Ask for the famous artists of the Fitzwilliam Museum and you will hear of Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Peter Paul Rubens.
Our catalogue lists 902 works of the Fitzwilliam Museum by 571 artists; the 25 best known are ranked below, each with the works the museum holds.
The masters of the originals
The 10 masters whose originals hang in the Fitzwilliam Museum
For each master: where and when they were born, their movement, how many originals the museum keeps in our catalogue, a note from their life, and the originals to see.
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Impressionism
1. Claude Monet 1840–1926
1840–1926 Born in Paris, France Impressionism 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Born in Paris, France, on 14 November 1840, Claude Monet entered a world of diverging expectations. Tragedy arrived in January 1857, when Monet was sixteen years old. In 1883, Monet moved to a house and property in Giverny, a village northwest of Paris. In 1892, he married Alice Hoschedé, a union that provided a sense of stability as he continued his obsessive study of light and atmosphere.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Post-Impressionism
2. Paul Cézanne 1839–1906
1839–1906 Born in Aix-en-Provence, France Post-Impressionism 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Born on January 19, 1839, at 28 rue de l'Opéra in Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne entered a world of established order. In 1860, he made the decisive choice to abandon his law studies, turning his focus entirely toward the pursuit of painting. By 1859, his technical proficiency was evident when he earned second prize in the school's figure studies course.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Fauvism
3. Henri Matisse 1869–1954
1869–1954 Born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France Fauvism 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
After finishing secondary school, Matisse moved to Paris to study law. In 1889, an attack of appendicitis forced a long recovery, and it was during this confinement that the act of painting first took hold. By around 1905, this approach had coalesced into the Fauvist movement.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Baroque
4. Peter Paul Rubens 1577–1640
1577–1640 Born in Siegen, Germany Baroque 15 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Born on 28 June 1577 in Siegen, Germany, his early years were shaped by the religious instability of the era. By the time he began working with Otto van Veen between 1594 and 1598, Rubens had already acquired the technical vocabulary necessary to move beyond simple representation into the realm of sophisticated narrative art. In 1600, Rubens left the Low Countries for Italy, a move that fundamentally altered his visual language.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Post-Impressionism
5. Paul Gauguin 1848–1903
1848–1903 Born in Paris, France Post-Impressionism 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Born in Paris in 1848, Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin entered a world of shifting social and political currents. The boy spent his childhood in Peru until the age of six, a period that left an indelible mark on his memory. Before finding his footing in the art world, Gauguin’s life took a more rugged, maritime turn. Between 1879 and 1886, he was accepted into the Paris Salon, appearing in the prestigious exhibition annually.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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High Renaissance
6. Titian 1490–1576
1490–1576 Born in Pieve di Cadore, Italy High Renaissance 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
In the rugged, mountainous reaches of Pieve di Cadore, a boy named Tiziano Vecellio began a life that would eventually reshape the very language of oil on canvas. Born around 1490, he was the son of Gregorio Vecellio, a man of the military, and a woman named Lucia.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Early Renaissance
7. Sandro Botticelli 1445–1510
1445–1510 Born in Florence, Italy Early Renaissance 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Sandro Botticelli lived his life within the narrow, busy streets of Florence, Italy. Born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi around 1445, he was the son of a tanner. Born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, he was the youngest of four surviving children. Before finding his way into painting, he was thought to have first trained with Maso Finiguerra, a goldsmith. Around 1460, he entered the studio of Fra Filippo Lippi.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Romanticism
8. Eugène Delacroix 1798–1863
1798–1863 Born in Saint-Maurice, France Romanticism 4 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
The lineage of Eugène Delacroix is rooted in a blend of craftsmanship and diplomacy. Through him, the artist received numerous anonymous commissions, allowing his work to circulate through elite circles under a veil of discretion.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Realism
9. Gustave Courbet 1819–1877
1819–1877 Born in Ornans, France Realism 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was born on June 10, 1819, in Ornans, France. Growing up in the department of Doubs, his early years were shaped by the landscape of his home. In 1839, he moved to Paris. Later, Bruyas commissioned The Meeting, also known as Bonjour Monsieur Courbet, which reflected this established connection between patron and painter. In 1855, rather than retreating, Courbet took a more direct approach to his audience.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Romanticism
10. J. M. W. Turner 1775–1851
1775–1851 Born in Maiden Lane, United Kingdom Romanticism 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
In a house on Maiden Lane, within the busy Covent Garden district of London, Joseph Mallord William Turner entered the world. The boy’s talent was evident early on, and his father even displayed the child's drawings in the shop window to catch the eyes of passing customers. A few years later, in 1801, Dutch Boats in a Gale was acquired by Francis Egerton for 250 guineas.
Originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
The masters, continued
No. 11 to No. 25: more masters of the Fitzwilliam Museum
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11. Nicolas Poussin
Baroque
1594–1665 · born in Le Havre, France · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
French Classicist of geometric, rational compositions and mythological scenes, using wax figures and light boxes to plan every detail.
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12. Edgar Degas
Impressionism
1834–1917 · born in Paris, France · 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
French Realist known for capturing the movement of ballet dancers and racehorses through precise draftsmanship and artificial light.
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13. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Impressionism
1841–1919 · born in Limoges, France · 11 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
French Impressionist known for luminous, broken brushstrokes that capture the warmth of social gatherings and the soft glow of outdoor light.
- La danse (1895)
- Landscape with figures (1919)
- Le retour des champs (1886)
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14. William Blake
Romanticism
1757–1827 · born in London, United Kingdom · 6 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
English Romantic visionary known for mystical illuminated prints and symbolic relief etching, blending poetry and image into a single form.
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15. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Romanticism
1796–1875 · born in Paris, France · 4 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
French Realist of atmospheric landscapes and soft vegetation, using thin washes and loosely dabbed strokes to capture the play of light.
- La Châtaigneraie (1835)
- Dutch Landscape in Holland (1854)
- Auvers-sur-Oise: La mare à Daubigny (1857)
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16. John Constable
Romanticism
1776–1837 · born in East Bergholt, United Kingdom · 10 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
British Romantic landscape painter of the Stour Valley, known for textured impasto and capturing the shifting light of the English countryside.
- Salisbury (1829)
- At Hampstead
- Archdeacon John Fisher (1816)
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17. William Hogarth
1697–1764 · born in London, United Kingdom · 9 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
English satirist and engraver of modern moral subjects, using biting narrative series to dissect the social fabric of 18th-century London life.
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18. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Pre-Raphaelite
1828–1882 · born in London, United Kingdom · 4 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Pre-Raphaelite leader of sensual, symbolic works featuring lush vegetation and female forms, often accompanied by his own evocative sonnets.
- Girl at Lattice (1862)
- Bruna Brunelleschi (1878)
- Algernon Charles Swinburne (1862)
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19. Anthony van Dyck
Baroque
1599–1641 · born in Antwerp, Belgium · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Flemish Baroque portraitist who defined the English court with effortless grace, capturing the dignity of royalty through refined oil and etching.
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20. Camille Pissarro
Impressionism
1830–1903 · born in Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands · 6 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Danish-French Impressionist who captured rural life and city streets through textured plein air landscapes and pointillist experiments.
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21. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Baroque
1617–1682 · born in Seville, Spain · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Spanish Baroque painter of luminous Immaculate Conceptions and tender genre scenes of street urchins and flower girls in Seville.
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22. John Singer Sargent
Impressionism
1856–1925 · born in Florence, Italy · 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
American expatriate portraitist of the Gilded Age, known for fluid brushwork and elegant depictions of high-society figures and landscapes.
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Venetian vedutista of precise architectural views and luminous cityscapes of canals and squares, capturing light on stone and water.
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Italian Baroque classicist of graceful mythological scenes and luminous religious subjects, known for an idealized and serene beauty.
- Christ appearing to the Virgin (1608)
- Ecce Homo (1639)
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25. Jacob van Ruisdael
Dutch Golden Age
1628–1682 · born in Haarlem, Netherlands · 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Famous artists in the Fitzwilliam Museum, No. 26 to 50
Annibale Carracci1560–1609 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Pierre Bonnard1867–1947 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Jan Brueghel the Elder1568–1625 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Jan Steen1626–1679 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Frederic Leighton1830–1896 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Thomas Gainsborough1727–1788 · 4 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Théodore Rousseau1812–1867 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
John Everett Millais1829–1896 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Eugène Louis Boudin1824–1898 · 10 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
William Holman Hunt1827–1910 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Bernardo Bellotto1722–1780 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Charles-François Daubigny1817–1878 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Henri Fantin-Latour1836–1904 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Sebastiano del Piombo1485–1547 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Jan van Goyen1596–1656 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Nicholas Hilliard1547–1619 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Joseph Wright of Derby1734–1797 · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Benjamin West1738–1820 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
David Teniers the Younger1610–1690 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Meindert Hobbema1638–1709 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Francesco Albani1578–1660 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Francesco Solimena1657–1747 · 4 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Gerrit Dou1613–1675 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
John Martin1789–1854 · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Rachel Ruysch1664–1750 · 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
The house in figures
The masters of the Fitzwilliam Museum, in figures
The masters with the most originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Masters with two originals or more, by century of birth
Masters with two originals or more, by country of birth
Masters with two originals or more, by movement
Women masters
The women whose originals hang in the Fitzwilliam Museum
17 women masters, 26 originals, in our catalogue of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
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Rachel Ruysch
1664–1750 · born in The Hague, Netherlands · 5 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Magdalena van den Hecken
1615–1650 · born in Antwerp, Belgium · 3 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Flowers in a Glass Vase (1635)
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Gwen John
1876–1939 · born in Haverfordwest, United Kingdom · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- The Convalescent (1923)
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Francina Margaretha van Huysum
1707–1789 · born in Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- A Vase of Flowers (1729)
- A Dish of Fruit (1729)
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Maria Weenix
1697–1774 · born in Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Flowers and fruit (1720)
- A group of flowers (1711)
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Angelica Kauffmann
1741–1807 · born in Chur, Switzerland · 1 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Catarina van Hemessen
1528–1600 · born in Antwerp, Belgium · 1 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Portrait of a woman (1555)
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Maria van Oosterwijck
1630–1693 · born in Nootdorp, Netherlands · 1 originals at the Fitzwilliam Museum
- A vase of flowers (1650)
Asked of us
Questions on the masters of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Open a question to read the answer.
Who is the most famous artist in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Claude Monet, with 5 works at the Fitzwilliam Museum in our catalogue (Springtime, The Rock Needle and Porte d’Aval, Etretat and Rocks at Port Coton); then Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse.
How many Claude Monet paintings are in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
5 works by Claude Monet at the Fitzwilliam Museum are in our catalogue: Springtime (1886), The Rock Needle and Porte d’Aval, Etretat (1885), Rocks at Port Coton (1886) and The Bridge under Repair (1872) among them.
Which Paul Cézanne works are in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
3 works by Paul Cézanne at the Fitzwilliam Museum are in our catalogue: Apples, Sous-bois – La Forêt (1902) and The abduction,1867 among them.
Which Henri Matisse works are in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
2 works by Henri Matisse at the Fitzwilliam Museum are in our catalogue: L' atelier sous les toits (1903) and La Blouse Bulgare (1920) among them.
Who are the top 10 artists in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
By fame: Claude Monet (5), Paul Cézanne (3), Henri Matisse (2), Peter Paul Rubens (15), Paul Gauguin (2), Titian (2), Sandro Botticelli (3), Eugène Delacroix (4), Gustave Courbet (3) and J. M. W. Turner (3).
Which painter is most represented in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), with 15 works in our catalogue of the Fitzwilliam Museum, ahead of George Morland (12), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (11) and John Constable (10).
Is Leonardo da Vinci in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
No: the Fitzwilliam Museum holds no work by Leonardo da Vinci in our catalogue.
Does the Fitzwilliam Museum have any Pablo Picasso paintings?
No: the Fitzwilliam Museum holds no work by Pablo Picasso in our catalogue.
Which women artists are in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
17 women artists have works of the Fitzwilliam Museum in our catalogue, among them Rachel Ruysch (5), Magdalena van den Hecken (3), Gwen John (2), Francina Margaretha van Huysum (2), Maria Weenix (2) and Angelica Kauffmann (1).
Which countries are the painters of the Fitzwilliam Museum from?
Counting the artists with two works or more, the Fitzwilliam Museum holds painters born mostly in United Kingdom (45), Netherlands (36), Italy (28), France (23) and Belgium (17).
Which centuries do the painters of the Fitzwilliam Museum belong to?
Most of the artists with two works or more at the Fitzwilliam Museum were born in the 17th century (55 artists); the earliest in this ranking is Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510), the latest Henri Matisse (1869–1954).
How many artists have works in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
571 artists have at least one work of the Fitzwilliam Museum in our catalogue; 161 have two or more. They were born between 1365 and 1884, in 8 countries.
The house
The Fitzwilliam Museum, , in a few lines
The History of Fitzwilliam Museum
Its origins trace back to 1816, established through the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam. This foundation transformed a private legacy into a public institution dedicated to the study of art and history. The museum is situated on Trumpington Street in central Cambridge, United Kingdom. Before its current location, the institution was based at Fitzwilliam House. This original site sat in south-west Cambridge, positioned opposite the present museum building. The collection has grown through centuries of acquisition and careful preservation.
The Grand Architecture of the Museum
The museum buildings and street frontage boundary are Grade I listed, marking the site as a significant architectural presence in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Designed by Sir Richard Richardson in the 1870s, the structure is a neo- Renaissance work of considerable weight and purpose. The exterior is defined by a classical stone facade that meets the eye with a sense of permanence. This grand façade is constructed from creamy stone, providing a pale, steady backdrop to the activity of Trumpington Street. Upon entering, the scale of the design becomes apparent through a grand entrance and well-structured exhibition spaces. The spatial organization remains orderly, guiding the eye through the halls without the need for excessive ornamentation.
The famous originals of the Fitzwilliam MuseumThe Fitzwilliam Museum: the full page, 959 originals
How the masters of the originals are ranked
The masters with two originals or more of the Fitzwilliam Museum in our catalogue are ranked by fame: the Wikipedia language editions that describe them, the visits to their OriginalUniqueArt.com page and our studio's ranking. Originals are counted in our catalogue — one entry per work, without details, studies or copies — not in the museum's inventory. Every date, birthplace and movement is the catalogue's; the notes are drawn from the master's biography.
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