These are the most loved artists around the world

Art is fascinating in that it’s consumed by many, yet it’s so subjective and personal: one piece can be perceived by a thousand people, in a thousand different ways.

From different types of art, including paintings, sculptures, and performances; to different styles including minimalism, abstract and surrealism; art knows no bounds, with a piece out there waiting to be appreciated by every different taste.

But what about the artists behind the pieces? Classic names like Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Edvard Munch are beloved by many, but there’s also a wave of current, new artists who are causing a Googling storm across the world, including the likes of Yoshitomo Nara and Wendy Red Star.

We’ve analyzed Google Keyword Planner data to discover which artists have been searched for the most in which country, and are the most loved worldwide. So, where in the world admires your favorite artist as much as you do? It’s time to find out…

We first looked at searches for artists’ names only, and found that Damien Hirst came out on top in the USA, whereas Yoshitomo Nara was the most searched for in the UK, as well as in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Ukraine.

 In fact, results are varied across a lot of countries, showing just how subjective and personal art is. For example, in Australia, native American contemporary artist Wendy Red Star, who’s well known for using humor in her artwork, which spans photography, sculpture and performance, had the most searches.

 Meanwhile, New Zealand was split between two artists: Swiss-born Nicolas Party and Deana Lawson, who’s art is primarily focused on intimacy, sexuality, and spirituality.

 In France, people searched for Georgia O’Keeffe the most. Often referred to as the mother of American modernism, her paintings of flowers and skyscrapers have resulted in her being one of the most well-known artists of the 20^th century; whereas Australian contemporary artist Brook Andrew was searched the most across Germany.

We then looked into artist name searches plus the word ‘art’, and discovered that Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer tops the US charts, who’s most well-known for his masterpiece, Girl With The Pearl Earring. Canada was the only other country where Johannes Vermeer had the most searches.

Across the pond in the UK, one of Japan’s most-loved artists, Yoshitomo Nara has been searched the most; with Brits longing to look at his portraits, which have been described as ‘raw’ and ‘menacing’.

British contemporary artist Damien Hirst had the greatest number of searches in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in several European countries including France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Some famous artists that have only appeared top in one or two countries when searched for with the word ‘art’ include Leonardo da Vinci (Georgia), Frida Kahlo (Bulgaria and Iceland), and Georgia O’Keeffe (Denmark).

We then looked at search volumes for artist names, plus the word ‘museum’; and ‘Edvard Munch museum’ came out as number one in 10 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia and all of Scandinavia. However, what searchers may not know is that if they want to see Munch’s most popular painting – The Scream – they’ll have to visit The National Museum of Oslo, which is on the other side of the city to the Munchmuseet!

The USA searched for ‘Yoshitomo Nara museum’ the most, whereas New Zealanders were Googling ‘Frida Kahlo museum’, alongside those in Estonia, Lithuania and Russia, amongst other European cities. Leonardo da Vinci was searched the most in Italy, whereas Pablo Picasso was most searched in Spain.

Ultimately, it’s clear to see that there are so many different tastes and appreciation for art around the world, with lots of different artists searched for on a global scale.

If you’re looking for inspiration on choosing the perfect piece of art to hang in your home, and you don’t have a go-to artist, then don’t worry! Just head on over to our blog for some much-needed inspiration, including our best-selling artists of 2021, and the top movements and techniques to follow.

Using Google Keyword Planner, we compared a selection of keywords of well-known artists from November 2020 – 2021 against various countries, to determine which have had the biggest increase in searches, and are therefore the most talked about/loved.

Due to the release of the film surrounding Johannes Vermeer, these searches haven’t been included, so as not to skew the data.