There are hundreds of famous paintings all over the world, that people recognize and admire for lots of reasons. It’s impossible to say which are the best or most famous, as people will always argue about it.

For this book, we have picked a small selection of pictures - just 35, arranged in order of date - spanning a huge range of periods and styles. Looking at them may help you to discover what kind of paintings you like best and perhaps select your own favourites.

Each of the paintings in this book is on display in an art gallery or museum around the world. If you visit one of those galleries, you can see the real painting for yourself. You can also view the paintings - and many, many more - on the gallery websites.

Originally published: London: Usborne, 2009.