The most famous artists with works in the Fitzwilliam Museum are 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 top 10
The 10 famous artists of the Fitzwilliam Museum collectors ask for first
Who they were, where they were born, how many of their works the museum holds in our catalogue, and the ones worth a second look.
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Impressionism
1. Claude Monet 1840–1926
1840–1926 Born in Paris, France Impressionism 5 works here
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.
Worth a look 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 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Fauvism
3. Henri Matisse 1869–1954
1869–1954 Born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France Fauvism 2 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Baroque
4. Peter Paul Rubens 1577–1640
1577–1640 Born in Siegen, Germany Baroque 15 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Post-Impressionism
5. Paul Gauguin 1848–1903
1848–1903 Born in Paris, France Post-Impressionism 2 works here
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.
Worth a look 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 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Early Renaissance
7. Sandro Botticelli 1445–1510
1445–1510 Born in Florence, Italy Early Renaissance 3 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Romanticism
8. Eugène Delacroix 1798–1863
1798–1863 Born in Saint-Maurice, France Romanticism 4 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
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Realism
9. Gustave Courbet 1819–1877
1819–1877 Born in Ornans, France Realism 3 works here
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.
Worth a look 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 works here
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.
Worth a look at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Next up
No. 11 to No. 25: more famous artists in the Fitzwilliam Museum
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French Classicist of geometric, rational compositions and mythological scenes, using wax figures and light boxes to plan every detail.
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French Realist known for capturing the movement of ballet dancers and racehorses through precise draftsmanship and artificial light.
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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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English Romantic visionary known for mystical illuminated prints and symbolic relief etching, blending poetry and image into a single form.
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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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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 works here
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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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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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 works here
Danish-French Impressionist who captured rural life and city streets through textured plein air landscapes and pointillist experiments.
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Spanish Baroque painter of luminous Immaculate Conceptions and tender genre scenes of street urchins and flower girls in Seville.
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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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Famous artists in the Fitzwilliam Museum, No. 26 to 50
Annibale Carracci1560–1609 · 2 works here
Pierre Bonnard1867–1947 · 2 works here
Jan Brueghel the Elder1568–1625 · 3 works here
Jan Steen1626–1679 · 3 works here
Frederic Leighton1830–1896 · 3 works here
Thomas Gainsborough1727–1788 · 4 works here
Théodore Rousseau1812–1867 · 3 works here
John Everett Millais1829–1896 · 3 works here
Eugène Louis Boudin1824–1898 · 10 works here
William Holman Hunt1827–1910 · 2 works here
Bernardo Bellotto1722–1780 · 3 works here
Charles-François Daubigny1817–1878 · 3 works here
Henri Fantin-Latour1836–1904 · 3 works here
Sebastiano del Piombo1485–1547 · 2 works here
Jan van Goyen1596–1656 · 2 works here
Nicholas Hilliard1547–1619 · 2 works here
Joseph Wright of Derby1734–1797 · 3 works here
Benjamin West1738–1820 · 2 works here
David Teniers the Younger1610–1690 · 2 works here
Meindert Hobbema1638–1709 · 2 works here
Francesco Albani1578–1660 · 2 works here
Francesco Solimena1657–1747 · 4 works here
Gerrit Dou1613–1675 · 2 works here
John Martin1789–1854 · 2 works here
Rachel Ruysch1664–1750 · 5 works here
In numbers
The artists of the Fitzwilliam Museum, counted
Most works in the Fitzwilliam Museum
When they were born (artists with two works or more)
Where they were born (artists with two works or more)
Their movements (artists with two works or more)
Women artists
The women artists you will find in the Fitzwilliam Museum
17 women artists, 26 works in our catalogue of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
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Rachel Ruysch
1664–1750 · born in The Hague, Netherlands · 5 works here
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Magdalena van den Hecken
1615–1650 · born in Antwerp, Belgium · 3 works here
- Flowers in a Glass Vase (1635)
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Francina Margaretha van Huysum
1707–1789 · born in Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2 works here
- A Vase of Flowers (1729)
- A Dish of Fruit (1729)
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Maria Weenix
1697–1774 · born in Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2 works here
- Flowers and fruit (1720)
- A group of flowers (1711)
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Catarina van Hemessen
1528–1600 · born in Antwerp, Belgium · 1 works here
- Portrait of a woman (1555)
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Maria van Oosterwijck
1630–1693 · born in Nootdorp, Netherlands · 1 works here
- A vase of flowers (1650)
Good to know
Questions people ask about the artists of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Tap a question for the answer.
Who is the best-known artist of 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.
What did Claude Monet paint that hangs 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.
What did Paul Cézanne paint that hangs 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.
How many Henri Matisse paintings 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.
Which ten artists should I look for in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
The ten best-known artists with works in the Fitzwilliam Museum are 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).
Are there Leonardo da Vinci works in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Our catalogue lists no work by Leonardo da Vinci at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Are there Pablo Picasso works in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Our catalogue lists no work by Pablo Picasso at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Which painter is most represented in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Our catalogue holds 15 works by Peter Paul Rubens at the Fitzwilliam Museum; next come George Morland (12), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (11) and John Constable (10).
Are there any women painters in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Our catalogue lists 17 women artists with works at the Fitzwilliam Museum: Rachel Ruysch (5), Magdalena van den Hecken (3), Gwen John (2), Francina Margaretha van Huysum (2), Maria Weenix (2) and Angelica Kauffmann (1).
How many artists have works in the Fitzwilliam Museum?
Our catalogue lists 571 artists with at least one work at the Fitzwilliam Museum, 161 of them with two or more, born between 1365 and 1884 in 8 countries.
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).
From which period are the artists of the Fitzwilliam Museum?
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).
The place
The Fitzwilliam Museum, : the essentials
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 top paintings in the Fitzwilliam MuseumThe Fitzwilliam Museum: all 959 works
How the top 25 is ranked
Artists with two works or more of the Fitzwilliam Museum in our catalogue, ordered by fame: Wikipedia articles in the most languages, visits to their ArtsDot.com page and our team's own ranking. We count works in our catalogue — one per work, no details or copies — not in the museum's inventory. Birth dates and places and movements come from each artist's record; the notes from their biography.
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