Theme
History of Art
Pivotal moments in art across human history.
ArtPeak Period of Australian Aboriginal Rock Artc. 3000 BCE to 1500 CE · Kakadu National Park, AustraliaAboriginal artists create vast galleries of rock paintings depicting ancestral beings and hunting scenes.
ArtCreation of the Benin Bronzes under Oba Ewuarec. 1450 CE · Benin City, NigeriaOba Ewuare commissions the famous bronze and ivory plaques documenting court life and military victories.
ArtMass Production of Moai Statues at Rano Rarakuc. 1400 CE · Rano Raraku Quarry, Rapa NuiThe peak period of moai carving begins at the Rano Raraku quarry under the direction of clan chiefs.
ArtDevelopment of Māori Tā Moko Tattooing Traditionc. 1400 CE · North Island, New ZealandMāori refine the art of tā moko, using chisels to carve permanent facial and body tattoos.
ArtEstablishment of Lapita Pottery Traditionc. 1300 BCE · New Britain, Papua New GuineaLapita potters develop distinctive dentate-stamped decoration techniques that define their culture.
ArtRock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela Completedc. 1200 CE · Lalibela, EthiopiaKing Lalibela commissions the construction of monolithic rock-hewn churches as a 'New Jerusalem'.
ArtCarving of Olmec Colossal Headsc. 900 BCE · San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, MexicoThe Olmec civilization carves massive basalt heads depicting rulers, establishing the first major complex society in Mesoamerica.
ArtErection of the Black Obelisk by Shalmaneser IIIc. 825 BCE · Nineveh (Mosul), IraqShalmaneser III erects an obelisk depicting the submission of King Jehu of Israel.
ArtConstruction of Sennacherib's Palace at Ninevehc. 705 BCE · Nineveh (Mosul), IraqSennacherib expands Nineveh into a magnificent capital filled with art and libraries.
ArtRise of Black-Figure Vase Paintingc. 700 BCE · Athens, GreeceGreek potters perfect the black-figure technique to depict mythological scenes.
ArtConstruction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylonc. 605 BCE · Babylon, Mesopotamia (Iraq)Nebuchadnezzar II builds the legendary Hanging Gardens for his Median wife.
ArtBurial of Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Armyc. 210 BCE · Xi'an, ChinaEmperor Qin Shi Huang is buried with a massive army of life-sized terracotta soldiers to guard him in the afterlife.
ArtPeak of Pyramid Construction in Meroec. 200 BCE · Meroe, SudanThe Kingdom of Kush reaches its architectural zenith with the construction of steep pyramids at Meroe.
ArtCompletion of Great Stupas at Nagarjunakondac. 275 CE · Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaThe Ikshvaku dynasty completes massive stone stupas and monasteries at Nagarjunakonda, showcasing the pinnacle of Deccan Buddhist art.
ArtCreation of Mogao Caves Muralsc. 366 CE - ongoing · Dunhuang, ChinaArtists begin painting Buddhist murals in the cave complex on the Silk Road.
ArtCreation of Maya Polished Obsidian Mirrorsc. 600 CE · Guatemala (Maya Lowlands)Artisans craft polished obsidian mirrors for divination and ritual use.
ArtBurial of the Sutton Hoo Shipc. 625 CE · Suffolk, EnglandAn Anglo-Saxon king is buried with a magnificent helmet and gold artifacts.
ArtTang Dynasty Golden Age of Poetry and Culturec. 713 CE · Chang'an, ChinaThe Tang Dynasty reaches its cultural zenith in Chang'an, producing legendary poets like Li Bai and Du Fu.
ArtMacedonian Renaissance in Byzantiumc. 920 CE · Constantinople, TurkeyThe Byzantine Empire experiences a cultural revival with renewed interest in classical learning and artistic production.
ArtConsecration of the Brihadeeswarar Templec. 1010 CE · Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, IndiaRajaraja Chola I completes the colossal Brihadeeswarar Temple, an architectural marvel dedicated to Shiva that defines Dravidian style.
ArtCompletion of the Brihadeeswarar Templec. 1010 CE · Thanjavur (modern Tamil Nadu/India)Rajaraja Chola I completes the magnificent Brihadeeswarar Temple, a marvel of Dravidian architecture and engineering.
ArtConstruction of Qutub Minar Beginsc. 1199 CE · Delhi, IndiaQutb-ud-din Aibak begins construction of the Qutub Minar, a victory tower symbolizing the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.
ArtCreation of the Goryeo Buddhist Paintingsc. 1300 CE · Korea (Goryeo Dynasty)Court artists create intricate paintings of Amitabha Buddha for royal rituals.
ArtPainting of the Mona Lisac. 1503 CE · Florence, ItalyLeonardo da Vinci creates the most famous portrait using sfumato technique.
ArtCompletion of Sistine Chapel CeilingOctober 31, 1512 CE · Vatican City, ItalyMichelangelo finishes frescoes depicting Genesis scenes transforming Renaissance art.
ArtMichelangelo Completes the Sistine Chapel CeilingOctober 31, 1512 · Vatican City, RomeMichelangelo finishes the monumental fresco cycle depicting Genesis.
ArtMichelangelo Paints the Last JudgmentNovember 1541 · Vatican City, RomeMichelangelo completes the massive fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.
ArtConstruction of the Taj Mahal Beginsc. 1632 CE · Agra, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaShah Jahan commissions the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, initiating one of history's greatest architectural projects.
ArtCreation of The Great Wave off Kanagawac. 1831 CE · Kanagawa, JapanHokusai produces iconic woodblock print influencing Western art movements.
ArtPublication of Hokusai's Great Wavec. 1831 CE · Edo (Tokyo), JapanKatsushika Hokusai releases the iconic woodblock print of Mount Fuji.
ArtCreation of The Starry NightJune 1889 · Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, FranceVincent van Gogh paints his most famous masterpiece from an asylum window.
ArtFounding of the Bengal School of Artc. 1905 CE · Calcutta (Kolkata), IndiaAbanindranath Tagore pioneers a new indigenous Indian art style.
ArtCreation of Guernica by PicassoMay 1, 1937 CE · Paris, FrancePicasso paints anti-war masterpiece depicting bombing of Basque town during Spanish Civil War.