Masterpieces That Were Hated Before Becoming Legendary

Feature image: Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830 via Wikipedia

Some of the most celebrated masterpieces were once ridiculed, misunderstood, or even outright despised. Art, by its very nature, challenges norms, provokes thought, and sometimes enrages critics and audiences. From Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism, works now considered revolutionary were often met with skepticism, hostility, or outright rejection when first unveiled.

It was widely condemned when Édouard Manet debuted Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass) at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. The painting depicts a nude woman casually sitting among two clothed men, an unsettling composition that scandalized viewers. Critics attacked it for its perceived immorality and lack of traditional perspective. However, Manet’s boldness in subject matter and brushwork later influenced Impressionism and redefined modern art. Today, the painting is revered as a precursor to avant-garde movements.

Now one of the most beloved paintings in the world, The Starry Night was initially dismissed, even by Van Gogh himself. When the Dutch painter created this swirling depiction of the night sky from his asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, critics found his style too erratic, his colors too unnatural, and his brushstrokes too wild. Van Gogh’s work was largely unrecognized during his lifetime, selling only a handful of paintings. Today, The Starry Night is one of the most famous and reproduced works of all time, displayed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

The very term “Impressionism” comes from a negative critique of this painting. When Claude Monet exhibited Impression, Sunrise in 1874, art critic Louis Leroy derisively coined the term “Impressionists” to mock Monet's loose, unfinished style and his peers. Critics dismissed the movement as amateurish and sloppy, but Monet’s innovative use of light and color would later revolutionize art. Today, Impressionism is one of the most celebrated movements in art history, and this painting is housed in the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.

Few works have sparked more outrage than Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain—a simple porcelain urinal signed “R. Mutt.” Submitted to the Society of Independent Artists in 1917, the piece was promptly rejected, deemed an insult to art. Duchamp’s act was a radical statement that questioned the very definition of art and authorship. At the time, critics called it obscene and absurd. However, Fountain later became a foundational work in conceptual art and the Dada movement, influencing generations of artists who challenge artistic conventions.

Even his closest peers were horrified when Pablo Picasso unveiled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The painting, which depicts five distorted, angular female figures, broke away from traditional perspective and proportion. Influenced by African masks and Iberian sculpture, Picasso’s radical new approach to form and representation unsettled audiences. The painting was considered so jarring that it wasn’t publicly displayed until 1937, decades after its creation. Today, it is recognized as a turning point in the birth of Cubism and modern art.

In the 1950s, Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings were seen as chaotic and nonsensical. Many critics dismissed his work as childish splatter, with one reviewer mockingly asking, “Is this art or an accident?”. However, Pollock’s radical action painting technique became a defining characteristic of Abstract Expressionism. Today, his works are highly valued, with some selling for over $100 million at auction. Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) is now displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Although now an iconic symbol of romanticism and beauty, Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss was initially considered too erotic and overly decorative. Critics accused Klimt of being pornographic, while Austrian authorities were scandalized by his use of gold leaf and sensual imagery. However, as modern audiences embraced Klimt’s fusion of Symbolism and Art Nouveau, the painting became one of the most beloved artworks of all time, now housed in Belvedere Palace, Vienna.

Dismissed initially as too crude and disturbing, Edvard Munch’s The Scream was criticized for its exaggerated, distorted figure and overwhelming emotional intensity. Critics at the time found its anxiety-inducing imagery unsettling and lacking technical refinement. Over time, the painting became one of the most recognizable images of modern existential despair, now displayed in the National Gallery, Oslo.

When J.M.W. Turner unveiled The Slave Ship, critics were unsettled by its intense, almost abstract use of color and its politically charged subject matter. The painting, depicting the horrifying true story of enslaved people being thrown overboard, was ahead of its time in both technique and social critique. Though once controversial, it is praised today as one of Turner’s greatest works, housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Caravaggio’s The Death of the Virgin was outright rejected by the church due to its realistic and unidealized depiction of the Virgin Mary. Unlike traditional religious paintings, Caravaggio portrayed Mary as a lifeless, earthly figure, shocking viewers. Though initially banned, it is now regarded as a masterpiece of the Baroque period, housed in the Louvre Museum.

Our climate of opinionated social media users rarely holds back on posts and accounts where artists show their work. With platforms providing instant and often harsh feedback, contemporary artists face relentless public scrutiny. Constant criticism projected onto an industry filled with subjectivity and shifting tastes allows for plenty of grey areas—leaving the future of today’s most controversial works uncertain. Some artists, celebrated within niche circles, may only find widespread recognition decades later, while others might fade into obscurity. The unpredictability of artistic legacy raises a compelling question: Would today’s controversial artists be revered in a century? Only time will tell, just as history has shown with the masterpieces once rejected by their own era.

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