Can You Identify These Famous Works Of Art?

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Identify These Famous Works Of Art?
Image: wiki commons

About This Quiz

Think you can tell the difference between The Mona Lisa and Whistler's Mother, or The Last Supper and The Card Players? Know what that painting of the farmer with his pitchfork is called, or the real name of that painting of a lonely downtown diner? Can you recognize The Scream or Starry Night? Take our quiz to see if you can name some of the most famous works of art ever made from just a single image!

Countless works of art have been created over the centuries, from oil paintings on wood or canvas, to chiseled marble or bronze sculptures to sweeping frescoes. Yet while the vast majority of these works are lost to history, their creators forgotten, a few live on, turning their artists into legends. 

The pieces of art that remain relevant through the years are those with a universal voice, one that people can recognize regardless of language, culture or time period. They reach beyond your eyes and into your heart and soul, making you laugh, smile, cry, and wonder exactly what the artist was thinking as he crafted his masterpiece.

Some works also become famous because they capture images of people or events from a time before cameras or film, living on as the only record to the past. Others are celebrated because they demonstrate remarkable mastery of the medium -- the ability to manipulate light and dark, or use a brush in a way no one ever has before.

Think you can name these works that have endured the decades? Take our quiz to find out!

David
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
Campbell's Soup Cans
David
Nighthawks
Salvator Mundi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chiseled from marble around 1504, Michelangelo's David is a 17-foot tall nature of a fully nude male. It was initially placed in a public square in Venice, but can now be seen in a Florence museum.

A sunday afternooon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
A Sunday Afternoon
Starry Night
The Thinker
Guernica
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Officially called A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande, this 1884 work by Suerat shows families relaxing on the banks of the Seine. Done in the pointillist style, it measures 7 feet by 10 feet and has been part of The Art Institute of Chicago's collection since 1924.

Winged Victory of Samothrace
Shutterstock
Can you name this famous work?
Portrait de L'Artiste Sans Barbe
Winged Victory
The Creation of Adam
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Winged Victory of Samothrace -- also known as Nike after the Greek goddess of victory -- was carved out of marble around the 2nd century BC. This iconic sculpture has been at The Louvre since 1884.

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The creation of Adam by Michelangelo
Wiki Commons
Can you name this famous work?
The Creation of Adam
Garcon a la Pipe
Nighthawks
Christina's World
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This magnificent work by Michelangelo makes up part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Completed around 1512, it shows Adam and God stretching their arms to touch hands.

Campbell's Soup Cans- Andy Warhol
Youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Campbell's Soup Cans
Salvator Mundi
Olympia
Guernica
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andy Warhol became a pop art superstar thanks to his picture of 32 Campbell's Soup Cans. Produced on 32 canvases in 1962, the work is now on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Flower Carrier
maura ortiz via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Water Lily Pond
The Flower Carrier
The Persistence of Memory
David
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Diego Rivera's 1935 painting, The Flower Carrier, shows a man straining under the weight of a huge basket of wares. You can see this masterpiece at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco.

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Girl with a Pearl Earring
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Olympia
American Gothic
Girl with a Pearl Earring
David
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a pearl Earring was painted in 1665, and serves as a celebrated example of the Dutch Golden Age. It's hung in the Hague since 1902, and is considered a tronie -- that's a picture of a head, but distinct from a portrait.

The Dance (Matisse)
The School of Life via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
The Dance
The Last Supper
David
The Persistence of Memory
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Dance by Henri Matisse is a name given to two very similar paintings showing five dancing figures. One copy is on display at MoMA in NYC, while the other is at The Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

The Scream
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
The Kiss
Nighthawks
The Scream
The Thinker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Edward Munch produced four versions of his iconic painting, "The Scream," between 1893 and 1910. This work is famous for being stolen and recovered not once but twice -- with thieves snatching the painting in 1994 and 2004.

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Café Terrace at Night- Vincent van Gogh
Youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Dance of Le Moulin de la Galette
The Scream
Cafe Terrace at Night
The Persistence of Memory
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Van Gogh's painting, Cafe Terrace at Night, has been splashed into everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs. Completed in 1888, it's now on display at the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands.

Venus De Milo
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Olympia
Christina's World
The Kiss
Venus de Milo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Also known as Aphrodite of Milos, the Venus de Milo was crafted in marble around 100 BC. She stands more than 6 feet tall and can be seen at The Louvre in Paris.

American Gothic
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Whistler's Mother
American Gothic
Winged Victory
Garcon a la Pipe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

American artist Grant Wood painted this portrait of his sister and his dentist in 1930. He won a $300 prize from The Art Institute of Chicago for his work.

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Las Meninas
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Whistler's Mother
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Campbell's Soup Cans
Las Meninas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Las Meninas is Spanish for "the ladies in waiting." The 1956 work by Diego Valaquez shows members of the royal court of Philip IV, and is on display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

The Resistance of Memory
Smarthistory. art, history, conversation. via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Lavender Mist
Christina's World
American Gothic
The Persistence of Memory
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You might call it the melting clocks picture, but this surrealist work is actually called The Persistence of Memory. Completed in 1931, the work by Salvador Dali has been at New York's Museum of Modern Art since the 1930s.

Whistler's Mother
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Campbell's Soup Cans
Whistler's Mother
The Thinker
The Creation of Adam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Officially named Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, this masterpiece is more often referred to as Whistler's Mother. Painted in 1871 by American artist James McNeill Whistler, it's owned by the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

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Three Musicians
Artrageous with Nate via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
The Dance
Nighthawks
Three Musicians
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Three musicians is actually a pair of cubist-style paintings by Pablo Picasso. Both feature a trio of what appear to be musical artists, and were completed in the 1920s. You can see one of these works at MoMA in NYC, while the other is housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Card Players
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Card Players
The Birth of Venus
Lavender Mist
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This painting, called The Card Players, was actually one of five in a series painted by Cezanne in the 1890s. Just one of the five sold at auction in 2011 for more than $250 million.

Starry Night
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Salvator Mundi
David
Starry Night
Little Dancer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889. He was inspired by the view from his window at a French asylum, where he ended up after mutilating his own ear. ​You can gaze into this starry sky at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

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Water Lily Pond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXq4ejODT1Q
Can you name this famous work?
The Persistence of Memory
Campbell's Soup Cans
Arnolfini Portrait
Water Lily Pond
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This example is one of more than 250 paintings in the Water Lily Pond series by Claude Monet. Painted in the 1920s, these impressionist masterpieces show his own garden in France. You can find examples of this work at the Met, MOMA, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

The School of Athens by Raphael
Wiki Commons
Can you name this famous work?
Salvator Mundi
The Birth of Venus
School of Athens
American Gothic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

School of Athens is a Raphael fresco that can be found at the Vatican. Completed around 1511, it represents the concept of Philosophy, and shows figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and Euclid.

Garcon a la pipe
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
Garcon a la Pipe
The Scream
Campbell's Soup Cans
Olympia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pablo Picasso painted Garcon a la Pipe -- Boy with a Pipe -- in 1905. The painting sold to a private collector in 2004 for more than $100 million.

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Portrait of the artiste sans barbe
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
The Dance
Portrait de L'Artiste Sans Barbe
The Third of May 1808
Garcon a la Pipe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vincent Van Gogh painted a lot of self-portraits, but this one is extra celebrated because it's sans barbe -- or without beard. This work sold at auction in 1998 for a whopping $71 million.

Olympin (Manet)
April Dill via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
David
The Card Players
Olympia
The Persistence of Memory
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Edouard Manet's 1863 painting, Olympia, shocked the public during its day. Not so much because the subject was nude, but because she was staring so boldly from her bed. You can catch her gaze at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
Rollo Paterson - The Last Impresionist via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Christina's World
The Card Players
Lavender Mist
Little Dancer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Little Dancer of Fourteen Years is a bold little statue by Degas. Originally cast in wax, numerous copies were cast in bronze after his death, and are now on display at museums around the world.

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Picasso's  Guernica
AVROTROS via Youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Campbell's Soup Cans
Arnolfini Portrait
Whistler's Mother
Guernica
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pablo Picasso's anti-war oil painting, Guernica, hangs at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Celebrated for its use of black, white and gray, it shows the suffering and horror of war. Picasso completed this masterpiece in 1937.

Christina's World
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Christina's World
The Creation of Adam
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Whistler's Mother
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Andrew Wyeth painted the realist style Christina's World in 1948. The work was inspired by his neighbor, Christina Olson, who crawled to get around due to a muscular disorder. MoMA purchased the painting from Wyeth for just $1,800.

Birth of Venus
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
The Birth of Venus
The Third of May 1808
Guernica
The Scream
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This beloved painting by Sandro Botticelli celebrates The Birth of Venus. It shows the goddess Venus as she arrived on the shore, fully formed after developing in the sea. You can take in this work at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

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Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette
Art History Online via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
Olympia
Portrait de L'Artiste Sans Barbe
The Card Players
Dance of Le Moulin de la Galette
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dance of Le Moulin de la Galette shows French workers relaxing in Montmarte on a Sunday afternoon. Painted by Renoir in 1876, it hung at The Louvre until 1986, and now hangs at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Nighthawks
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
The Last Supper
The Card Players
Nighthawks
Garcon a la Pipe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Edward Hopper's Nighthawks painting was completed in 1942, and shows a group of people at a downtown diner. Hopper sold the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago for $3,000 just a few months after completing the work.

The Third of May 1808
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Christina's World
The Birth of Venus
Winged Victory
The Third of May 1808
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Painted in 1814 by Francisco de Goya, The Third of May 1808 celebrates Spanish resistance to French invasion in the Peninsular War. This painting hangs in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

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Mona Lisa
Wiki Commons
Can you name this famous work?
The Scream
The Mona Lisa
Salvator Mundi
The Card Players
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa -- or La Gioconda, as she's known in Italy -- just might be one of the most famous works of art of all time. Completed around 1506, it has hung in The Louvre since 1797.

The Kiss
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Whistler's Mother
The Kiss
The Scream
The Birth of Venus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Kiss is a 1908 oil painting by Gustav Klimt. It shows a couple embracing and is covered with silver and gold leaf. This over-sized work of art can be seen at the Galerie Belvedere in Vienna, Austria.

The Arnolfini Portrait
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
The Dance
Arnolfini Portrait
American Gothic
Starry Night
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Arnolfini Portrait is a full-length double portrait of an Italian merchant and his wife painted by Jan Van Eyck in 1434. Though the woman looks pregnant, she wasn't -- this misconception is inspired by the style of her dress, which was fashionable at the time.

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Lavender mist
Smarthistory. art, history, conversation. via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
The Third of May 1808
Lavender Mist
The Birth of Venus
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jackson Pollock went through an intense drip art stage around 1950. One of the largest works he produced during that period was No. 1, also known as Lavender Mist. The piece is now part of the collection owned by the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

The Thinker
Shutterstock
Can you name this famous work?
The Thinker
David
The Persistence of Memory
The Card Players
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Auguste Rodin crafted his famous sculpture, The Thinker, out of plaster in 1880. It was originally called The Poet​ and was part of a Gates of Hell piece inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. Today, you can see one casting of this work at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

Untitled
Dada / from Wikimedia Commons
Can you name this famous work?
The Kiss
Starry Night
Nighthawks
The Night watch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rodin's The Kiss was crafted from marble in 1882. One of three life-sized versions made in his lifetime, this sculpture of a couple embracing was inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. One copy can be viewed at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

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Salvator Mundi
n/a
Can you name this famous work?
David
The Thinker
Salvator Mundi
Dance of Le Moulin de la Galette
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Salvator Mundi is a famous painting of Christ created in 1500 by Leonardo da Vinci. It sold to a collector for a whopping $450 million in 2017.

The Night Watch
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
Portrait de L'Artiste Sans Barbe
The Night Watch
Winged Victory
The Creation of Adam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rembrandt's The Night Watch was completed in 1642 during the Golden Age of Dutch art. The huge work of art, at 12 feet by 14 feet, shows a military group displayed in a mastery of light and shadow. You can view this work in person at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The Son of Man
Spencer's Painting of the Week via youtube
Can you name this famous work?
The Son of Man
Arnolfini Portrait
Salvator Mundi
The Third of May 1808
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Son of man is a 1964 self-portrait by Rene Magritte, where the painter's face is obscured by an apple. This work has long been in a private collection, but it did feature heavily in the 1999 film, "The Thomas Crowne Affair."

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The Last Supper
WikiCommons
Can you name this famous work?
The Dance
The Thinker
The Last Supper
The Night Watch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper in the 1490s. On display at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Gracie in Milan, it shows Jesus and his apostles as depicted in the Gospel of John.

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