A Pair of Chinese Guardians, Tang Dynasty
These terracotta sculptures, depicting a pair of ferocious guardians, would have been placed either side of an entrance way. They were made during the Tang Dynasty, regarded by many in China as a golden age of arts and culture.
The Temptations of St. Anthony, c.1500
Hieronymus Bosch's fantastical style of painting has enchanted people across the centuries. Here he turns his hand to Saint Anthony, surrounded on all sides by monstrous demons tempting him into sin.
Ecce Homo or Pilate Presents Christ to the Crowd, 1546-1547
Tintoretto was an Italian painter and a notable artist of the Venetian school. He was nicknamed Il Furioso for the speed and energy of his painting, as seen in the dramatic moment that Christ faces his fate in front of the crowd.
Paul Alexis Reading a Manuscript to Zola, 1869-70
Paul Cézanne was a friend of some of the leading poets, writers, and artists of late 19th-century Paris. Here he shows the young playwright Paul Alexis reading to the calm, contemplative Émile Zola. The two were so close that Alexis was known as 'Zola's shadow'.
Four Ballet Dancers on Stage, 1885-1890
Edgar Degas studied ballet performers in hundreds of works. In this painting he plays with optical illusion and images of fantasy - the stage backdrop makes it appear as if the dancers are stood in a grove of trees.
A Walk at Twilight, 1889-1890
This painting by Vincent van Gogh, with its distant mountains, large moon in the sky, and gnarled trees, shows the influence of Japanese prints on his late work. Van Gogh was a keen walker, and the figure dressed in blue may be based on himself.
Northeastern Migrants, 1944
Candido Portinari's surreal painting of half-starved migrants wandering through a desert littered with bones speaks of the desperation of the poor sertão sharecroppers during the Grande Seca, or the Brazilian drought of 1877-78.
Pear Compotier, 1923
The French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker Fernand Léger developed a recognisable visual style of block colours and geometric composition. Though this painting depicts a bowl of pears it has all the intricacy of a machine or the hustle and bustle of a city scene.
The Bride's Wake, 1974
A self-taught Brazillian painter, Maria Auxiliadora's work is characterized by bold colours, thick textures, and mixed media. She took everyday scenes as her subjects, in Velório da noiva she depicts the dramatic scene of a young bride's wake.
Composição 1976 (1976) by Alfredo VolpiPinacoteca de São Paulo
