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Buffalo<\/p>\n
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Buffalo AKG Art Museum<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Convergence\u2019 (1952) by Jackson Pollock<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such a distinctly American painting [below]” says 79-year-old artist Stanley Whitney. “At that time American painters were trying to reinvent painting, and no one can reinvent painting better than Pollock.”<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>\u00a9 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation\/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Buffalo AKG Art Museum<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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New York<\/p>\n
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Toluk<\/em> (women\u2019s valuable, late 19th-early 20th century) by a Belauan artist, Republic of Palau, Caroline Islands<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis toluk,\u201d says the painter Jordan Casteel, 37, \u201cmade by a Belauan artist from polished and carved sea-turtle shells, is essentially money, part of a women-centered system of value used for owning, inheriting and exchange. I love thinking about women\u2019s authority being central here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018The Harvesters\u2019 (1565)\u00a0by Pieter Bruegel<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cMy friend James Gibbs recommended I go to the Met just to enjoy this one painting,\u201d says the performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson, 50. \u201cIt\u2019s a trick of his. Just walk straight through all the glory, look at this work and go back in time. I stood there in front of the corn and the people taking a rest many hundreds of years ago and dreamed for half an hour. I really, really recommend this method.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Paintings by \u00c9douard Manet (1832-83)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absurd to pick one thing, or even five, from the Met\u2019s vast and diverse holdings, but whatever else I\u2019m there for, I always swing by the second-floor European painting galleries to check in with the collection of works by \u00c9douard Manet,\u201d says the painter David Salle, 73. \u201cThese paintings are modern consciousness itself \u2014 societal, political, sexual, aesthetic, theatrical, presentational<\/em> \u2014 compressed into a brushstroke.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2018Sleepers\u2019 (1943) by Horace Pippin<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe restrained and intimate nature of [the American painter] Pippin’s work [below] \u201cHe takes me into a room with just three or four colors and carefully selected brushstrokes to witness the warmth and care on set,\u201d Casteel says. Makes me want to whisper [so as] Don’t wake them up. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, N.Y.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Philadelphia<\/p>\n
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Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018The Large Bathers\u2019 (1900-06) by Paul Ce\u0301zanne<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I could have any painting in the world, it would be this one [below]\u201cWhen I hear it, it reminds me of that record of Bud Powell playing a sick piano in Paris, everything wrong and everything right,\u201d Whitney says. That’s how I feel about this picture. “If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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London<\/p>\n
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The National Gallery<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018The Triumphs of Caesar\u2019 (mid-1480s-1506) by Andrea Mantegna<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThese are enormous pictures, and overwhelming on every level,\u201d says Salle. \u201cThey depict Caesar\u2019s victorious armies returning to Rome laden with every imaginable spoil of war. The drawing, execution, color, control of lighting effects \u2014 the pictures are astonishingly present<\/em>; it\u2019s hard to believe they were painted at the end of the 15th century. And their scathing, unsparing depiction of the world of unfettered conquest, empire and plunder could hardly be more relevant today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2018Bacchus and Ariadne\u2019 (1520-23) by Titian<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThis [below] “This work is very important to me. I wish I had seen it when I was 18. It contains a lot of information about painting: color, movement, structure, etc.,” says Whitney.<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>On loan from His Majesty the King, Royal Collection Trust\/\u00a9 2023 His Majesty King Charles III<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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London<\/p>\n
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Tate Modern<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018The Supper\u2019 (1991) by Belkis Ay\u00f3n<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201c[The Cuban artist] Ayong\u2019s printmaking is definitely firmly ingrained in my painting DNA,\u201d says painter Toyin Oji Odutola, 40. [below] This work is considered one of her most definitive works and marks the transition from color to black and white. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Photo: \u00a9 Belkis Ay\u00f3n Estate, Havana. Photo: Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mexico City<\/p>\n
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Museo de Arte Moderno de M\u00e9xico<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Canto Triste por Biafra\u2019 (1969) by Gilberto Aceves Navarro<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe three panels at the center form a cacophonous landscape of every conceivable violent mark in muddy black, orange, white and red,\u201d says Ojih Odutola. \u201cThey\u2019re sandwiched by two bright, canary yellow sides. Both margins depict the clearest figures in the painting, each holding a gun aimed at the destruction. [The painting (below) is about the Nigerian civil war, which lasted from 1967 to 1970.] I’m not going to tell you what to feel or how long to stay. It was a fulfilling 40 minutes for me. In gratitude for this sad song, I choose to sit as a human being stretching his arms from one continent, one country, one historical conflict to another. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>\u00a9 Gilberto Aceves Navarro, Museo de Arte in Mexico\/SOMAAP, Mexico City \u00a9 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Paris<\/p>\n
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The Louvre<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s some of the most incredible painting \u2014 the detail, the storytelling, the narrative within the painting [below]” says interdisciplinary artist Walid Raad, 58. It’s hard to get in because there are so many. [on display] Because it’s like looking at 30 to 40 galaxies. Each one should be explored. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[0–>Nicolas Poussin\u2019s \u201cEli\u00e9zer et R\u00e9becca\u201d (1648).<\/span> [-1–>[0–>\u00a9 Grand Palais RMN (Mus\u00e9e du Louvre)\/Tony Querrec<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Lyon, France<\/p>\n
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Lugdunum-Mus\u00e9e et Th\u00e9\u00e2tres Romains, France<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Roman dodecahedra (first-third century A.D.)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cArchaeologists can\u2019t seem to agree on the purpose of these ancient objects [below]:12 [sides]It has circular holes of different sizes,\u201d says Oji Odutola. The more I wonder about this, the more I want to hold this watch in the palm of my hand, feel its balance, and imagine the impulses of our ancestors who created this watch. \u201d<\/p>\n
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S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/p>\n
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S\u00e3o Paulo Museum of Art<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Apparition of the Child Jesus to Saint Anthony of Padua\u2019 (1627-30) by Francisco de Zurbar\u00e1n<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the highlights of Francisco de Zurbar\u00e1n\u2019s paintings [below] Photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, 57, says, “What appeals to me is the humility of his figures. They have a moving realism and a deep spirituality, and like many of Caravaggio’s works, they sometimes approach a kind of eroticism.” I was impressed by his amazing attention to the weight and texture of the fabric. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Museu de Arte de S\u00e3o Paulo. Photo: Jo\u00e3o Musa<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amsterdam<\/p>\n
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Rijksmuseum<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Syndics of the Drapers\u2019 Guild\u2019 (1662) by Rembrandt van Rijn<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI became aware of this image [below] Rashid Johnson, 48, a painter and conceptual artist, said: “Through the Dutch Masters cigar brand. When I was about 15 years old, I used to buy Dutch Masters cigars and use them to roll blunts. So I was familiar with the image, but I never thought it had any historical significance. When I came across it in the Rijksmuseum, the heights and lows are just fascinating.”<\/p>\n
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Madrid<\/p>\n
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The Prado<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Black Paintings\u2019 (1820-23) by Francisco de Goya<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe room of works by Francisco de Goya is probably my favorite painting room anywhere in the world,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cI\u2019m obsessed with two in particular: \u2018Duel With Clubs\u2019 and \u2018Saturn Devouring His Son\u2019 [below]. Goya commits a series of sins that reveal something complex and almost difficult to see within his psyche. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>\u00a9 Photographic Archive Museo Nacional del Prado<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018Las Meninas\u2019 (1656) by Diego Vela\u0301zquez<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2009\u2018Las Meninas\u2019 is an endlessly renewable miracle,\u201d says Salle. \u201cOn one of my visits, another viewer, apparently overwhelmed, fainted, landing in a heap on the floor. I\u2019m surprised it doesn\u2019t happen more often.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018The Third of May 1808\u2019 (1814) by Francisco de Goya<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a great protest painting,\u201d says Whitney. \u201cIt has so much humanity. It\u2019s still a powerful statement, and it was painted in 1814.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jos, Nigeria<\/p>\n
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Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Earthenware buildings (1970s-80s)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe history of earthenware architecture is plentiful throughout West Africa,\u201d says Ojih Odutola. \u201cAs we roamed about these reconstructions of ancient monuments [below]my uncle Ade explained that they are the skyscrapers of our ancestors and still retain their technical ingenuity. If you find yourself in or among these structures, sharpen your senses. Cherish their divinity. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Odawara, Japan<\/p>\n
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Enoura Observatory<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018The Tree of Life\u2019 (2017) by Hiroshi Sugimoto<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cOn a hillside overlooking Sagami Bay, [the photographer and architect] Enoura weather station designed by Sugimoto [below] “During my visit in 2025, the marble relief of the Tree of Life above the narrow passage leading to the Winter Solstice Light Worship Tunnel had a strong influence,” said conceptual artist Anikka Yi, 54.<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Marble relief \u00a9 Odawara Art Foundation<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Naoshima, Japan<\/p>\n
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Benesse House Museum<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018One Hundred Live and Die\u2019 (1984) by Bruce Nauman<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThis work [below] “Life, death, mediocrity, fear, hope, evil, joy – everything exists separately, and then quite suddenly they all come together, filling the gallery with a shocking explosion of light,” says sculptor Do Ho Soo, 63.<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Bruce Nauman\/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. Benesse House. Photo: Omote Nobutada<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Seoul<\/p>\n
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National Museum of Korea<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u2018The Pensive Bodhisattva\u2019 (late sixth-early seventh century)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThese sculptures [below] \u201cThey are so beautiful in their quiet clarity. They remind me that life is both very complex and very simple at the same time,\u201d says Sue.<\/p>\n
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[-1–>[-1–>[0–>Collection of the National Museum of Korea<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Doha, Qatar<\/p>\n
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Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Paintings by Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925-2004)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was an Iraqi artist who was hosted in Doha [Qatar] “It was painted by a member of the royal family during the first Gulf War,” says Mr. Lard. It meant going beyond the surface to a spiritual dimension that was not this retinal. The walls, the texture of the paint, the shadows, everything is the world of painting itself. \u201d<\/p>\n
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Florence, Italy<\/p>\n
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The Uffizi<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The paintings of Sandro Botticelli (circa 1445-1510)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI once went to Florence and visited a nun \u2014 a friend of my mother\u2019s,\u201d says Kjartansson. \u201cThe nun heard we were going to the Uffizi. She talked of going through all the beautiful paintings of the Virgin and Child. But then she told of the shock of going into the disgusting halls where the corrupt and sinful paintings of Botticelli [below] Go down. This perspective completely changed my view of Botticelli. It made me understand the conditions in which these paintings were created, their strength and atomic sensuality. They had become such cozy clich\u00e9s about stationery and handkerchiefs that I couldn’t understand them until my sisters opened their eyes. \u201d<\/p>\n
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[0–>Sandro Botticelli\u2019s \u201cThe Birth of Venus\u201d (1484). <\/span> [-1–>[0–>Digital image \u00a9 Uffizi\/Licensed by Scala\/Art Resource, N.Y.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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These interviews have been edited and condensed.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n