Being “famous” is not a fixed thing. If you grew up in Britain, you may have heard of European artists like Dali and Monet. If you grew up in Indonesia, you would have learnt about different famous artists at school.
Fame also changes as time moves on. When we are talking about “famous” artists it doesn’t mean they are better than other artists, simply they have been given more attention.
A lot of artists who have been called “famous” are men. For much of history, men have labelled other men as important or famous. Over the last 50 years, people have challenged this by giving more attention to other artists like women, BAME and people with disabilities.
Allow Your Friends to Meet Your Enemies 2011
Lubaina Himid (b.1954)
Acrylic, pencil & magazine clipping on paper
H 74.5 x W 95 cm
Gallery Oldham
E. O. W. on Her Blue Eiderdown 1963
Frank Helmuth Auerbach (b.1931)
Oil on canvas
H 47 x W 54 cm
Gallery Oldham
Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses 1891
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Oil on canvas
H 148 x W 92 cm
Gallery Oldham
Barnet Fair, Hertfordshire 1930
Walter Richard Sickert (1860–1942)
Oil on canvas
H 73.5 x W 61 cm
Gallery Oldham
Thomas Oldham Barlow (1824–1889)
John Everett Millais (1829–1896)
Oil on canvas
H 100.5 x W 117 cm
Gallery Oldham
The First Madness of Ophelia 1864
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882)
Watercolour & gum arabic on paper
H 39.4 x W 29.2 cm
Gallery Oldham
Bellinzona – The Bridge over Ticino c.1842
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851)
Watercolour over graphite on paper
H 23 x W 33 cm
Gallery Oldham
Scarlet and Green in Brown, November, 1961 1961
Patrick Heron (1920–1999)
Oil on canvas
H 74 x W 100 cm
Gallery Oldham
Dame Sarah Lees (1842–1935) before 1912
Hugh Goldwin Riviere (1869–1956)
Oil on canvas
H 350 x W 145 cm
Gallery Oldham
A Lover of Dickens 1947
Charles Spencelayh (1865–1958)
Oil on canvas
H 59 x W 49.5 cm
Gallery Oldham
Two Great Temples at Paestum 1782
John Robert Cozens (1752–1799)
Watercolour, pencil & ink on paper
H 25 x W 37 cm
Gallery Oldham
Imran Qureshi (b.1972)
Opaque watercolour on wasli paper
H 26 x W 34 cm
Gallery Oldham
Small Mollington Knot Cushion 1973
Ann Sutton (b.1935)
Wool & polyester
H 35 x W 49 x D 17 cm
Gallery Oldham
Along the Shore 1914
Joseph Edward Southall (1861–1944)
Tempera on silk
H 53.3 x W 36.8 cm
Gallery Oldham
Explore artists in this Curation
View all 17-
Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993) -
Joseph Edward Southall (1861–1944) -
Lubaina Himid (b.1954) -
Alfred James Munnings (1878–1959) -
Charles Spencelayh (1865–1958) -
Hugh Goldwin Riviere (1869–1956) -
Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017) -
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) -
John Everett Millais (1829–1896) -
Imran Qureshi (b.1972) - View all 17