Gallery: The 25 Coolest Artist Self-Portraits

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When an artist picks a subject for a painting, the most accessible option is often his or her own face. From novice to master, nearly all artists have attempted a self-portrait at some point in their career. Some, like Frida Kahlo or Van Gogh, revisited the task literally hundreds of times. Check out remarkable work from Kahlo, Van Gogh and 23 other artists in our self-portrait gallery.

The 25 Coolest Artist Self-Portraits.

Marc Chagall

25. Marc Chagall

Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers, 1913 (source)

Ludwig Meidner

24. Ludwig Meidner

I and the City, 1913 (source)

Jais Neilsen

23. Jais Neilsen

Self-Portrait, 1916 (source)

Egon Schiele

22. Egon Schiele

Self-Portrait with Raised Naked Shoulder, 1912 (source)

William Dobell

21. William Dobell

Self-Portrait, 1968 (source)

Victor Brauner

20. Victor Brauner

Self-Portrait with a Plucked Eye, 1931 (source)

Robert Lohman

19. Robert Lohman

Surrealist Self-Portrait, 1972 (source)

Borgianni Orazio

18. Borgianni Orazio

Self-Portrait, 1625 (source)

Frank Frazetta

17. Frank Frazetta

Self-Portrait, 1962 (source)

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

16. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Self-Portrait in a Cap, with eyes wide open, 1630 (source)

Frida Kahlo

15. Frida Kahlo

The Two Fridas, 1939 (source)

Vincent van Gogh

14. Vincent van Gogh

Portrait of the Artist Without Beard, 1889 (source)

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

13. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

Self-Portrait with Cigar, 1919 (source)

Henri Mattise

12. Henri Mattise

Self-Portrait in a Striped T-shirt, 1906 (source)

Brian Castellani

11. Brian Castellani

The Big-Duh Self-Portrait, 2009 (source)

Fred Bell

10. Fred Bell

Self-Portrait, 2010 (source)

Lucien Freud

9. Lucien Freud

Reflection, 2005 (source)

Craig Moser

8. Craig Moser

Self-Portrait, 2006

Käthe Kollwitz

7. Käthe Kollwitz

Self-Portrait, 1923 (source)

Buff Holtman

6. Buff Holtman

Self Portrait, 2008 (source)

Joseph Ducreux

5. Joseph Ducreux

Self-Portrait, 1793 (source)

Gustave Courbet

4. Gustave Courbet

The Desperate Man, circa 1843-45 (source)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

3. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Self-Portrait, 1928 (source)

Pablo Picasso

2. Pablo Picasso

Self-Portrait, 1907 (source)

Francis Bacon

1. Francis Bacon

Three Studies of Self, 1976 (source)