The culture, like so many other sectors, was severely affected by the pandemic. Museums and art galleries had to close down and reinvent themselves to reach people in the only way possible during such a difficult situation: activating virtual mode.
Although the screen can never replace the experience of walking through the halls of a museum, the Internet was –and still is, since in many countries museums and galleries are still closed– a window of inspiration to look out and in which to escape.
From virtual exhibitions to initiatives as surprising as discover What does Kandisnky sound like? , not to mention the Tiktok account of the Thyssen Museum either the portal 'Maravillas de España' of Google Arts & Culture.
Given the rise of the digital universe in the world of art, in Ken Bromley Art Supplies –a family business based in Bolton, UK asked themselves the following question: What were the most searched artists on the Internet in 2020?
Based on that question, they carried out an investigation to discover the most popular artists from each country in the world and captured the results on a map.
The map that collects the most wanted artists in each country
LEONARDO DA VINCI: THE MOST WANTED
According to research by Ken Bromley Art Supplies, Leonardo da Vinci He is the most popular artist in the world, as he was the most sought after in no less than 82 countries.
Da Vinci's works are spread all over the world: the Uffizi Gallery (Florence), the National Gallery in Washington, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Louvre Museum (with the famous Mona Lisa), the Vatican Museums (Rome) or the National Gallery in London, among many other places.
In addition, the city of Milan has many places where you can contemplate the art of Leonardo Da Vinci: the Ambrosian Art Gallery, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (where The Last Supper) and the Sforzesco Castle.
In addition, in the capital of Lombardy you can visit the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and the interactive museum leonardo3.
La Gioconda (or La Mona Lisa), by Leonardo de Vinci, in the Louvre
THE MOST POPULAR ARTISTS IN THE WORLD
The only two female artists that appear among the seven most popular occupy the second and fourth position.
The second most searched artist was Frida Kahlo, which rises as the winner in 29 countries, followed by Van Gogh, the most popular in 24 countries.
They complete the list of the seven most popular artists: Artemisia Gentilesche (the most popular in 23 countries of the world), picasso (in 18 countries), banksy (14 countries) and Velázquez (2 countries).
“Although she is a very famous artist, we have been surprised by the popularity of Artemisia Gentileschi” , comments Gareth, from Ken Bromley Art Supplies, to Traveler.es
“After further investigation, we discovered that Part of her popularity on Google is due to the Doodle that was created on the occasion of the 427th anniversary of his birth, in June. she also had a series of exhibitions canceled and rescheduled that would have played an important role”, explains Gareth.
Frida Kahlo, the second most sought after artist in the world
EUROPE: DA VINCI, FRIDA KAHLO AND BANKSY!
The most popular artist in Europe is Leonardo Da Vinci, who was the most searched for in 16 countries: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
And beware! because the most famous street artist of all time is hot on Leonardo's heels: Banksy is the most popular in ten countries, among which is, of course, the United Kingdom.
The street art artist, whose identity is unknown, has also been the most wanted in Bulgaria, France, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Ireland, Russia and San Marino.
Tied with Banksy and also popular in ten European countries -including Spain-, we find Frida Kahlo, which rises as the winner in Andorra, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
In fourth place she is Artemis Gentileschi , the most popular in six countries: Austria, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania and Switzerland.
Vincent van Gogh wins in Portugal and Georgia while Pablo Picasso does it in Belarus. Keith Haring is the most popular in Belgium and Niko Piromani in Estonia.
Frida Kahlo is the most sought-after artist in Spain
NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA
The top 3 from North and Central America looks like this: Leonardo Da Vinci (13 countries), Frida Kahlo (10 countries) and Artemisa Gentileschi (8 countries).
DaVinci it is most wanted in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Greenland, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos.
Frida Kahlo wins in Aruba, Belize, Bonaire, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Sint Maarten, United States, and US Virgin Islands.
Artemis Gentileschi she is most popular in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico.
They complete the list: Picasso (the most popular in Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis), Van Gogh (Canada) and Banksy (Bermuda).
Leonardo Da Vinci, Frida Kahlo and Artemisa Gentileschi take the North and Central America podium
SOUTH AMERICA
Two female artists are the most sought after in South America: Artemisa Gentileschi (six countries) and Frida Kahlo (five countries).
Artemis Gentileschi is the most popular in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela while Frida Kahlo triumphs in Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Leonardo da Vinci was the most wanted Guyana and Suriname.
Two female artists are the most sought after in South America: Artemisa Gentileschi and Frida Kahlo
ASIA
Leonardo Da Vinci wins in Asia by far, as he was the most wanted in 21 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
In second position is Van Gogh, rising to victory in; Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
They complete the top 5: Banksy (Japan, Russia and Taiwan), Frida Kahlo (Azerbaijan and Turkey) and Picasso (Lebanon and Singapore).
We must also highlight: Artemis Gentileschi in China, Joan Miro in Indonesia, Juan Luna in the Philippines, David Hockney in South Korea and William Blake in Yemen.
Leonardo Da Vinci wins in Asia with a difference
OCEANIA
Four artists dominate searches in Oceania. First of all, the eternal winner, Leonardo da Vinci, which is most popular in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.
Artemis Gentileschi occupies the second position (being the most popular in Australia and New Zealand) and Frida Kahlo reaches third place (she is the most wanted in New Caledonia).
In fourth position is Banksy, the most wanted artist in French Polynesia.
Four artists dominate searches in Oceania: Da Vinci, Artemisa Gentileschi, Frida Kahlo and Banksy
AFRICA
Leonardo Da Vinci is once again the winner in Africa, being him the most popular in 24 countries, most of them in the southeast of the continent.
Thus, Da Vinci was the most sought after in: Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Gambia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Picasso takes control of West Africa and with the second position, being the most popular in 13 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo.
The third most sought after artist in Africa was Van Gogh, especially in the north. Specifically, the Dutch painter is the most popular in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco and Tunisia.
Diego Velázquez and Frida Kahlo tied for fourth position. Velázquez was the most sought after in Nigeria and Uganda and Kahlo in Chad and Djibouti.
Leonardo Da Vinci is the most popular in Africa, especially in the southeast of the continent
METHODOLOGY
To collect your research data and build the map, Ken Bromley Art Supplies used Google Keyword Planner as his main source: "We put together a list of more than 600 artists from around the world," they tell Traveler.es
The worldwide search data analyzed by ArtSupplies.co.uk was compiled in the month of February 2021 , using the Google Keyword Planner.
The best artist was found using 2020 search data in each country for each artist.
“It has to be taken into account that not all countries had enough data to be highlighted, so we have only included countries with enough data to analyze”, they point out.
Also, some countries have been considered in several continents, such as Russia and Turkey, which appear both on the map of Asia and Europe.
Pablo Picasso
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