The most admired artists in the UK revealed 

Revealed: The UK’s Most Loved Artists 

From Banksy to Vincent Van Gogh, there are many artists whose work is admired globally, but which artist is the most loved in countries across the world?

Using Google search volume data, research by leading online art gallery, SINGULART, has revealed the artists that are most loved across the world. The study pulled a list of 53 global artists and analysed them against search volumes for their name, artwork, and museum exhibitions during 2021, revealing the ones that are the most loved in each country.

It was found that, in the UK, the most loved artists were Japanese contemporary painter, Yoshitomo Nara and Edvard Munch.

Yoshitomo Nara came in the top spot based on searches for his name alone as well as searches for his art. Searches for his name saw an 83% increase from 2020-2021, with searches for his art seeing a 125% increase. His unique style imagines children in a cartoon-like state expressing a variety of emotions from rebellion to contemplation.

When it came to who people were searching for in terms of finding work in museums, Edvard Munch, best known for his work The Scream, was the most popular. People in the UK searched for “Edvard Munch Museum” more than any other artist looked at in the research seeing a 325% increase from 2020-2021, highlighting a real desire to see his work in person.

Coming in a close second based purely on searches for their name alone in the UK was Wendy Red Star, a Native American contemporary artist who works with a variety of media. Her pieces are informed by her culture and aims to correct the often-flawed narratives of Native individuals.  

The top five artists based on search volumes for names in the UK were revealed as:

• Yoshitomo Nara (83% increase in searches from 2020-2021)
• Wendy Red Star (27% increase in searches from 2020-2021)
• Banksy (23% increase in searches from 2020-2021)
• Jean-Antoine Watteau (23% increase in searches from 2020-2021)
• Frida Kahlo (23% increase in searches from 2020-2021)

Looking at how other UK artists fair for admiration from the nation, searches for museum exhibitions for Damien Hirst and Banksy also came close to the top, with them seeing an increase of 150% and 182% in searches, respectively. 

Comparing the data across the globe, Damien Hirst was the USA’s favourite, with Nicholas Party topping the list in Canada.  

More information, including how the artists compare in Canada, Australia, and across Europe can be found here: https://www.singulart.com/landing/en/the-most-loved-artists-around-the-world

Commenting on the study Marion Sailhen, Chief Curator of SINGULART, said: “With so many artists in the world to admire the beautiful works of, we were keen to see which ones are actually the most loved and how favourites change in countries across the world.

“The report has shown just how many artists are truly loved around the world, from artists who produce pieces with important cultural significance to timeless pieces that have long been appreciated.”