A guide to the most notable artists in history
For this site, we looked at over 100 art websites to find the most artists who most frequently appeared on each site. I then divided them into “canons” (selections of essential artists) in which you can find the artists included. The lists include painters, sculptors, architects, designers, photographers and others. This is not a list of “great” artists, and some inclusions might be controversial. These lists are eclectic and include both popular household names and more obscure artists. In the lists on this site, the artists are sorted according to the modern-day nation or region they are most associated with. In instances where the artist’s birth date was unknown, but their period of activity is approximated by historians, I have sorted these artists by the year which is 20 years before their earliest approximate year of activity.
On the lists linked below, I have not ranked the artists because the rankings are a bit… weird (at least to me) and I personally don’t think the actual rankings matter too much, but for those interested in the actual ratings of the artists, please see this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRKD3pk8lZUjQuOnc5oM6T511BFbu4eSeYOSlcBQtWoaoB5pszblEKHHechUzPh4vpp1Ndk0gtHSrfJ/pubhtml
The most notable artists from Latin America and the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico) who appear on 2 or more art websites.
The most notable artists from the United States and Canada who appear on 4 or more art websites with additional Indigenous artists who appear on 3 or more art websites.
The most notable artists from Australia, New Zealand, and other countries in the Pacific who appear on 3 or more art websites.
Most notable artists who are women or non-binary who appear on 2 or more art websites.
