• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
    • Media & Press
    • Programs for Schools
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • Member Login

Art Class Curator

Hands-on and Minds-curious Art Learning

  • Art & Artists
  • Art Connection Activities
  • Art Teacher Tips
  • Elements & Principles
  • Downloads & Resources
Home
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
    • Media & Press
    • Programs for Schools
  • Blog
    • Art & Artists
    • Elements & Principles
    • Art Connection Activities
    • Art Teacher Tips
    • Downloads & Resources
  • Book
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • Member Login

January 6, 2015 19 Comments

A Year of Art Appreciation for Kids: 52 Artworks your Child Should Know

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

I have compiled for you a massive list of artworks for you to look at with your kids this year. I picked one artwork for each week of the year, and I tried to pick the best of the best. If you haven’t been showing art to your kids, this is a great list to start with! Just sit down and talk about a new artwork each week for a few minutes.

Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Talk about Art with Your Kids

Here are some posts from Art Class Curator for tips at looking at art with your kids.

  • How to Look at Art with your Children
  • How to Look at Art with Toddlers and Preschoolers
  • Charlotte Mason Picture Study: An Easy Way to Introduce Art to your Kids

Art Appreciation for Kids

Instead of dividing by week, I divided by time period. Regrettably, this list does not include non-western art or contemporary art. For more awesome non-western art, check out my Art Around the World series. Each entry below includes a link to find the picture.

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Ancient to Classical Art

Ancient to Classical Art

  • Prehistoric, Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf), c. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E (On ACFK, 5 Artworks to Promote Introspection) (Buy replica on Amazon)
  • Sumer, the Standard of Ur, about 2600-2400 B.C.E. (Book about this artwork)
  • The Law Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, c. 1750 B.C.E (Book about Hammurabi’s Code)
  • Ancient Egyptian, Palette of King Narmer, c. 3000-2920 B.C.E.
  • Myron (Ancient Greek), Discus-thrower (Discobolus), Roman copy of a bronze original of the 5th century BC (Book about this artwork)
  • Hellenistic Greek, Laocoön and His Sons, early first century C.E.
  • Ancient Roman, Augustus of Primaporta, first century, C.E.
  • Ancient Roman, The Alexander Mosaic, ca. 100 BC (Poster of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Medieval to Renaissance Art

Medieval and Renaissance Art

  • Byzantine, Justinian and his Attendants, Basilica di San Vitale, 547 C.E
  • Gothic, Chartres Cathedral (Book about Chartres)
  • Jan and Hubert van Eyk, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Ghent Altarpiece), 1432 (Book about the Nazi theft of this artwork)
  • Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1482-85 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498 (Print of this artwork on wood)
  • Michelangelo Buonarroti, Sistene Chapel Ceiling, 1508-12 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Raphael, School of Athens, 1509-11 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Michelangelo Buonarroti, Slaves or Prisoners, ca. 1520-23



the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - 17th-18th Century Art

17th-18th Century Art

  • Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1614-20 (On ACFK, Masterpiece Monday) (Novel about the Artist)
  • Gianlorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25 (Replica of this sculpture)
  • Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait, c. 1630
  • Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642 (Canvas print of this artwork)
  • Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656 (On ACFK, 20 Great Artworks to Look at with Young Kids) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1785 (Poster of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - 19th Century Art

19th-Century Art

  • Francisco Goya, Third of May, 1808 (Mouse pad of this artwork)
  • Eugène Delacroix, July 28: Liberty Leading the People, 1830 (Poster of this artwork)
  • William Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On), 1840 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Claude Monet, Les Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), 1840-1926 (Monet magnets)
  • Jean-François Millet, L’Angélus, c. 1857-1859
  • Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Auguste Rodin, The Burghers of Calais, 1884-95 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Paul Gauguin, Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?, 1897-98
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889 (On ACFK, 5 Exciting Art History Projects for Kids that Made me Say “WOW!”) (Umbrella of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Modern Art

Modern and Contemporary Art

  • Henri Matisse, Harmony in Red/La Desserte, 1908 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1910 (Inflatable Scream Doll)
  • Franz Marc, Fate of the Animals, 1913 (On ACFK, Art Spotlight: Franz Marc’s Fate of the Animals)
  • Marc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911 (On ACFK, 5 Artworks Your Children will Love) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Wassily Kandinsky, Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 4, 1914
  • Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931 (Melting clock)
  • Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939 (On ACFK, 5 Artworks to Intrigue Your High Schooler) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950, 1950 (Book about this artwork)
  • Francis Bacon, Study after Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953 (On ACFK, Art Around the World in 30 Days – Ireland)
  • Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962 (Converse shoes of this artwork)
  • Robert Rauschenberg, Skyway, 1964
  • Andy Goldsworthy, Fall Leaves (On ACFK, 5 Exciting Art History Projects for Kids that Made me Say “WOW!”) (Book about this artist)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - American

American Art

  • John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778  (On ACFK: Charlotte Mason Picture Study: John Singleton Copley)
  • Thomas Moran, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Frederic Remington, A Dash for the Timber, 1889 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930 (Children’s book about this artist)
  • Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, 1940-41 (Children’s book about this series)
  • Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942 (Poster of this artwork)

Whew! This is quite a list. It was hard to choose, and I know I left out some great artworks. Keep reading on Art Class Curator to learn more about teaching art to kids.

More Art Class Curator on Pinterest:

Follow Cindy @ The Art Class Curator’s boards on Pinterest.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Art Connection Activities
Tagged With: andy goldsworthy, andy warhol, artemisia gentileschi, auguste rodin, claude monet, diego velazquez, edvard munch, edward hopper, eugene delacroix, francis bacon, francisco goya, franz marc, frederic remington, frida kahlo, georges seurat, gian lorenzo bernini, grant wood, henri matisse, jackson pollock, jacob lawrence, jacques-louis david, jan van eyck, jean-francois millet, jean-honore fragonard, john singer sargent, john singleton copley, judith leyster, leonardo da vinci, marc chagall, michelangelo, pablo picasso, paul gauguin, raphael, rembrandt, robert rauschenberg, salvador dali, sandro botticelli, thomas moran, vincent van gogh, wassily kandinsky, william turner

 

You May Also Enjoy These Posts:

The Best Examples of Emphasis in ArtThe Best Examples of Balance in Art: Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, and RadialArtworks that Use Shape

Reader Interactions

19 Comments

  1. Nikki

    January 8, 2015 at 9:35 am

    Thank you. I am so glad I found you. I home school without curriculum and was feeling sort of lost when it came to art. I cannot thank you enough. This list will be my go-to this year. Thank you Thank you! <3

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      January 8, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m so excited you are finding this useful! Let me know how it goes! 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  2. Ellen King

    April 23, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Hi! I am looking to create a blog for my art classes. I’m wondering where you began.
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      April 23, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Ellen! I started on WordPress.com. You can easily set up a free blog on there, and it is really easy to figure out what to do once you are in. You can also try blogger.com for a free blog. Once you get it set up, I’d love to add the link to my reader, so let me know the link. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  3. Elly

    April 28, 2015 at 12:31 am

    I’m a recent college grad with a bachelors in Art History as well and I was just tasked with creating a summer Art History class for kids! I know the history and works and I know how to talk about art – but I don’t really know how to do it for kids or what is appropriate. I’m so glad I found this list and your blog! Thanks!

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      April 28, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Awesome! Sounds like a fun project. 🙂 Good luck! If you need any more recommendations, check out this book. It was written by students from my grad school program, and it is full of ideas for how to engage with art with kids. Experience Art: A Handbook for Teaching and Learning with Works of Art (Affiliate link)

      Reply to this comment
      • Debi

        July 12, 2015 at 4:16 pm

        This book looks interesting! I just ordered a copy. 🙂

        Reply to this comment
        • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

          July 13, 2015 at 2:55 pm

          I’m not sure I know what book you are talking about. Thanks for the share on your FB page. 🙂

          Reply to this comment
  4. Natalie Fellhauer

    July 27, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Hi, I like the idea of presenting 52 Artists through out the year! But I count only 3 women – is there a possibility to balance this a bit more – next time? I am sure there are more than 3 famous female artists who are worth to be taught to kids.
    Best wishes Natalie from Germany

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      July 27, 2015 at 4:37 pm

      Ahh! You are exactly right. Thanks for pointing that out! Usually I am very deliberate about of making sure I have women artists and artists of color in all of my collections of artists, but I missed that on this one! This one was so hard, so I just thought of all the art movements I wanted to cover and then picked the top one in my mind. I do have lots of women artists featured on the website though in case you want more women artists: Bettye Saar, Dorothea Lange, Mary Cassatt, Hanaa Malallah, Artemisia Gentileschi, Lorna Simpson, Beatriz Milhazes, Frida Kahlo, among others. 🙂 I have one scheduled on August 5 of Marie-Denise Villers as well. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  5. Candice

    August 28, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    I’m a bit confused on how to get to the art to save the free ones. Can someone help me on this? Is this offering 52 art pictures?

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      August 28, 2015 at 6:08 pm

      No, you just click the links to get the images. If you want to save them and you are on a PC, right click the image and choose save.

      Reply to this comment
  6. Elcy

    October 15, 2015 at 4:55 am

    Thanks Cindy for your kind sharing of all of these knowledge and experience. I am very grateful. Do the hard copy exist or only ebooks are available i.e. “A year of Art Appreciation: 52 Art Works your child should know”? Please advise and thanks once again.

    Reply to this comment
    • Cindy, The Art Curator for Kids

      October 15, 2015 at 9:37 am

      No, this is just a blog post with the list. That is a great idea turning it into a print book! I’ll look into that. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  7. KayJay

    March 2, 2018 at 10:05 pm

    I am sad to see so few women on your list. It’s heartbreaking! I see the comment above about the same thing and will look further into your website, but would be nice to add them to this landing page as well.

    Reply to this comment
  8. Eve Jones

    April 29, 2020 at 8:37 am

    What a wonderful site. Thank you. Never mind educating the kids, I am using this to educate and enrich myself one piece of art a day in my marking breaks! (English teacher…)

    Reply to this comment
  9. C. Whelan

    November 4, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    Hi,

    Thank you for this wonderful art. Is there a way to print them in a way that I can out them in a binder for kids to use?

    Reply to this comment
    • Amy Davis

      November 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      Hello and you’re welcome! We do not have an easy way to print all of the Artworks from this blog. Our series Around the World in 30 Days has printable Artworks that you might enjoy and find useful.

      Reply to this comment
    • Amy Davis

      November 11, 2020 at 12:41 pm

      Hello and you’re welcome! We do not have an easy way to print these pieces of Art, yet. We do have printable art on our Around the World in 30 Days blog, perhaps that would be helpful for you to use.

      Reply to this comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Cindy Ingram, the creator of Art Class Curator and The Curated Connections Library

I’m on a mission to revolutionize education with the power of life-changing art connections. Art is not “extra”. Art is essential. We are empowering teachers to bridge the gap between art making and art connection, kindling a passion for art that will transform generations.

More About Me

Free Worksheets!

-Free Bundle of Art Appreciation Worksheets-

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Download

Free Worksheets!

-Free Bundle of Art Appreciation Worksheets-

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Enrollment in Curated Connections Library is currently open. Click here to join. Join our list to get more information and to get a free lesson from the vault! If you are purchasing for a school or school district, head over here for more information.

Check Out What’s New In The Shop

Experience Art: Engaging Art Criticism Discussions and Activities for Teachers and Students of All Ages
Call to Art: An Un-Conference for Art Educators
Curated Connections Library Membership
Perspectives High School Curriculum

More Products

Have You Listened to the Latest Podcast Episode?

Falling for Naudline Pierre’s Evocative Art: A Conversation with Madalyn (Part 2)

More Episodes

Testimonials

I like how this program, unlike other art class resource membership programs, feels authentic. It's like art matters more here, and not fancy flash-in-the-pan trendiness. The goal of Art Class Curator seemed to be helping kids develop a lifelong love and art appreciation versus "Hey, look. I painted this fish."
Erin A.
Your questions are helping me to delve into much deeper learning, and my students are getting better at discussion-and then, making connections in their own work. Art Class Curator is awesome!
Denise W.
Interestingly, my lower performing classes really get engaged in these [lessons] and come away with some profound thoughts!
Melissa G.
I had the most amazing 6th grade class today. They were jumping out of their seats with hands raised just to respond and give input. It was as if I was waving candy in front of them! They saw more and more and the ideas and interpretations unfolded. So cool!!! This is what makes teaching art so wonderful – thank you!!
Caroline G.
I just wanted to thank you for the invaluable resource you have through Art Class Curator. Not only do you have thought provoking activities and discussion prompts, but it saves me so much time in preparing things for myself! I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface with your site.
Maryjane F.

Get Art Inspiration To Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get regular art inspiration to your inbox
plus a BUNDLE OF 6 FREE WORKSHEETS!
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.
Download

Free Worksheets!

*Free Bundle of Art Appreciation Worksheets*

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Copyright © 2025 Ignite Art, LLC DBA Art Class Curator •  All rights reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Terms of Service  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs