10 Beautiful Self Portraits By Famous Artists

Before you is a list of 10 self-portrait by world famous painters. Some of those artists painted many self-portraits, like Rembrandt  and van Gogh, while others almost didn’t paint themselves at all, and even the paintings shown here are without complete certainty that they are in fact self-portraits

1. Leonardo da Vinci – “Portrait of a man in red chalk”, 1512 – The portrait “Portrait of a man in red chalk” from around 1512 is widely accepted as a self portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, though it is not certain. The painting is apparently a self portrait of da Vinci at the age of 60. The painting is 33.3 cm × 21.6 cm (13.1 in × 8.5 in), and is on display at the Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy

Leonardo da Vinci – “Portrait of a man in red chalk”

2. Vincent van Gogh – “Self-portrait without beard”, 1889 – As opposed to Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh painted many self portraits of himself. He painted 37 self portraits between 1886 and 1889, to be exact. Many of those paintings are widely popular in the general public. “Self-portrait without beard” from 1889 is one of those paintings. It’s the last self portrait van Gogh painted, and was given to his mother as a birthday gift. The painting is an oil on canvas, 40 cm × 31 cm (51 in x 12 in)

Vincent van Gogh – “Self-portrait without beard”

3. Rembrandt van Rijn – “Self-portrait with beret and turned-up collar”, 1659 – Rembrandt is known as the most frequent self-portraitist, with over 40 paintings, as well as a several drawings and 31 etchings. The self portrait “Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar”” from 1659 is an oil on canvas painting, 84.4 cm × 66 cm (33.2 in × 26 in). It is on display at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Another self portrait of Rembrandt with the same name and from the same era is on display in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Rembrandt van Rijn – “Self-portrait with beret and turned-up collar”

4. Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) – “Self-portrait”, 1506 – This beautiful self portrait by Raphael was painted when he was at the age of 23. It’s 45 cm x 33 cm (17.7 in x 13 in), and is located at the world famous Uffizi Gallery

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) – “Self-portrait”

5. El Greco – “Portrait of a man”, 1595–1600 – Like in the case of da Vinci’s painting, the painting “Portrait of a Man” by El Gerco is also presumed to be a self-portrait. It’s on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

El Greco – “Portrait of a man”

6. Pablo Picasso – “Self-portrait”, 1901 – This beautiful self portrait of Picasso was painted at the beginning of his Blue Period. The painting is oil on canvas, 81 x 60 cm, and is located at the Picasso Museum (Musée Picasso) in Paris

Pablo Picasso – “Self-portrait” (source: wikiart.org)

7. Edgar Degas – “Degas au porte-fusain”, 1855 – Located at the musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

Edgar Degas – “Degas au porte-fusain”

8. Jan van Eyck – “Portrait of a man”, 1433 – Most commonly known as “Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban”, this painting by the Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck is believed to be a self-portrait. It is owned by the National Gallery in London

Jan van Eyck – Portrait of a man

9. Max Beckmann – “Self-portrait with horn”, 1938-1940

Max Beckmann – “Self-portrait with horn” (source: wikipedia under fair use)

10. Albrecht Dürer – “Self-portrait”, 1500 – The full name of the painting is “Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Coat with Fur Collar”. Dürer painted the work just before his 29th birthday,  and it’s his third and last self-portrait. The painting is oil on wood panel, 66.3 cm × 49 cm (26.1 in × 19 in) located at the Alte Pinakothek museum in Munich

Albrecht Dürer – “Self-portrait”