Names of great artists
The names of the people who made the images we all carry around in our heads. Frida. Vincent. Georgia. Yayoi. Artemisia. Painters, sculptors, photographers and the occasional architect, from the Renaissance to the artist working across town right now.
Frida From Germanic frid, meaning peace; famously borne by Frida Kahlo, the Mexican painter of unflinching self-portraits.
Georgia From Greek georgos, farmer or earth-worker; famously borne by Georgia O'Keeffe, painter of magnified flowers and New Mexico bones.
Yayoi Japanese name for the old third lunar month, when trees and grasses grow ever more lush; famously borne by Yayoi Kusama, the polka-dot and infinity-room artist.
Artemisia From the goddess Artemis, also the aromatic wormwood plant; famously borne by Artemisia Gentileschi, Baroque painter of fierce biblical heroines.
Ruth Hebrew for friend or companion, from the Book of Ruth; famously borne by Ruth Asawa, the San Francisco sculptor of looped-wire forms and cast public fountains.
Camille From the Roman family name Camillus, of disputed original meaning; famously borne by Camille Claudel, the sculptor long overshadowed by her mentor Rodin.
Berthe French form of a Germanic name meaning bright or shining; famously borne by Berthe Morisot, who showed in seven of the eight Impressionist exhibitions.
Mary From Hebrew Miriam, of disputed meaning; famously borne by Mary Cassatt, the only American to exhibit with the French Impressionists in Paris.
Helen Greek name linked to Helen of Troy, possibly meaning torch or light; famously borne by Helen Frankenthaler, who pioneered the soak-stain painting technique.
Louise French feminine of Louis, from Germanic roots for famous and war; famously borne by Louise Bourgeois, whose giant spiders turned childhood into monument.
Alice Old French short form of Adelaide, from Germanic adal, noble; famously borne by Alice Neel, whose portraits included pregnant nudes and Harlem neighbors.
Agnes From Greek hagnos, pure or chaste; famously borne by Agnes Martin, whose faint hand-drawn grids turned a ruled line into something spiritual.
Joan Middle English feminine form of John, Hebrew for God is gracious; famously borne by Joan Mitchell, whose tangled color fields channeled remembered landscapes.
Faith English virtue name meaning trust or belief; famously borne by Faith Ringgold, whose story quilts wove painting, text, and Black history into one form.
Elizabeth From Hebrew Elisheva, God is my oath; famously borne by Elizabeth Catlett, whose sculptures and prints gave monumental dignity to Black women's lives.
Kara Usually a respelling of Cara, Italian for dear, from Latin carus; famously borne by Kara Walker, whose cut-paper silhouettes confront slavery's brutal folklore.
Amy From French aimee, beloved; famously borne by Amy Sherald, who painted Michelle Obama's official portrait.
Njideka Igbo phrase name read as what I hold is greater; famously borne by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, whose collage-paintings layer Nigerian photos into American interiors.
Zaha Arabic name evoking radiance or blossoming; famously borne by Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for architecture.
Maya A name with several roots, among them Greek Maia and Sanskrit maya, illusion; famously borne by Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 21.
Tarsila A rare name of uncertain root, long used in Brazil; famously borne by Tarsila do Amaral, whose painting Abaporu set off Brazil's Antropofagia movement.
Remedios Spanish for remedies, from the Marian title Our Lady of the Remedies; famously borne by Remedios Varo, the Surrealist of dreamlike alchemical machines.
Leonora Variant of Eleanor, a name of disputed root; famously borne by Leonora Carrington, the British-Mexican Surrealist who seated a hyena in her self-portrait.
Amrita Sanskrit for the nectar of immortality drunk by the gods; famously borne by Amrita Sher-Gil, a founder of modern Indian painting who died at 28.
Hilma Swedish short form of Wilhelmina, from Germanic roots for will and helmet; famously borne by Hilma af Klint, who painted abstractions years before Kandinsky.
Käthe German short form of Katharina, of unknown root, later linked to purity; famously borne by Kathe Kollwitz, whose prints of grief and war remain unbearably raw.
Paula Feminine of Paul, from Latin paulus, small or humble; famously borne by Paula Modersohn-Becker, thought to be the first woman to paint a nude self-portrait.
Dorothea Greek for gift of God, from doron and theos; famously borne by Dorothea Lange, whose photograph Migrant Mother became a Depression-era icon.
Vivian From Latin vivus, alive; famously borne by Vivian Maier, the nanny whose street photographs made her famous only after she died.
Imogen Likely a printer's misreading of Innogen in Shakespeare's Cymbeline; famously borne by Imogen Cunningham, pioneer of sharp-focus botanical photography.
Graciela Spanish name from gracia, grace; famously borne by Graciela Iturbide, whose photographs of Mexican life include the iconic Angel Woman.
Lee English surname from Old English leah, wood or clearing; famously borne by Lee Krasner, the Abstract Expressionist long overshadowed by her husband Jackson Pollock.
Vincent From Latin vincens, conquering; famously borne by Vincent van Gogh, who sold almost nothing in his lifetime and reshaped painting after his death.
Leonardo From Germanic roots for lion and brave; famously borne by Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa and the original Renaissance polymath.
Michelangelo Combines Michael, who is like God, and Angelo, angel; famously borne by Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor of the Pieta and painter of the Sistine ceiling.
Raphael Hebrew for God has healed, also an archangel's name; famously borne by Raphael, born Raffaello Sanzio, master of High Renaissance grace and clarity.
Rembrandt Dutch given name from Germanic roots roughly meaning counsel and sword; famously borne by Rembrandt van Rijn, master of shadow and unsparing self-portraiture.
Johannes Latinized form of John, Hebrew for God is gracious; famously borne by Johannes Vermeer, painter of Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Diego Spanish name traditionally tied to Santiago, though possibly from Latin Didacus; famously borne by Diego Rivera, whose murals cover public walls across Mexico.
Claude From the Roman family name Claudius, possibly meaning lame; famously borne by Claude Monet, whose water lilies helped found and outlast Impressionism.
Henri French form of Henry, from Germanic roots for home and ruler; famously borne by Henri Matisse, the colorist who kept cutting shapes from paper into old age.
Paul From Latin paulus, small or humble; famously borne by Paul Cezanne, whose faceted views of Mont Sainte-Victoire opened the door to Cubism.
Edgar Old English name combining wealth and spear; famously borne by Edgar Degas, chronicler of ballet dancers and racehorses caught mid-motion.
Auguste French form of Latin augustus, venerable or majestic; famously borne by Auguste Rodin, whose bronze Thinker made sculpture feel like flesh.
Gustav Scandinavian name long borne by Swedish kings; famously borne by Gustav Klimt, whose gold-leafed The Kiss defined Vienna's fin-de-siecle style.
Edvard Scandinavian form of Edward, Old English for wealth and guardian; famously borne by Edvard Munch, whose The Scream distilled modern anxiety into one face.
Wassily Russian form of Basil, from Greek basileus, king; famously borne by Wassily Kandinsky, often credited with painting the first fully abstract works.
Marc From Latin Marcus, likely tied to Mars; famously borne by Marc Chagall, whose floating lovers mixed Russian-Jewish folklore with modernist color.
Pablo Spanish form of Paul, from Latin for small or humble; famously borne by Pablo Picasso, co-founder of Cubism and the most prolific painter on record.
Salvador Spanish for savior, from Latin salvator; famously borne by Salvador Dali, whose melting clocks became one of Surrealism's most recognizable images.
Rene French name from Latin renatus, reborn; famously borne by Rene Magritte, whose bowler-hatted men and floating apples turned everyday objects uncanny.
Piet Dutch short form of Peter, from Greek petros, stone; famously borne by Piet Mondrian, who reduced painting to black grids and primary-color blocks.
Jackson English surname meaning son of Jack; famously borne by Jackson Pollock, whose drip paintings turned the studio floor into the canvas.
Willem Dutch form of William, from Germanic roots for will and protection; famously borne by Willem de Kooning, whose slashing Woman series scandalized postwar painting.
Keith Scottish surname turned given name, from a place name likely meaning wood; famously borne by Keith Haring, who filled blank subway ad panels with radiant babies.
Andy Diminutive of Andrew, from Greek andreios, manly; famously borne by Andy Warhol, who turned soup cans and celebrity silkscreens into the face of Pop Art.
Jacob Hebrew name meaning supplanter, borne by the patriarch in Genesis; famously borne by Jacob Lawrence, whose Migration Series told the Great Migration in sixty panels.
Kehinde Yoruba name traditionally given to the second-born of twins; famously borne by Kehinde Wiley, who paints Black subjects with the swagger of Old Master portraiture.
Anish Sanskrit for supreme, literally without a master; famously borne by Anish Kapoor, whose mirrored Cloud Gate reflects the Chicago skyline back at itself.
Ansel Form of Anselm, from Germanic roots for god and helmet; famously borne by Ansel Adams, whose black-and-white Yosemite views defined American landscape photography.
Gordon Scottish surname turned given name, from a place in Berwickshire; famously borne by Gordon Parks, the first Black staff photographer at Life magazine.
Sebastião Portuguese form of Sebastian, from Greek sebastos, revered; famously borne by Sebastiao Salgado, who documented laborers and landscapes across the world.
Isamu Japanese name meaning courage or bravery; famously borne by Isamu Noguchi, sculptor and designer behind the Noguchi table and Akari light sculptures.
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