Artist guides

From Ansel Adams to Zao Wou-Ki, enjoy our series of expert guides to the some of the most important artists in history, whose works are offered at auction by Christie’s

Illustration by Emmanuelle Walker

Get the best stories from Christies.com in a weekly email .

*We will never sell or rent your information. Privacy Policy

Related content

10 things to know about Ansel Adams A guide to the pioneering photographer and environmentalist forever identified with the majesty of the American West	‘I have been thinking about Josef and Anni Albers for four decades’ Bauhaus artists Josef and Anni Albers shared an obsession with geometric form. Jonathan Bastable visits their foundation in Connecticut and talks to its head
Studio visit: Darren Almond The contemporary photographer discusses exposure, light, and capturing a moment, in the studio that has become his window onto a nocturnal world	Studio visit: Pablo Atchugarry The Uruguayan sculptor talks Carrara marble and Michelangelo in his adopted home of Lecco on the shores of Lake Como
Gillian Ayres: Pleasure and paint A 2015 interview with the British abstract artist at her home in the remote southwest of England. By Rachel Cooke	Jean-Michel Basquiat: ‘Painter to the core’ The short and fierce career of one of the 20th century’s most iconic artists
From the city to the sea — the life and art of George Bellows The Ashcan School artist whose subjects ranged from New York’s working classes to the Maine coast. Illustrated with works offered in American Art on 22 May	Peter Blake: The people’s painter His place in the pantheon of pop culture is assured, but Sir Peter Blake has never stopped working. Here, he tells Rachel Cooke about his beginnings, his future plans and a new exhibition of his portraits
10 things to know about Alighiero Boetti The colourful life and times of the Italian conceptualist, featuring standout works from his Arte Povera days, as well as his ‘Arazzi’, ‘Mappe’ and ‘Tutto’ series	The ‘painting-objects’ of Agostino Bonalumi Why the Milanese artist deserves to be regarded alongside Fontana, Burri and Manzoni in the annals of Italian post-war art
10 things to know about Fernando Botero A guide to arguably South America’s most famous artist, whose work addresses everything from domestic life to bullfighting	The ‘social abstraction’ of Mark Bradford An introduction to the Los Angeles artist who is spoken of in the lineage of America’s great Abstract Expressionists
10 things to know about Bill Brandt The life and work of the pioneering Anglo-German photographer, illustrated with works offered in our MoMA: Bill Brandt online sale, 16-24 January	10 things to know about Marcel Broodthaers An introduction to the groundbreaking Belgian artist, poet and filmmaker — the self-proclaimed ‘King of Mussels’
Collecting Guide: The Brueghel dynasty Old Masters pictures specialist Alexis Ashot explores the family tree of these remarkable artists across almost 200 years	Brancusi — the high priest of modernism A primer on the Romanian-born sculptor who settled in Paris and pushed his medium to the brink of abstraction
10 things to know about Henri Cartier-Bresson One of the greatest of all 20th-century photographers, Cartier-Bresson bore witness to events that shaped history, from Spain’s Civil War to the death of Gandhi	Rembrandt Bugatti: He knew ‘more animals than Noah’ The elder brother of Ettore Bugatti, the auto pioneer, spent his days at Antwerp Zoo sculpting its inhabitants. Seven of his works are offered in New York in November
The ‘beautiful romantic dreams’ of Edward Burne-Jones Expert insights on an artist who arrived in the second wave of Pre-Raphaelites, and who sought to re-enchant a wearied world	Alberto Burri: ‘Artist, poet, and creator of the new’ An essential primer on the Italian artist who became a leading member of Arte Povera
The master of slowness: An oral history of Pol Bury Pol Bury pushed boundaries and defied convention. Ten years after his death, we asked experts and friends for their memories	10 things to know about Alexander Calder An introduction to the American great who began ‘drawing in space’ before changing our world with his invention of the mobile
Cao Fei and her journey to a parallel universe The Chinese multimedia artist talks to Tianyue Jiang about making art in a virtual world — and designing the 18th BMW Art Car	10 things to know about Enrico Castellani An essential guide to the Italian artist hailed by Donald Judd as the ‘father of Minimalism’ — featuring works offered in Milan, 27-28 April
10 things to know about Marc Chagall The life and work of the Russian artist who was born Moyshe Segal and became one of the key figures of 20th-century art	‘The Shakespeare of English furniture makers’ To mark the 300th anniversary of Thomas Chippendale’s birth, experts discuss the life and legacy of Britain’s greatest cabinet-maker
Christo’s towering ambition Famous for wrapping the Pont Neuf in Paris, Berlin’s Reichstag and the islands of Greater Miami, the 82-year-old Bulgarian artist still has big plans	Collecting Guide: Clarice Cliff ceramics Characterised by bold colours and dynamic Art Deco designs, these ceramics, offered in our online sale, have been sought-after since the late 1920s
George Condo — the latest hero of American painting A guide to the artist who came of age alongside Basquiat and Haring, and whose sometimes shocking work is more coveted by collectors than ever before	Joseph Cornell: Outside the box Known for his exquisite shadow boxes filled with ephemera, Joseph Cornell experimented extensively in a career that brushed against both Surrealism and Pop Art
10 things to know about Giorgio de Chirico The maverick Italian artist adored by the Surrealists and revered by Andy Warhol, whose great loves were Greek myth and Nietzsche	Studio visit: Michael Craig-Martin The former Goldsmiths professor remembers the ‘wonderfully exciting’ YBA years — and discusses his own studio practice
11 things to know about Edgar Degas In the centenary year of the artist’s death, we take a closer look at the life and work of the French master	10 things to know about Paul Delvaux The 20th-century Belgian painter who filled his canvases with skeletons, train stations and naked women, and was declared a heretic by the Pope
The enduring legacy of Le Bateau Lavoir How a run-down factory building in Paris’s 18th arrondissement became the unlikely birthplace of Modern art	Richard Diebenkorn: Painter par excellence A guide to the American artist who sustained virtuosity in a range of styles, from abstraction to figuration — and back again
10 things to know about Peter Doig Ben Luke surveys the influential oeuvre of the Canada-raised, London-schooled and Trinidad-based ‘painters’ painter’	10 things to know about Jean Dubuffet Hailed as one of the giants of Modernism, the artist who fell in and out of love with painting and coined the term Art Brut
10 things to know about Albrecht Dürer Alastair Smart traces the extraordinary life and work of perhaps the finest printmaker in the history of art	10 things to know about William Edmondson An introduction to the Outsider artist taking the art world by storm
James Ensor’s ‘ghastly devils and obscene monsters’ The Belgian artist described in his time as ’a creator of fantastical sights, sometimes horrible, sometimes burlesque’	10 things to know about Walker Evans The literary-minded photographer who pioneered the American documentary tradition. Illustrated with prints in our online sale, MoMA: Walker Evans, 3-11 April
Lucio Fontana: A Primer Angela M.H. Schuster examines the work of the multi-faceted founder of Spatialism and the man who created the endless void	Pedro Friedeberg: Inventor of alternative realities The Mexican artist discusses his influences, painting on mannequins and works offered in the Latin American Art sale in May
V.S. Gaitonde: A primer The most valuable modern Indian artist at auction was a reclusive philosopher who largely eschewed material needs	The ‘double life’ of Alberto Giacometti The curator of the first exhibition to focus on the artist’s portraits talks to Florence Waters about where his iconic figures came from — and how Giacometti has ‘led people astray’
The stuff of Giacometti’s genius The complete reconstruction of Alberto Giacometti’s studio in a new Paris institute is one of three major ongoing celebrations of the artist’s work this summer	Brothers by design: Alberto and Diego Giacometti The competitive but loving bond between the two artists is explored in Alberto and Diego Giacometti: Masters of Design
My London: Gilbert & George The artists explain why London is the new Babylon, and share their thoughts on being the Pearly Kings of art and why they'll never leave the city	My London: Antony Gormley The sculptor discusses being brought up by nuns and monks, why sculpture 'stands outside the nature of time' and London's 'critical mix of comfort and disturbance'
10 things to know about George Grosz The chronicler of Weimar Berlin’s seamy side and a satirical thorn in the side of the Nazi regime	Andreas Gursky: ‘I pursue one goal — the encyclopaedia of life’ Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery, on the first UK retrospective of the German photographer’s work
Studio Visit: Todd Hido We catch up with the photographer behind the wheel of his car as he seeks to add to his celebrated series, Homes at Night	The A-Z of David Hockney As David Hockney, a full career retrospective, opens at Tate Britain, we offer a handy alphabetical overview
The ‘secret fame’ of Peter Hujar Insights into the life and art of the photographer whose raw, honest images captured the creative spirit of 1980s New York's downtown scene	10 things to know about Hokusai An essential introduction to the artist who created the most recognisable Japanese art work ever made
Studio visit: Huang Yuxing The Beijing-based artist on the studio as a place of purification, and why he believes ‘fluorescent is the colour of our generation’	Studio visit: Hwang Yong-Yop A conversation with the 86-year-old Korean painter, for whom memories of dictatorship and war remain potent sources of inspiration
An imaginary Russian reality: In conversation with Ilya and Emilia Kabakov One of the most influential partnerships in contemporary art talks to Izabela Grocholiski about life under the ‘Soviet reality’	Wassily Kandinsky: The road to abstraction The Moscow-born artist is widely acknowledged as one of the fathers of abstraction. Alastair Smart picks out key moments from an extraordinary life
God’s own Pop artist In 1960s Los Angeles Sister Corita Kent’s vividly coloured prints stirred up the Catholic church and gained national fame	Yves Klein: ‘He had no limit’ Daniel Moquay, head of the Klein archives in Paris, discusses the French artist’s spirituality, his relationship with the colour blue — and his love of judo
Jeff Koons: ‘I love how art can change your life’ Jeff Koons wasn’t always convinced that he could make it in the art world. Now even his critics admit he’s a superstar	10 things to know about Yayoi Kusama Florence Waters takes a closer look at the extraordinary life and career of the woman behind the dots
10 things to know about François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Discover more about husband-and-wife team François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, whose nature-based sculptures and decorative arts are hugely in vogue	Gustave Le Gray: The pre-Impressionist photographer The story of photographer Gustave Le Gray and this stunning image of ships in the port of Le Havre, taken 160 years ago
‘My ambition was to put the industrial scene on the map’ — A guide to L.S. Lowry An in-depth look at Britain's most famous Modernist painter — illustrated with works offered at Christie's	Studio visit: Ma Xinle The Chinese artist, whose painting The Nine Galloping Horses was presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II, reveals how he absorbs influences from both East and West
10 things to know about René Magritte A primer on the great Belgian Surrealist — featuring works offered in The Art of the Surreal auction in February 2017 at Christie’s in London	10 things to know about Robert Mapplethorpe The New York photographer whose controversial images fuelled a national debate on the boundaries of art
Agnes Martin: Philosopher, artist, pioneer, recluse Ahead of a major retrospective at Tate Modern, Agnes Martin is remembered by Arne Glimcher, her biographer and the founder of Pace Gallery. Interview by Jack Castle	10 things to know about Syrie Maugham A guide to the life and times of the interior designer once known as ‘The Princess of Pale’, illustrated with pieces offered in New York on 12-13 December
Don McCullin: War and peace The photojournalist tells Jonathan Bastable how his present work helps him to manage memories of the past	Amedeo Modigliani: A primer Curator and historian Phyllis Tuchman examines the magical charm of one of Modernism’s cherished masters
László Moholy-Nagy and the redemptive power of art Carol S. Eliel, curator of Moholy-Nagy: Future Present at LACMA, illuminates the life and career of the influential Hungarian-born artist, teacher and designer	Monet: The man and his masterpieces A deep dive into the life of Impressionism’s founding father, featuring upcoming works offered in New York
10 things to know about Henry Moore Everything you need to know about the life and career of the great British sculptor	Studio visit: Ryan Mosley Meet the British artist who once worked for the National Gallery in London — where he was disciplined for sketching the art
10 things to know about Yoshitomo Nara Best known for his unsettling portraits of children, Yoshitomo Nara’s work blends new and old ideas of Japanese identity	Emil Nolde — Colour is Life Co-curator Keith Hartley discusses the largest UK show of the controversial German Expressionist in more than two decades
10 things to know about Georgia O’Keeffe A closer look at the life, loves and landscapes of the ‘mother of American modernism’	Akbar Padamsee: ‘Art for me is to express the invisible’ At 90 years of age — and ahead of three of his works being offered in New York — one of the great figures of Indian post-war art reflects on his long career
11 things to know about Richard Prince From ‘Fashion’ to ‘Cowboys’, ‘Upstate’ to ‘Nurses’, the story of one of America’s most important living artists	Studio visit: Fiona Rae In the second of a series of films ahead of the Goldsmiths Gallery Project auction at Christie’s, artist Fiona Rae talks about her recent change in direction, her influences and the YBAs
S.H. Raza in 10 questions The Indian artist whose canvases fused European avant-garde ideas with the spirituality of his homeland. Illustrated with works offered in New York	15 things to know about Norman Rockwell He is best known for his images of an idealised America, yet the New England artist’s work was more nuanced than is often understood
10 things to know about Ed Ruscha An essential introduction to the American artist who has been at the forefront of Californian cool since 1963	10 things to know about Mahmoud Saïd Valérie Didier Hess, co-author of Saïd’s newly published catalogue raisonné, offers a guide to the great pioneer of modern Arab art
Studio visit: Abolghassem Saidi The 90-year-old Iranian-born artist takes us inside his lofty Paris studio to discuss imagination, composition and harmony	‘No one escapes the spell cast by Tomás Sánchez’ The exiled Cuban artist talks about his lush tropical landscapes, meeting Fidel Castro, and seeing his paintings burned by government authorities
10 things to know about Egon Schiele The short life and profoundly influential career of the enfant terrible of turn-of-the-century Vienna	‘When I finish a painting, I’m usually sad’ — Sean Scully A profile of the Irish-born artist celebrated for his ‘Wall of Light’ and ‘Landline’ series, and revered as a natural heir to the Abstract Expressionists
In demand: Sean Scully Loved for his trademark stripes and checks, the artist celebrates his 70th birthday this year with a debut show in Venice, works for a restored 10th century church near Barcelona and major exhibitions all over the world. Claire Wrathall went to meet him in London	Amrita Sher-Gil: Revolution personified The short life and extraordinary talent of one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century
10 things to know about the photography of Stephen Shore A guide to the photographer who sold his first images to MoMA at the age of 14, illustrated with works from a dedicated online sale, 22-30 May	Pierre Soulages: Beyond Black Now well into his nineties, France’s most successful living artist has some wisdom to impart about the painterly gesture. Deborah Wilk takes a lesson
Stanley Spencer: A primer An essential introduction to one of the most extraordinary and best loved British artists of the 20th century	16 things to know about Frank Stella An introduction to the artist whose striped works, monumental prints and revolutionary approach to materials rippled through the world of abstract art
‘A collaboration with the city’: Stik and the art of the street One of East London's best-loved street artists opens up about his work	Studio Visit: Hiroshi Sugimoto We visit the artist in Tokyo, where he discusses his celebrated images of old American movie theatres
A panoramic overview of Hiroshi Sugimoto The Japanese photographer’s work spans decades and, rather than seeking to capture the decisive moment, aims to evoke ‘the infinite and the immeasurable’	Paul Strand: A primer A discussion of the pioneering photographer’s legacy
Studio visit: Parviz Tanavoli The artist takes us inside his Vancouver studio, discussing lions, locks, and why he has not forgotten his native Iran	Studio visit: Wayne Thiebaud The artist takes us inside his California studio, discussing music, playing God — and why painting is a bad career choice
Who was Miroslav Tichý? With homemade cameras, the enigmatic Miroslav Tichý photographed women in his hometown over many years. With a number of his works offered in our Focal Points online sale, Chris Mugan presents an introduction to this most singular outsider artist	The life and legacy of J.M.W. Turner We chart the highs and lows in the career of a genius — a man who, during his controversial lifetime, was as much denounced as he was lauded
Daan van Golden: reluctant icon Nine things to know about the Dutch artist who became an idol of the Swinging Sixties, illustrated with works offered in Amsterdam	The life and art of Édouard Vuillard A guide to the rebellious co-founder of avant-garde artists’ group Les Nabis
My London: Edmund de Waal The potter discusses his studio space, the liberating quality of clay, and how 3am is the time he finds for reading	The A-Z of Andy Warhol From Campbell’s Soup Cans to the Velvet Underground, and everything in between — a guide to the Pop master — who would have turned 90 on 6 August
10 things to know about Edward Weston A primer on the California-based photographer who made the ordinary look extraordinary, whether a pepper, a seashell or a sand dune	Garry Winogrand: ‘The central photographer of his generation’ A guide to the Bronx-born street photographer par excellence who documented turbulent times across the United States in the 1960s and ‘70s
Wu Guanzhong — ‘An artist of feeling rather than fact’ A guide to the artist credited with galvanising Chinese painting in the 20th century, illustrated with works offered at Christie’s	My London: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye The artist discusses travelling by bus, identity and the ambience of different parts of the city — one in a series of interviews taken from a new book, London Burning: Portraits from a Creative City (Thames & Hudson)
10 things to know about Zao Wou-Ki A closer look at the life and friendships of the Paris-based Chinese artist who bridged the divide between East and West	Zhang Xiaogang: ‘Painting is a slow process, it takes time to find inspiration’ China’s leading contemporary artist on his career, creative process and the story behind Three Black Songs: Melancholy
10 things to know about Zhang Daqian Innovator, forger, globetrotter — insights into the long life and influential career of China’s most popular modern artist

Artist guides

You may also like

Related content

10 things to know about Ansel Adams

A guide to the pioneering photographer and environmentalist forever identified with the majesty of the American West

‘I have been thinking about Josef and Anni Albers for four decades’

Bauhaus artists Josef and Anni Albers shared an obsession with geometric form. Jonathan Bastable visits their foundation in Connecticut and talks to its head

Studio visit: Darren Almond

The contemporary photographer discusses exposure, light, and capturing a moment, in the studio that has become his window onto a nocturnal world

Studio visit: Pablo Atchugarry

The Uruguayan sculptor talks Carrara marble and Michelangelo in his adopted home of Lecco on the shores of Lake Como

Gillian Ayres: Pleasure and paint

A 2015 interview with the British abstract artist at her home in the remote southwest of England. By Rachel Cooke

Jean-Michel Basquiat: ‘Painter to the core’

The short and fierce career of one of the 20th century’s most iconic artists

From the city to the sea — the life and art of George Bellows

The Ashcan School artist whose subjects ranged from New York’s working classes to the Maine coast. Illustrated with works offered in American Art on 22 May

Peter Blake: The people’s painter

His place in the pantheon of pop culture is assured, but Sir Peter Blake has never stopped working. Here, he tells Rachel Cooke about his beginnings, his future plans and a new exhibition of his portraits

10 things to know about Alighiero Boetti

The colourful life and times of the Italian conceptualist, featuring standout works from his Arte Povera days, as well as his ‘Arazzi’, ‘Mappe’ and ‘Tutto’ series

The ‘painting-objects’ of Agostino Bonalumi

Why the Milanese artist deserves to be regarded alongside Fontana, Burri and Manzoni​ in the annals of Italian post-war art

10 things to know about Fernando Botero

A guide to arguably South America’s most famous artist, whose work addresses everything from domestic life to bullfighting

The ‘social abstraction’ of Mark Bradford

​​An introduction to the Los Angeles artist​ who is spoken of in the lineage of America’s great Abstract Expressionists

10 things to know about Bill Brandt

The life and work of the pioneering Anglo-German photographer, illustrated with works offered in our MoMA: Bill Brandt online sale, 16-24 January

10 things to know about Marcel Broodthaers

An introduction to the groundbreaking Belgian artist, poet and filmmaker — the self-proclaimed ‘King of Mussels’

Collecting Guide: The Brueghel dynasty

Old Masters pictures specialist Alexis Ashot explores the family tree of these remarkable artists across almost 200 years

Brancusi — the high priest of modernism

​​A primer on the Romanian​-born sculptor who settled in Paris and pushed his medium to the brink of abstraction

10 things to know about Henri Cartier-Bresson

One of the greatest of all 20th-century photographers, Cartier-Bresson bore witness to events that shaped history, from Spain’s Civil War to the death of Gandhi

Rembrandt Bugatti: He knew ‘more animals than Noah’

The elder brother of Ettore Bugatti, the auto pioneer, spent his days at Antwerp Zoo sculpting its inhabitants. Seven of his works are offered in New York in November

The ‘beautiful romantic dreams’ of Edward Burne-Jones

Expert insights on an artist who arrived in the second wave of Pre-Raphaelites, and who sought to re-enchant a wearied world

Alberto Burri: ‘Artist, poet, and creator of the new’

An essential primer on the Italian artist who became a leading member of Arte Povera

The master of slowness: An oral history of Pol Bury

Pol Bury pushed boundaries and defied convention. Ten years after his death, we asked experts and friends for their memories

10 things to know about Alexander Calder

An introduction to the American great who began ‘drawing in space’ before changing our world with his invention of the mobile

Cao Fei and her journey to a parallel universe

The Chinese multimedia artist talks to Tianyue Jiang about making art in a virtual world — and designing the 18th BMW Art Car

10 things to know about Enrico Castellani

An essential guide to the Italian artist hailed by Donald Judd as the ‘father of Minimalism’ — featuring works offered in Milan, 27-28 April

10 things to know about Marc Chagall

The life and work of the Russian artist who was born Moyshe Segal and became one of the key figures of 20th-century art

‘The Shakespeare of English furniture makers’

To mark the 300th anniversary of Thomas Chippendale’s birth, experts discuss the life and legacy of Britain’s greatest cabinet-maker

Christo’s towering ambition

​Famous for wrapping the Pont Neuf in Paris, Berlin’s Reichstag and the islands of Greater Miami, the 82-year-old ​Bulgarian artist still has big plans

Collecting Guide: Clarice Cliff ceramics

​Characterised by bold colours and dynamic Art Deco designs, these ceramics, offered in our online sale, have been sought-after since the late 1920s

George Condo — the latest hero of American painting

A guide to the artist who came of age alongside Basquiat and Haring, and whose sometimes shocking work is more coveted by collectors than ever before

Joseph Cornell: Outside the box

Known for his exquisite shadow boxes filled with ephemera, Joseph Cornell experimented extensively in a career that brushed against both Surrealism and Pop Art

10 things to know about Giorgio de Chirico

The maverick Italian artist adored by the Surrealists and revered by Andy Warhol, whose great loves were Greek myth and Nietzsche

Studio visit: Michael Craig-Martin

The former Goldsmiths professor remembers the ‘wonderfully exciting’ YBA years — and discusses his own studio practice

11 things to know about Edgar Degas

In the centenary year of the artist’s death, we take a closer look at the life and work of the French master

10 things to know about Paul Delvaux

The 20th-century Belgian painter who filled his canvases with skeletons, train stations and naked women, and was declared a heretic by the Pope

The enduring legacy of Le Bateau Lavoir

How a run-down factory building in Paris’s 18th arrondissement became the unlikely birthplace of Modern art

Richard Diebenkorn: Painter par excellence

​A guide to the American artist who sustained virtuosity in a range of styles, from abstraction to figuration — and back again

10 things to know about Peter Doig

Ben Luke surveys the influential oeuvre of the Canada-raised, London-schooled and Trinidad-based ‘painters’ painter’

10 things to know about Jean Dubuffet

Hailed as one of the giants of Modernism, the artist who fell in and out of love with painting and coined the term Art Brut

10 things to know about Albrecht Dürer

Why the Milanese artist deserves to be regarded alongside Fontana, Burri and Manzoni in the annals of Italian post-war art

An introduction to the Los Angeles artist who is spoken of in the lineage of America’s great Abstract Expressionists

A primer on the Romanian-born sculptor who settled in Paris and pushed his medium to the brink of abstraction

Famous for wrapping the Pont Neuf in Paris, Berlin’s Reichstag and the islands of Greater Miami, the 82-year-old Bulgarian artist still has big plans

Characterised by bold colours and dynamic Art Deco designs, these ceramics, offered in our online sale, have been sought-after since the late 1920s

A guide to the American artist who sustained virtuosity in a range of styles, from abstraction to figuration — and back again

The Mexican artist discusses his influences, painting on mannequins and works offered in the Latin American Art sale in May

Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery, on the first UK retrospective of the German photographer’s work

Insights into the life and art of the photographer whose raw, honest images captured the creative spirit of 1980s New York's downtown scene

In 1960s Los Angeles Sister Corita Kent’s vividly coloured prints stirred up the Catholic church and gained national fame

An in-depth look at Britain's most famous Modernist painter — illustrated with works offered at Christie's