14 Artworks about Love at the National Gallery
From first kisses to tragic romances, our collection abounds with love, in all its forms.
The Lovers (Somali Friends) (1950) by Lois Mailou Jones National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Enjoy works from our collection portraying family bonds, close friendships, and lovers, of course.
Kissing booth
Pucker up! Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss
isn’t the only artwork to evoke a romantic smooch. French sculptor Auguste Rodin made several works portraying embracing couples. In Rodin’s The Kiss
the tangled figures nearly obscure the meeting of their mouths.
On the Stile (1878) by Winslow Homer National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Young love
Do you remember your first kiss or school dance? This watercolor by Winslow Homer, titled On the Stile
,
embraces the sweet, and sometimes awkward, early romances.
Family bonds
These works remind us to share the love with our families, whether biological or chosen.
In François-Hubert Drouais’s self-portrait with his family, the French painter’s daughter gifts her mother a bouquet of flowers, while Drouais reads her a poem, or possibly a love letter.
Maternal Caress (1890-1891) by Mary Cassatt National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Mary Cassatt's Maternal Caress shows the bond between a mother and her young child.
The Sisters (1869) by Berthe Morisot National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
"Palentine's" Day
Celebrate the one you love like a sibling, like these two ladies in The Sisters by French impressionist painter Berthe Morisot .
Broken hearts
This 16th-century French watercolor
reminds us that the longing for love is timeless.
“ Do Not Eat Your Heart Out
"
reminds us not to get too sad. A woman uses giant forceps to remove a bleeding heart.
Newlyweds
Wedding bells are ringing. In Antoine Watteau’s drawing of a wedding procession, a lute player serenades the couple on their way to say their vows.
The Lovers (Somali Friends) (1950) by Lois Mailou Jones National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Perfect pairs
A couple is the subject of paintings by Washington, DC–based artist Lois Mailou Jones .
Venus and Adonis (c. 1540s/c. 1560-1565) by Titian and Workshop National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Missed connections
Sometimes, it’s not meant to be. Italian Renaissance painter Titian’s Venus and Adonis shows the goddess clinging to her love before he leaves for a hunt, never to return.
Agrippina and Germanicus (c. 1614) by Sir Peter Paul Rubens National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens’s Agrippina and Germanicus is an imagined double portrait of the husband and wife. Or could it be a portrait of other star-crossed lovers?
Hear scholar Mary Beard’s theory about the painting.
Agrippina and Germanicus (c. 1614) by Sir Peter Paul Rubens National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Wherever you look, it's clear that love is in the air at the National Gallery!
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