Few paintings have achieved the worldwide recognition of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The portrait is celebrated for its subtle modelling, enigmatic expression and extraordinary attention to detail.

Leonardo's use of sfumato—soft transitions between light and shadow—helps create the delicate modelling of the face. Her expression seems to shift depending on how and where the viewer looks, adding to the mystery that has surrounded the work for centuries.

The painting became particularly famous in the modern era after it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. Its disappearance generated international headlines and helped transform an important Renaissance portrait into one of the world's most famous works of art.

The Starry Night is one of Vincent van Gogh's most recognisable paintings. Its swirling night sky, luminous stars and dramatic cypress tree create an image that feels simultaneously peaceful and intensely energetic.

Van Gogh painted the work in 1889 while staying at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Rather than simply reproducing what he saw, he transformed the landscape through expressive colour, rhythm and brushwork.

The painting's enduring popularity demonstrates how a work can become a universal visual language. Today, its swirling sky is instantly associated with Van Gogh and has influenced generations of artists, designers and popular culture.

Leonardo's The Last Supper depicts the moment when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. Leonardo arranged the figures so that their gestures and reactions create a dramatic visual response to Christ's announcement.

The composition is particularly famous for its use of perspective. Architectural lines guide the viewer's attention toward Christ, establishing him as the central focus of the scene.

Unlike a traditional oil painting on canvas, the work was created directly on the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Its experimental technique contributed to serious deterioration, making preservation an ongoing challenge.

The Scream is among the most recognisable images of modern art. Its distorted figure, dramatic sky and sweeping lines communicate a powerful sense of fear, anxiety and emotional intensity.

Munch created several versions of the composition in different media. The image was connected to his own experience of an overwhelming moment in nature, but its emotional language has become much broader than the original event.

The simplified figure and open mouth have made the work particularly influential in visual culture. Its symbolism remains immediately understandable even to viewers who know little about art history.

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring is famous for its quiet intimacy and extraordinary treatment of light. The young woman turns toward the viewer while wearing a large luminous earring that catches the eye immediately.

The identity of the sitter is unknown, and the work is generally described as a tronie rather than a conventional portrait. Its ambiguity contributes to its enduring fascination.

Vermeer's controlled palette, soft illumination and dark background create a sense of stillness that has made the painting one of the best-known works of Dutch Golden Age art.

Picasso created Guernica in response to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Rather than showing the event as a straightforward battlefield scene, Picasso used fragmented forms, distorted figures and a restricted palette to communicate suffering and devastation.

The enormous scale of the painting gives its figures a monumental presence. Horses, bulls, mothers, victims and broken forms create a complex visual language that has been interpreted in many ways.

Guernica has become one of the most powerful anti-war images of the 20th century and remains a major reference point whenever art and political violence are discussed together.

Melting clocks, a barren landscape and strange organic forms make Dalí's The Persistence of Memory one of the defining images of Surrealism.

The painting challenges the normal rules of reality. Objects appear familiar but behave impossibly, creating a dreamlike environment in which time seems flexible rather than fixed.

Its compact size contrasts with its enormous cultural impact. The melting clocks have become a universal symbol of distorted time and remain among the most recognisable motifs in modern art.

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus presents the goddess Venus arriving on the shore after being born from the sea. Its elegant figure, flowing hair and rhythmic composition have made it one of the defining images of the Renaissance.

The work demonstrates the Renaissance fascination with classical mythology and the revival of ancient Greek and Roman themes. Venus became a symbol of beauty and idealised femininity.

Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam is part of the monumental ceiling decoration of the Sistine Chapel. The central moment shows God reaching toward Adam, with their nearly touching hands forming one of the most famous compositions in art history.

The physical tension between the two hands has become a symbol of creation, connection and the relationship between humanity and the divine.

American Gothic depicts two figures standing in front of a distinctive Gothic Revival-style farmhouse. The stern expressions, formal clothing and pitchfork create an image that has been repeatedly interpreted as a representation, parody or celebration of rural American life.

Its simple composition and instantly recognisable characters have made it one of the most reproduced American paintings.