Famous Artists — From Art History to Today
Old Masters — The Foundations of Art
Famous painters of the past — Leonardo da Vinci, Jan Vermeer, Caravaggio — wrote art history with realistic portraits, symbolic still lifes and dramatic chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and shadow.
Works in this tradition are still being created today — only with the camera instead of the brush. Kevin Best, Kristina Varaksina and Lynne Collins pick up the composition, lighting and atmosphere of the Old Masters in their own visual language. The Baroque memento mori motif also lives on in the vanitas panels of Annet van der Voort. Delicate flower pictures recall Maria Sibylla Merian, while the Baroque opulence lives on in the collages of Ysabel Lemay — Peter Paul Rubens for the 21st century.
What matters: Strong contrasts, dramatic light, richly detailed compositions carry the spirit of the Old Masters into a modern room.
Romanticism — Landscape as Feeling
Caspar David Friedrich once said: "A painting is not to be invented, but felt." A conviction that carries the whole of Romanticism to this day. Romanticism turns feeling itself into the subject. In the work of artists like Caspar David Friedrich, landscapes carry not a place, but a longing.
Works in this tradition are still being created today — in misty landscapes, wide horizons and the interplay of light and water that lets a room settle into calm and charges it with emotion.
What matters: A quiet atmosphere in which the image leads the room.
Classical Modernism — New Paths in Art
At the turn of the 20th century, art was rethought. Impressionism, Expressionism and Surrealism broke with the old rules. Famous artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí developed more abstract, more expressive visual languages and laid the foundation for what is known today as modern art.
That spirit of departure lives on in contemporary works that play with form, colour and composition. André Monet lifts Picasso, layer by layer, from fragments of newspaper onto paper. Ciuco Gutiérrez stages surreal-looking spaces. Both continue what Classical Modernism set out to do: to interpret the visible, rather than simply depict it.
What matters: The courage to embrace form — and modern, minimalist living spaces where it can take effect.
Famous Female Artists — Strong Voices in Art
Women artists such as Frida Kahlo, Niki de Saint Phalle, Marina Abramović or Cindy Sherman rank today among the most important figures in art history.
Other women artists carry this history of female visual language forward. Stefanie Schneider, one of LUMAS's earliest and, to this day, most sought-after artists, creates dreamlike narratives using expired Polaroid film as her own signature medium. Beatrice Hug composes internationally exhibited works from coloured glass, light and liquid, moving between photography and installation. Shaped by Afrofuturism, Carol Muthiga-Oyekunle gives women a new visibility — as radiant warriors. In an entirely different way, Candida Höfer has also shaped photography: a student of Bernd and Hilla Becher, exhibited at the Venice Biennale as well as at MoMA, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou — one of the most significant living German photographers.
What matters: Works that have something to say — and give a room a clear point of view.
Pop Art and Street Art — Art from Everyday Life
Andy Warhol turned the soup can into a subject. Jean-Michel Basquiat moved the gallery onto the street. Banksy moved it back — and stayed anonymous. Pop Art and Street Art have shifted the boundaries between high and popular culture and are, today, among the most sought-after art movements, collected across generations.
At LUMAS you'll find positions that carry this spirit forward today: El Bocho, one of the best-known voices of the Berlin street art scene; Srinjoy, whose pop surrealism plays between fantasy and irony; The Postman Art, who blends pop iconography and street art grammar into a visual language of his own; and Tape That Collective, who build entire works out of tape — a technique born out of the street art tradition.
What matters: Works that tell stories — for rooms that can hold their tension.
Contemporary Artists — The Art of Today
Anyone who wants to understand the present moment in art cannot get past a few names: Damien Hirst is considered the wealthiest living artist in the world and, with the Young British Artists movement, shaped an entire generation — one of the most consistently valuable names in the art world. Jeff Koons holds the auction record for a work by a living artist with "Rabbit" (USD 91.1 million, Christie's, 2019). Gerhard Richter ranks among the most influential and most expensive painters working today and has made the relationship between painting and photography his central question for decades. Ai Weiwei combines conceptual art with political engagement like almost no one else.
This is exactly where the LUMAS programme places its focus: making the diversity of contemporary art tangible, in our galleries and in your own home.
What matters: A strong signature that carries art history forward — and speaks to the present.
FAMOUS ARTISTS — FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are the most famous artists?
Famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh shaped entire eras.
Who are the most famous women artists?
Especially renowned women artists include Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Cindy Sherman and Marina Abramović. They rank among the most defining figures in art history.
What is Classical Modernism?
Classical Modernism is an era at the beginning of the 20th century in which movements such as Impressionism, Expressionism and Surrealism took shape and laid the foundations of modern art. Works in this tradition can be found in the abstract and graphic pieces of the LUMAS portfolio.
Which art suits me?
That depends on whether you're drawn most to the clarity of classical composition, the spirit of departure of Modernism or the questions raised by contemporary positions. Our bestsellers and new arrivals, along with the LUMAS Masters, the most renowned names in the art world, offer a first orientation for what matters today. The quickest way to your own personal favourite is the LUMAS Art Finder — beyond that, our Art Consultants in our 19 galleries are happy to offer personal advice.
Discover Even More Artists
Want to discover even more famous artists and exciting positions? In our complete overview you'll find every artist from A to Z — from established names to new talents.