923 - 2004
American photographer Richard Avedon was best known for his work in the fashion world and for his minimalist, large-scale character-revealing portraits.
See full bio
(1923-2004)
Photographer
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Tex Avery
Illustrator / 1908 - 1980
Tex Avery was an American cartoonist best known for creating characters such as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Droopy and Chilly Willy.
See full bio
(1908-1980)
Illustrator
b
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Robert Baden-Powell
Illustrator, Painter, Military Leader, Journalist / 1857 - 1941
Robert Baden-Powell was a British military leader who is best known as the founder of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides Movement (later the Girl Scouts).
See full bio
(1857-1941)
Illustrator, Painter, Military Leader, Journalist
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David Bailey
Photographer / 1938 -
David Bailey is a British photographer known for his advertising, celebrity, and fashion photographs.
See full bio
(1938-)
Photographer
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John Baldessari
Photographer, Filmmaker / 1931 -
John Baldessari is an artist whose work in altered and adjusted photographic imagery and video were central to the development of U.S. conceptual art.
See full bio
(1931-)
Photographer, Filmmaker
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Banksy
Artist / 1974 -
Banksy is the pseudonym of a "guerrilla" street artist known for his controversial, and often politically themed, stenciled pieces.
See full bio
(1974-)
Artist
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Joseph Barbera
Illustrator, Television Producer / 1911 - 2006
Cartoon artist, director and producer Joseph Barbera formed Hanna-Barbera with William Hanna, which by the late 1960s dominated the TV animation scene.
See full bio
(1911-2006)
Illustrator, Television Producer
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Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
Sculptor / 1834 - 1904
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed and executed New York City’s Statue of Liberty to mark the Franco-American alliance of 1778.
See full bio
(1834-1904)
Sculptor
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Georg Baselitz
Artist / 1938 -
German artist George Baselitz helped start the Neo-Expressionism movement. He’s known for intentionally hanging his artwork upside down.
See full bio
(1938-)
Artist
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Jean-Michel Basquiat
Painter / 1960 - 1988
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a Neo-Expressionist painter in the 1980s. He is best known for his primitive style and his collaboration with pop artist Andy Warhol.
See full bio
(1960-1988)
Painter
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Frédéric Bazille
Painter / 1841 - 1870
Frédéric Bazille was a French painter who helped found the Impressionist movement of the late 19th century, before dying in combat in the Franco-Prussian War.
See full bio
(1841-1870)
Painter
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Romare Bearden
Illustrator, Painter / 1911 - 1988
Romare Bearden is considered one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. He depicted aspects of black culture in a Cubist style.
See full bio
(1911-1988)
Illustrator, Painter
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Aubrey Beardsley
Illustrator, Editor / 1872 - 1898
Aubrey Beardsley was a 19th-century English artist and illustrator. He was associated with Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic movement in art.
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(1872-1898)
Illustrator, Editor
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Cecil Beaton
Photographer, Writer / 1904 - 1980
Sir Cecil Beaton was an English fashion photographer who is also known for his work as a diarist, interior designer, and Oscar-winning stage and costume designer.
See full bio
(1904-1980)
Photographer, Writer
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Gwendolyn Bennett
Artist, Editor, Author, Poet / 1902 - 1981
A vital figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Gwendolyn Bennett is best known for the sensuality and visual imagery in her poems, the most famous being 'To a Dark Girl'.
See full bio
(1902-1981)
Artist, Editor, Author, Poet
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Thomas Hart Benton
Painter / 1889 - 1975
Thomas Hart Benton was an esteemed 20th century painter and muralist renowned for works like “America Today” and “Persephone.”
See full bio
(1889-1975)
Painter
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Giovanni Bernini
Architect, Sculptor / 1598 - 1680
Italian architect and sculptor Giovanni Bernini created many famous landmarks in Rome during the 17th century and is considered the father of Baroque sculpture.
See full bio
(1598-1680)
Architect, Sculptor
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Larry Birkhead
Photographer / 1973 -
Larry Birkhead, ex of the late Anna Nicole Smith, is raising their daughter, Dannielynn, after confirming in 2007 that he's the girl's biological dad.
See full bio
(1973-)
Photographer
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William Blake
Artist, Poet / 1757 - 1827
William Blake was a 19th century writer and artist who is regarded as a seminal figure of the Romantic Age. His writings have influenced countless writers and artists through the ages, and he has been deemed both a major poet and an original thinker.
See full bio
(1757-1827)
Artist, Poet
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Hieronymus Bosch
Painter / 1450 - 1516
Hieronymus Bosch was a European painter of the late Middle Ages. His two most famous works are The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Anthony.
See full bio
(1450-1516)
Painter
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Fernando Botero
Painter, Sculptor / 1932 -
Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist known for creating bloated, oversized depictions of people, animals and elements of the natural world.
See full bio
(1932-)
Painter, Sculptor
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Sandro Botticelli
Painter / 1445 - 1510
Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance-era. He contributed to the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and painted the immortal The Birth of Venus.
See full bio
(1445-1510)
Painter
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Leigh Bowery
Artist, Fashion Designer / 1961 - 1994
Leigh Bowery was an Australian fashion designer, club promoter and performance artist, known as the proprietor of the hedonistic London nightclub Taboo.
See full bio
(1961-1994)
Artist, Fashion Designer
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Mathew Brady
Photographer, Entrepreneur / 1823 - 1896
Mathew Brady was a 19th-century photographer best known for his Civil War photography and portraits.
See full bio
(1823-1896)
Photographer, Entrepreneur
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Christian Brando
Artist, Murderer / 1958 - 2008
Christian Brando was the eldest son of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing his half-sister’s boyfriend.
See full bio
(1958-2008)
Artist, Murderer
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Georges Braque
Painter / 1882 - 1963
Georges Braque, the French painter who invented Cubism, with Pablo Picasso, and became the first living artist to be exhibited at The Louvre in 1961.
See full bio
(1882-1963)
Painter
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Brassaï
Photographer, Sculptor, Poet / 1899 - 1984
Brassaï was a Hungarian-born French photographer, poet, and sculptor who became known for his photographs of Paris nightlife in the 1930s.
See full bio
(1899-1984)
Photographer, Sculptor, Poet
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André Breton
Philosopher, Artist, Literary Critic, Editor, Publisher, Journalist, Author, Poet / 1896 - 1966
André Breton was a French writer, editor and critic who was a key figure in the Dada and Surrealist art movements.
See full bio
(1896-1966)
Philosopher, Artist, Literary Critic, Editor, Publisher, Journalist, Author, Poet
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Tim Burton
Illustrator, Painter, Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1958 -
Director, producer and screenwriter Tim Burton is known for such films as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, which blend themes of fantasy and horror.
See full bio
(1958-)
Illustrator, Painter, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
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John Butler Yeats
Painter / 1839 - 1922
Painter John Butler Yeats was the father of poet William Butler Yeats and artist Jack Butler Yeats. His portrait of John O'Leary is considered his best work.
See full bio
(1839-1922)
Painter
c
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Alexander Calder
Illustrator, Sculptor / 1898 - 1976
Alexander Calder was an influential American artist and sculptor who invented the mobile.
See full bio
(1898-1976)
Illustrator, Sculptor
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Harry Callahan
Photographer / 1912 - 1999
Photographer Harry Callahan became famous for his innovative and unconventional perspectives on everyday objects and scenes.
See full bio
(1912-1999)
Photographer
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E. Simms Campbell
Illustrator / 1906 - 1971
Cartoonist E. Simms Campbell was the first African American to have his cartoons published regularly in magazines like Esquire and The New Yorker.
See full bio
(1906-1971)
Illustrator
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Canaletto
Painter / 1697 - 1768
Italian artist Canatello produced topographical paintings of Venice, London and the English countryside. He significantly influenced landscape painting.
See full bio
(1697-1768)
Painter
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Robert Capa
Photographer, Business Leader, Filmmaker / 1913 - 1954
Hungarian combat photographer Robert Capa is best known for redefining wartime photojournalism by insisting working in trenches, in the midst of combat.
See full bio
(1913-1954)
Photographer, Business Leader, Filmmaker
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Caravaggio
Painter / 1571 - 1610
Caravaggio, or Michelangelo Merisi, was an Italian painter who is considered one of the fathers of modern painting.
See full bio
(1571-1610)
Painter
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Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photographer, Filmmaker / 1908 - 2004
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
See full bio
(1908-2004)
Photographer, Filmmaker
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Elizabeth Catlett
Sculptor / 1915 - 2012
Artist Elizabeth Catlett celebrates African-American workers in sculptures and prints. She's known for works like "Negro Woman," "Sharecropper" and "Survivor."
See full bio
(1915-2012)
Sculptor
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George Catlin
Painter, Journalist / 1796 - 1872
American artist George Catlin recorded Native American culture in his sketches and portraits. The Smithsonian acquired most of his work in 1879.
See full bio
(1796-1872)
Painter, Journalist
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Marc Chagall
Illustrator, Painter / 1887 - 1985
Marc Chagall was a French artist whose work was generally based on emotional association rather than traditional pictorial fundamentals.
See full bio
(1887-1985)
Illustrator, Painter
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Judy Chicago
Educator, Women's Rights Activist, Artist, Journalist / 1939 -
Judy Chicago is an American artist, educator and writer, and a leading figure in feminist art. She received critical acclaim in the 1970s for her art project "The Dinner Party."
See full bio
(1939-)
Educator, Women's Rights Activist, Artist, Journalist
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Dale Chihuly
Sculptor / 1941 -
Dale Chihuly ia an American artist whose work in glass led to a resurgence of interest in that medium.
See full bio
(1941-)
Sculptor
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Christo
Sculptor / 1935 -
Christo is an environmental sculptor noted for his controversial outdoor sculptures that force observers to confront questions regarding the nature of art.
See full bio
(1935-)
Sculptor
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Larry Clark
Photographer, Director / 1943 -
American photographer and film director Larry Clark is known for his images and movies, like Kids, that graphically depict unconventional teenage activities.
See full bio
(1943-)
Photographer, Director
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Chuck Close
Educator, Painter / 1940 -
Chuck Close is noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face. He rose to fame in the late 1960s for his large-scale, photo-realist portraits.
See full bio
(1940-)
Educator, Painter
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Jean Cocteau
Artist, Author, Playwright, Poet / 1889 - 1963
Jean Cocteau was a French poet, playwright, artist and film director. He was associated with the group Les Six.
See full bio
(1889-1963)
Artist, Author, Playwright, Poet
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John Singleton Copley
Painter / 1738 - 1815
John Singleton Copley was an American painter of portraits and historical subjects. He is generally acclaimed as the finest artist of colonial America.
See full bio
(1738-1815)
Painter
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Le Corbusier
Architect, Artist / 1887 - 1965
Le Corbusier was a Swiss-born French architect who belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture.
See full bio
(1887-1965)
Architect, Artist
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Camille Corot
Painter / 1796 - 1875
French artist Camille Corot was known for his landscape paintings. His style of painting inspired Impressionism.
See full bio
(1796-1875)
Painter
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Gustave Courbet
Painter / 1819 - 1877
French painter Gustave Courbet went against mid-nineteenth century Romanticism and led the Realism movement towards the beauty of everyday life.
See full bio
(1819-1877)
Painter
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Jacques Cousteau
Photographer, Explorer, Filmmaker, Inventor, Military Leader, Scientist / 1910 - 1997
Jacques Cousteau was a French undersea explorer, researcher, photographer and documentary host who invented diving and scuba devices, including the Aqua-Lung. He also conducted underwater expeditions and produced films and television series, including the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1910-1997)
Photographer, Explorer, Filmmaker, Inventor, Military Leader, Scientist
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Robert Crumb
Illustrator, Singer, Author / 1943 -
American illustrator and artist Robert Crumb is best known for his distinctive style and satirical tone and creating the cartoon character Fritz the Cat.
See full bio
(1943-)
Illustrator, Singer, Author
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César
Sculptor / 1921 - 1998
French artist César Baldaccini created large sculptural representations from found objects. He was at the forefront of the New Realism movement.
See full bio
(1921-1998)
Sculptor
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Paul Cezanne
Painter / 1839 - 1906
Post-Impressionist French painter Paul Cézanne is best known for his incredibly varied painting style which greatly affected 20th century abstract art.
See full bio
(1839-1906)
Painter
d
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Leonardo da Vinci
Mathematician, Artist, Inventor, Musician, Writer / 1452 - 1519
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter and a genius in many realms of science. He is best known for two paintings: the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper."
See full bio
| Watch video
(1452-1519)
Mathematician, Artist, Inventor, Musician, Writer
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Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Painter, Inventor, Physicist / 1787 - 1851
Louis Daguerre was a French artist and physicist who gained international acclaim when he invented the process of photography.
See full bio
(1787-1851)
Painter, Inventor, Physicist
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Salvador Dalí
Painter, Filmmaker, Writer / 1904 - 1989
Salvador Dali is best known for his long surrealist painting career.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1904-1989)
Painter, Filmmaker, Writer
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Gala Dalí
Artist / 1894 - 1982
Gala Dalí is best known as the wife, business manager and muse of Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí.
See full bio
(1894-1982)
Artist
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Jacques-Louis David
Painter / 1748 - 1825
Jacques-Louis David was a 19th century painter who is considered to be the principal proponent of the Neoclassical style, which moved art briskly away from the previous Rococo period. His most famous works include "The Death of Marat" and "Napoleon Crossing the Alps."
See full bio
(1748-1825)
Painter
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Giorgio de Chirico
Painter / 1888 - 1978
Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico became famous
for his Metaphysical paintings and greatly influenced the 1920s Surrealist movement.
See full bio
(1888-1978)
Painter
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Francisco de Goya
Illustrator, Painter / 1746 - 1828
Sometimes called the father of modern art, Spanish artist Francisco de Goya painted royal portraits as well as more subversive works in late 1700s and early 1800s.
See full bio
(1746-1828)
Illustrator, Painter
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Willem de Kooning
Painter / 1904 - 1997
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-born American painter who was one of the leading exponents of Abstract Expressionism.
See full bio
(1904-1997)
Painter
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Georges de La Tour
Painter / 1593 - 1652
French painter Georges La Tour is considered a major influence on Caravaggio for his use of simple lighting, like candles, in a realistic manner.
See full bio
(1593-1652)
Painter
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Illustrator, Painter / 1864 - 1901
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a 19th century French artist known for works like “The Streetwalker” and “At the Moulin Rouge.”
See full bio
(1864-1901)
Illustrator, Painter
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Francisco de Zurbarán
Painter / 1598 - 1664
Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán painted religious work for monasteries and churches in Southern Spain in the 1600s.
See full bio
(1598-1664)
Painter
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Roy DeCarava
Photographer / 1919 - 2009
Roy DeCarava was an American photographer who created some of the most iconic images we have of the Civil Rights Movement and jazz musicians in motion.
See full bio
(1919-2009)
Photographer
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Edgar Degas
Painter / 1834 - 1917
Painter and sculptor Edgar Degas was a highly celebrated 19th-century French Impressionist whose work helped shape the fine art landscape for years to come.
See full bio
(1834-1917)
Painter
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Eugène Delacroix
Painter / 1798 - 1863
Eugène Delacroix, considered one of the greatest French Romantic painters, was influential in the development of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting.
See full bio
(1798-1863)
Painter
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Robert Delaunay
Painter / 1885 - 1941
French painter Robert Delaunay is best known for being one of the first to introduce vibrant color into Cubism, setting a trend later known as Orphism.
See full bio
(1885-1941)
Painter
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André Derain
Illustrator, Painter / 1880 - 1954
André Derain was a French painter of the Fauvist school and a book illustrator. He was friends with Henri Matisse.
See full bio
(1880-1954)
Illustrator, Painter
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Donatello
Sculptor / 1386 - 1466
Italian sculptor Donatello was the greatest Florentine sculptor before Michelangelo (1475–1564) and was the most influential individual artist of the 15th century in Italy.
See full bio
(1386-1466)
Sculptor
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Aaron Douglas
Illustrator, Painter / 1899 - 1979
Aaron Douglas was an African-American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
See full bio
(1899-1979)
Illustrator, Painter
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Albrecht Dürer
Painter / 1471 - 1528
Albrecht Durer was regarded as the greatest German Renaissance artist. His work includes altarpieces, portraits and self-portraits, engravings, and woodcuts.
See full bio
(1471-1528)
Painter
e
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Eadweard Muybridge
Photographer, Filmmaker, Inventor / 1830 - 1904
Eadweard Muybridge's photography of moving animals captured movement in a way that had never been done before. His work was used by both scientists and artists.
See full bio
(1830-1904)
Photographer, Filmmaker, Inventor
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Thomas Eakins
Painter, Photographer, Sculptor / 1844 - 1916
Thomas Eakins was a naturalist figure painter, portraitist and sculptor. He is considered one of the most influential artists in U.S. history.
See full bio
(1844-1916)
Painter, Photographer, Sculptor
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Alfred Eisenstaedt
Photographer / 1898 - 1995
Alfred Eisenstaedt was German-born, U.S. photojournalist. He was one of the first four photographers hired by Life Magazine.
See full bio
(1898-1995)
Photographer
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Will Eisner
Illustrator / 1917 - 2005
Will Eisner was a cartoonist and writer known for creating Hawks of the Sea and, more notably, The Spirit.
See full bio
(1917-2005)
Illustrator
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El Greco
Architect, Painter, Sculptor / 1541 - 1614
El Greco was a Greek artist whose painting and sculpture helped define the Spanish Renaissance and influence various movements to come.
See full bio
(1541-1614)
Architect, Painter, Sculptor
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Tracey Emin
Artist / 1963 -
Tracey Emin is a British artist who emerged in the 1980s, during the "Young British Artists" movement. She is noted for her provocative and controversial pieces, including "Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995," "My Bed" and "The Last Thing I Said To You is Don't Leave Me Here."
See full bio
(1963-)
Artist
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Max Ernst
Painter, Sculptor, Editor / 1891 - 1976
Max Ernst was a German artist--in painting, sculpture and collage--who was a key figure in the Dadaist and Surrealist art movements.
See full bio
(1891-1976)
Painter, Sculptor, Editor
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M.C. Escher
Artist / 1898 - 1972
M.C. Escher was an artist known for his realistic, detailed prints that achieve bizarre optical and conceptual effects.
See full bio
(1898-1972)
Artist
f
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Peter Carl Fabergé
Artist / 1846 - 1920
Jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé is best known for his intricately decorated Easter eggs. He made them for Russian royalty such as Alexander III and Nicholas II.
See full bio
(1846-1920)
Artist
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Jules Feiffer
Illustrator, Journalist, Author, Playwright, Screenwriter / 1929 -
American cartoonist and writer Jules Feiffer became famous for his “Feiffer,” a satirical cartoon strip notable for its emphasis on very literate captions.
See full bio
(1929-)
Illustrator, Journalist, Author, Playwright, Screenwriter
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Andreas Feininger
Architect, Photographer, Journalist / 1906 - 1999
Andreas Feininger was the son of Lyonel Feininger and a prolific magazine photographer and writer on photography.
See full bio
(1906-1999)
Architect, Photographer, Journalist
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Roger Fenton
Photographer / 1819 - 1869
Roger Fenton was a British photographer best known for his 1855 documentation of the ravages of the war in Crimea.
See full bio
(1819-1869)
Photographer
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Robert Frank
Photographer, Director / 1924 -
Robert Frank is a Swiss photographer who is best known his photography collection The Americans, the introduction of which was written by Jack Kerouac.
See full bio
(1924-)
Photographer, Director
g
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Thomas Gainsborough
Painter / 1727 - 1788
Thomas Gainsborough was an 18th century English painter known for his suggestive portraiture and landscapes.
See full bio
(1727-1788)
Painter
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Alexander Gardner
Photographer / 1821 - 1882
Alexander Gardner was a Scottish photographer who moved to the United States and took some of the most memorable photos of the American Civil War.
See full bio
(1821-1882)
Photographer
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Paul Gauguin
Painter, Sculptor / 1848 - 1903
French artist Paul Gauguin's bold colors, exaggerated body proportions and stark contrasts helped him achieve broad success in the late 19th century.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1848-1903)
Painter, Sculptor
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Artemisia Gentileschi
Painter / 1593 - 1652
Artemisia Gentileschi was a Tuscan, Baroque-period painter. She studied under her father, artist Orazio Gentileschi, and was also influenced by Caravaggio.
See full bio
(1593-1652)
Painter