Masters and monsters. 7 brilliant artists who were terrible people

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Caravaggio was an outstanding Italian painter of the Renaissance, known for his dramatic paintings with bloody scenes. His art was strikingly realistic, but the artist's life was no less dramatic.

Caravaggio was prone to violence and often got into fights in bars. His worst crime was the murder of a young rival during a ball game. After that, he was forced to flee the city.

During his life, he was credited with several more murders. His frantic behavior led the authorities to outlaw him. In 1610, the Knights of Malta caught up with the artist, and he died under mysterious circumstances. Despite his bloody past, his paintings still fascinate art historians.

Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin went down in art history as one of the leading Post-Impressionists, but his personal life was full of scandals. He left his wife and five children in France and traveled to Tahiti in search of inspiration. There he married several local girls, all under the age of 14.

It is known that Gauguin infected his young wives with syphilis, causing them physical and emotional suffering. His work romanticized exotic landscapes, but the bright colors hid the dark pages of the artist's life. He died in 1903, leaving behind his masterpieces and broken lives.

Geoghan's painting "Two Tahitian Women" (photo: Wikipedia)

Benvenuto Cellini

Benvenuto Cellini is one of the greatest Italian sculptors of the Renaissance. His masterpieces, such as Cellini's Saltbox and Perseus with the Head of Medusa, still amaze with their detail. However, Cellini's life was full of violence.

He took part in street fights, killed people several times, and even avenged his brother's death by killing one of the city guards. During the invasion of Rome, he killed two enemy soldiers. Cellini avoided punishment due to his popularity, and his crimes were perceived as part of his "rebellious" character. He died in 1571, leaving behind not only artistic masterpieces but also a bloody trail.

Eric Gill

Eric Gill was a talented British sculptor and graphic artist who created numerous monumental works. His font Gill Sans has become a design classic. However, after his death, the world learned shocking facts about his personal life.

A biography published 50 years after his death revealed horrific details: Gill abused his daughters, had intimate relationships with his sisters, and conducted cruel experiments on animals. These revelations sparked a heated debate: can the artist be separated from his art? His works are still on display, although their history evokes controversy.

The font Gill created (photo: Wikipedia)

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas was a prominent Impressionist known for his paintings of ballerinas and scenes from Parisian life. Outside the studio, however, he was known for his intolerance. During the Dreyfus Affair, Degas became an ardent anti-Semite, publicly expressing his hatred of Jews.

He broke off relations with many Jewish friends, including the artist Camille Pissarro. Later, he even kicked models out of his studio simply because of their nationality. His intolerance ruined his reputation and alienated many of his colleagues. Degas died in 1917, leaving behind not only brilliant paintings but also a dubious legacy.

Amadeo Modigliani

Italian artist Amadeo Modigliani is known for his graceful portraits with elongated faces. But behind the soft lines of his paintings was a difficult fate. Modigliani was an alcoholic and drug addict, which destroyed his health and relationships. He had a reputation as a scandalous person, often getting into public quarrels.

His relationship with Jeanne Eubüttern was passionate but tragic - after the artist's death from tuberculosis, she committed suicide while pregnant with her second child. Modigliani's life became an example of how talent and destructive habits can coexist in one person.

Modigliani and Picasso (photo: Wikipedia)

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century, the founder of Cubism. His art amazed the world, but his personal life was full of scandals. Picasso had numerous affairs, often using his mistresses as muses.

However, his attitude toward women was toxic - he humiliated them, manipulated their feelings, and left them with ruined lives. Many of his partners suffered from depression, and two even committed suicide. Picasso believed that an artist is allowed to do anything, even if it hurts others.

Earlier we wrote, what was actually painted under the famous Picasso masterpiece.