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Artists, whether they be painters, sculptors, photographers, or musicians, have made a significant impact on culture and society throughout history. From the Old Masters to contemporary artists, there is a wealth of trivia questions that can be asked about artists and their works. Whether you're an art enthusiast or just looking to test your knowledge, these artist trivia questions are sure to be both informative and entertaining.
Here are some examples of artist trivia questions you might come across: Who painted the Mona Lisa? Who is considered the father of Impressionism? What is the most expensive painting ever sold? Who wrote the opera "The Barber of Seville"? These questions cover a wide range of artists and art forms, including painting, sculpture, music, and more.
In addition to the technical aspects of art and artists, there are also many fun and interesting facts to learn about. For example, did you know that the artist Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime? Or that the artist Salvador Dali was known for his eccentric behavior, including carrying a pet anteater with him? These trivia questions will not only test your knowledge, but also give you a glimpse into the many fascinating aspects of the world of art and the artists who have made significant contributions to it.
1. What search engine makes changes to its logo, known as "doodles," to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and famous people, such as a pointillist version in honor of artist Georges Seurat?
Answer: Google
2. The three artists who painted The Last Supper, The School of Athens, and The Creation of Adam, and the sculptor who is best known for a bronze statue of David, all lend their first names to what group of four fictional characters?
Answer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donnatello)
3. Named "Girl With Balloon" before it was partially shredded at a 2018 auction, "Love Is in the Bin" is an artwork that sold for $25.4 million in 2021, by what one-named artist?
Answer: Banksy
4. In 2000, Intuitive Surgical Company launched a robotic surgical system to assist surgeons with everything from prostate removals to heart valve repairs. The system was named after which famous artist who was known for his anatomical drawings and a portrait of a smirking lady?
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
5. Which CF property partnered with local Ottawa artists in October 2020 to host four interactive art installations that relied on touchless audience interaction?
Answer: CF Rideau Centre
6. At a price of more than $400 million, the most expensive painting ever sold at auction was "Salvator Mundi" which was painted around 1500 and purchased at auction in 2019. What artist painted this masterpiece?
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
7. An ocelot named Babou was kept as a pet by which Spanish surrealist artist?
Answer: Salvador Dalí
8. What "C" French Impressionist, painter of "The Large Bathers" and "The Card Players", was a 19th century artist who laid the foundation of what the 20th century would look like?
Answer: Paul Cezanne
9. Which artist, known for his 'Joy of Painting,' afro, and happy little clouds, drew inspiration from his time in Alaska while serving in the US Air Force? We're looking for first and last names.
Answer: Bob Ross
10. Philly artist Alexander Calder specialized in pretty serious versions of what wiry things seen above cribs?
Answer: Mobiles
11. The namesake of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, what Italian artist painted scenes from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican?
Answer: Michelangelo
12. Sporting abundant hair and a love of happy trees, what was the first and last name of the guy who hosted the PBS television program "The Joy of Painting?"
Answer: Bob Ross
13. The Chrysler Building and Empire State Building in New York are considered iconic representations of what 20th century artistic movement and architectural style?
Answer: Art Deco
14. In 2021, Danish artist Jens Haaning gave the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art two blank canvases for $84,000 as a piece called "Take the WHAT and Run"?
Answer: Money
15. What city was the center of the movement called Surrealism, whose artists include such notables as Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Man Ray, René Magritte, and Salvador Dali?
Answer: Paris
16. A man from Bristol, England named Robin Gunningham is commonly believed to be the real identity of what street artist, whose "Balloon Girl" shredded itself at an auction in 2018?
Answer: Banksy
17. Often known by its inscription, "Ceci n'est pas un pipe," "The Treachery of Images" is a 1929 painting by what Belgian artist?
Answer: René Magritte
18. What American artist of the twentieth century was known for his painted covers for the Saturday Evening Post, and for chronicling the American spirit in iconic pieces such as "Freedom Of Speech" and "Freedom From Want?"
Answer: Norman Rockwell
19. "This Wall Is A Designated Graffiti Area" reads part of the graffiti in the rear of London's Cargo Club, unofficially designated by what anonymous, irrepressible street artist?
Answer: Banksy
20. Michelangelo's 1499 sculpture is a prime example of what artistic subject, which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus?
Answer: Pieta
21. John James Audubon, an American artist and naturalist active in the early 1800s, lends his name to a "society" of environmentalists dedicated to the conservation of what type of animal?
Answer: Birds
22. The best-known work of Japanese artist Hokusai is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," part of a larger series called "36 Views of" what famous volcano?
Answer: Mount Fuji
23. The Factory was the name of what famed artist and photographer's art studio? Although The Factory moved a few times, the first location was on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan.
Answer: Andy Warhol
24. San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed what symbol of the LGBT movement that was unveiled in 1978? It has eight parts, each symbolizing a specific aspect of their lives that gay people should be proud of.
Answer: Rainbow flag
25. In November 2013, an orange statue of a balloon animal sculpted by artist Jeff Koons sold for over $50 million at a Christie's auction. What type of animal was this sculpture?
Answer: Dog
26. Artists who are scared of using Sherwin-Williams paint hues Forstythia and La Luna Amarilla might have xanthophobia, which is the fear of what color?
Answer: Yellow
27. A self-taught Black artist from Louisiana, who painted works such as "Picking Cotton" and "Zinnias In A Pot" in the 1960s, is Clementine ______. Fill in the one word blank, also a word for a person who stalks and kills animals.
Answer: Clementine Hunter
28. Featuring 36 silk-screen paintings and 13 drawings in the artist's signature colorful pop style, "Cars" is a series of artworks commissioned by Mercedes-Benz in the 1980s from what artist?
Answer: Andy Warhol
29. What Mexican artist and husband of Frida Kahlo painted the Detroit Industry Murals that illustrate four walls of the Detroit Institute of Arts?
Answer: Diego Rivera
30. What is the one-word name of the 1942 oil painting by American artist Edward Hopper that depicts four people in a downtown diner late at night?
Answer: Nighthawks
31. Who starred as the artist, Jackson Pollack, in the 2000 biopic, "Pollack?" He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film.
Answer: Ed Harris
32. Although the movement's leader explicitly considered it a revolutionary rather than strictly artistic movement, what word signifies a style of visual artwork featuring unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision? Famous painters in the movement include Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, and Salvador Dali.
Answer: Surrealism
33. "Fountain", a urinal with the words "R. Mutt 1917" scrawled on it, is one of SFMoMA's most famous holdings, and is a work by what avant-garde French artist?
Answer: Marcel Duchamp
34. Sacramento artist Adrian Tomine is best known for his moody work on the comic "Optic Nerve" and illustrations for what magazine named for the residents of a city almost 3,000 miles away from Sac-Town?
Answer: New Yorker
35. The AP sued street artist Shepard Fairey over his Obama poster that featured what word?
Answer: Hope
36. What well-known artist famously severed part of Vincent Van Gogh's left ear? Note: although there has been speculation in recent years that it was *actually* Paul Gauguin, we are going to stick with the most commonly-accepted perpetrator by art historians.
Answer: Vincent Van Gogh
37. The renowned artists Rousseau and Matisse share what first name?
Answer: Henri
38. Known for his large-scale paintings of Black Americans, artist Kehinde Wiley is probably most famous for a 2018 portrait that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, of what former president?
Answer: Barack Obama
39. What French artist, born in 1834, was a founding member of the Impressionists known for his depictions of dancers such as "The Ballet Class"?
Answer: Edgar Degas
40. What British actor got a Best Actor Oscar nomination for playing transgender artist Lili Elbe in the 2015 film "The Danish Girl?"
Answer: Eddie Redmayne
41. What influential African-American street artist and Andy Warhol protege produced thousands of his eccentric drawings in the 1970s and 1980s? He was played by Jeffrey Wright in a 1996 Julian Schnabel film.
Answer: Jean-Michel Basquiat
42. An American artist known for paintings of enlarged flowers, such as "Black Iris" and "Jimson Weed" is ______ O'Keeffe. Fill in the one word first name, also the name of the fourth state to join the United States.
Answer: Georgia O'Keeffe
43. "The Smurfs" were created by what Belgian artist with a four-letter "P" name, which was the pseudonym of Pierre Culliford? He debuted "The Smurfs" in his other comic strip, "Johan and Peewit."
Answer: Peyo
44. What "W" farm is a historic site in Ridgefield and Wilton, CT, commemorating the namesake impressionist artist who lived there, and was also visited by John Singer Sargent and others? It shares its name with the last name of the Australian director of "Dead Poets Society."
Answer: Weir Farm
45. According to EU law, living artists and artists who died within 70 years prior to the date of a sale are entitled to receive a resale royalty each time their artwork is sold, a practice known by what three-word French term?
Answer: droit de suite
46. At more than 21 feet wide, the massive painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware," which is held by NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art, was made in 1851 by what German-American artist?
Answer: Emanuel Leutze
47. Set in Copenhagen, what 2015 film about artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener won Alicia Vikander a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Wegener?
Answer: The Danish Girl
48. A museum in Kaunas, Lithuania, features artistic depictions of what "D" chief evil spirit in Christian and Jewish philosophy, a classification of Satan?
Answer: Devils Museum
49. What 17th century Flemish Baroque artist created such paintings as "Self-Portrait With A Sunflower" and "Charles I At The Hunt?" Although spelled differently, his last name is pronounced the same as the actor who played a chimney sweep in "Mary Poppins", and starred in his own 1960s sitcom.
Answer: Anthony Van Dyck
50. During the 1960s, supermodel Pat Cleveland was famously photographed by what pop artist who is remembered today for his renderings of Campbell's soup cans, among other subjects?
Answer: Andy Warhol
51. What French writer created the comic series "Valerian and Laureline" along with artist Jean-Claude Mézières? The series ran from 1967 to 2018, and was considered foundational in the field of European comics.
Answer: Pierre Christin
52. Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal, who is known for his paintings of Venice, Rome, and London, is better known by which mononym?
Answer: Canaletto
53. What French poet, writer, and artist is considered the "Father of Surrealism?"
Answer: Andre Breton
54. What Belgian Surrealist artist was known for featuring bowler hats in many of his pieces?
Answer: Rene Magritte
55. Surgeons crowd around an anesthetized patient in "The Gross Clinic," an 1875 painting by what American artist?
Answer: Thomas Eakins
56. The earliest known professional African-American artist in the United States, a freed slave who painted around the turn of the 19th century, creating classical portraits such as "The Westwood Children," is Joshua ______. Fill in the one word "J" last name blank, also the last name of 36th U.S. President Lyndon.
Answer: Joshua Johnson
57. Artists working on "101 Dalmations" (1961) were faced with the challenge of animating hundreds of pups. Which brand of copying machine technology saved them time and money?
Answer: Xerox
58. In 1969, which artist took a break from painting melting clocks to design the Chupa Chups lollipop logo?
Answer: Dali
59. In 2008, a post-impressionist oil painting, "The Boy in the Red Vest," was stolen from a museum in Zurich, only to be found in Serbia in 2012. Which artist painted it?
Answer: Paul Cézanne
60. Before an artist starts a sculpture, they may make a mini wax version to show the client to make sure they approve. What French word for "scale model" is used to describe this draft version of the artwork?
Answer: Maquette
61. Sharing his surname with a European country, "Whaam!" is a 1963 work created by which American artist?
Answer: Roy Lichtenstein
62. Trailblazing artist Keith Haring often used as a "tag" an image he called ____ Baby, where what word, referring to the lines that emerge from the figure, fills in the blank?
Answer: Radiant
63. French artist Georges Seurat developed what artistic technique, which uses small dots of paint to form an image?
Answer: Pointillism
64. Polka dots and mirrored installations called "Infinity Rooms" are both hallmarks of what Japanese contemporary artist?
Answer: Yayoi Kusama
65. La Casa Azul, or Blue House, is a museum in Coyoacan devoted to the works of what artist, who was born there?
Answer: Frida Kahlo
66. In 1995, environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped what Berlin building completely in plastic?
Answer: Sunflowers
67. The body of which artist is buried below an eponymous museum located in Figueres, Spain, the front of which is decorated with giant egg sculptures?
Answer: Salvador Dali
68. In 2021, $380,000 was paid for an NFT representing a video of the burning of an original artwork by what secretive British street artist who is known by a single name?
Answer: Banksy
69. Shared with a U.S. state, what surname was adopted by the artist born Robert Clark? He is perhaps best known for his pop art image "LOVE."
Answer: Indiana
70. A 1955 encaustic painting by Jasper Johns, painted after his release from the U.S. army, was the first of dozens the modern artist has created over his career of what familiar subject?
Answer: The American Flag
71. Costa Rican-Mexican singer Chavela Vargas sang "La Llorona" in a 2002 biopic starring Salma Hayek as what Mexican artist Vargas was close to in real life?
Answer: Frida Kahlo
72. What famous 20th century American painter had a home base on a ranch in New Mexico? Many of the artist's most famous works are now displayed at a museum in Santa Fe despite her growing up near Madison, Wisconsin with her family.
Answer: Georgia O'Keeffe
73. A Maine resident unexpectedly found a sketch called "Le Tricorne" by what famous artist, and received $150,000 for the sketch at auction? The worldly Spanish artist is known for his blue and rose periods, among many other things.
Answer: Pablo Picasso
74. What phosphoprotein, rich in protein and found in cow milk, is not only found in dairy products, but also in a water soluble paint used by artists and in glue, being used in the first mix of Elmer's Glue?
Answer: Casein
75. Among the most expensive paintings sold at auction, "Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer" was the final work in the gold phase of what Vienna Secession artist?
Answer: Gustav Klimt
76. You can visit UC San Diego's Geisel Library via the "Snake Path," artist Alexis Smith's tiled walkway that features a granite sculpture of what John Milton epic with a pretty important snake?
Answer: Paradise Lost
77. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has "Flowers", a 1967 silkscreen ink piece by what artist?
Answer: Andy Warhol
78. In one of the world's most famous cases of insurance fraud, the Beverly Hills ophthalmologist Steve Cooperman faked the 1999 theft of two paintings worth millions of dollars (they were being stored in a Cleveland storage locker) to claim a $12.5 million insurance payout. With one guess, name either of the two artists behind the "stolen" works.
Answer: Monet and Picasso
79. What Italian Renaissance artist, with a one word name that may refer to his dark skin, or his red hair, painted "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time" in 1545?
Answer: Bronzino
80. "Head of a Peasant Woman" is a work by which 19th century artist? In 2022, a self-portrait of this artist was discovered on the back of the work.
Answer: Vincent van Gogh
81. The striking sandstone statue by artist Alvaro de Bree at San Diego's Cabrillo National Monument of its namesake explorer was donated to the United States in 1939 by what European nation?
Answer: Portugal
82. Often considered the U.S.'s largest public art program, MA Philadelphia is the organization that has created nearly 4,000 pieces of public art in Philadelphia by partnering with artists and communities. What does MA stand for?
Answer: Mural Arts Philadelphia
83. Both the Spiral Q Puppet Theater and Lancaster Avenue's "Second Fridays" are well-known artistic attractions in which "village" in West Philadelphia?
Answer: Powelton Village
84. Among the artists who have recorded the 19th-century folk song "No More Auction Block for Me" is what one-named singer who has been called "the voice of the civil rights movement?"
Answer: Odetta
85. The 1999 novel "Girl With a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier was inspired by a painting with the same title by what Dutch artist?
Answer: Johannes Vermeer
86. Referring to his 1992 painting "Bedroom at Arles", what American pop artist remarked that Van Gogh would enjoy his rendition, saying: "I've cleaned his room up a little bit for him; and he'll be very happy...I've straightened his shirts and bought some new furniture."
Answer: Roy Lichtenstein
87. The owl is a recurring motif in the sketches, paintings, and sculptures of which 20th century avant-garde Spanish artist?
Answer: Pablo Picasso
88. Domenikos Theotokopoulos is the real name of which artist of the Spanish Renaissance who was born in what is now Crete?
Answer: El Greco
89. The portrait of George Washington that appears on $1 bills is based on an unfinished painting begun in 1796 by what American artist?
Answer: Gilbert Stuart
90. Fitting for her famous nickname, what American artist took up painting after she had turned 70? In part, her passion for art was delayed due to her time-intensive work on a farm for much of her life. "Sugaring Off" and "Fourth of July" are two of her most famous works.
Answer: Grandma Moses
91. Artist Berthe Morisot gets her lean on in "The Repose," an oil by what other French Impressionist painter?
Answer: Edouard Manet
92. Before she became known for designing the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign in 1959, which American visual artist was the first female commercial artist to make neon signs at YESCO?
Answer: Betty Willis
93. What 20th century abstract Dutch artist created such structural paintings as "Broadway Boogie-Woogie" and "Grey Tree?" This man with an "M" last name resided in New York.
Answer: Piet Mondrian
94. Which district in the West End of London gives its name to a group of intellectuals, artists, and writers, including John Maynard Keynes and Virginia Woolf, who were active in the first half of the 20th century? Of them it was said that "they lived in squares, painted in circles, and loved in triangles."
Answer: Bloomsbury
95. What Cubist's work, featuring outlines of birds, was the first piece by a living artist to adorn the Louvre? It covered the ceiling of what was once King Henri II's antechamber and caused an uproar in Paris.
Answer: Georges Braque
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