7 Famous Artists Who Found Their Way Through Kids' Art

Every artist whose work hangs in a museum today was once a kid making something the world hadn't caught up to yet. They were scribbling on scraps of paper, filling sketchbooks, painting things their parents couldn't always identify.

This Youth Art Month, we wanted to share a little of that history, and maybe inspire a few children's art projects of your own. Here are 7 artists whose talent grew from the potential seen in kids art, along with ways your child can explore each artist's signature style.

1. Pablo Picasso

Co-founder of Cubism | Spain, 1881–1973

Picasso's father was an art teacher who recognized his son's talent early. He gave young Pablo his own brushes and space to work before the boy turned ten. Historians have preserved one of his earliest pieces: an oil painting titled "The Picador," created when Pablo was just eight years old.

As a teen, Picasso's technical skill surpassed that of many adults. He later became famous for Cubism, a style built entirely on geometric forms. By the end of his life, he had produced around 20,000 works.

Try it at home: Draw someone you love using only geometric shapes with this Cubist family portrait guide from Art Projects for Kids.

2. Georgia O'Keeffe

Pioneer of American modernism | USA, 1887–1986

O'Keeffe decided she wanted to be an artist at age twelve. From that point on, she was practicing constantly, filling sketchbooks by studying form and paying close attention to the shapes and colors of the natural world. One of her earliest surviving paintings was a still-life vase of flowers she created as a teenager.

Georgia's rise wasn't overnight. Her refusal to give up on her vision is what makes her one of the most quietly inspiring figures in art history.

Try it at home: Pick one flower, leaf, or object from nature and draw it so large it fills the entire page. Try to capture every detail.

3. Salvador Dalí

Surrealist painter | Spain, 1904–1989

Dalí was theatrical, imaginative, and relentlessly creative from early childhood. His parents were so committed to nurturing his talent that they converted a room in their home into a studio just for him. Around age six, Salvador created "Landscape Near Figueras." It was just the beginning.

He went on to explore Impressionism, Renaissance painting, and the emerging world of psychoanalysis. Eventually, he created something that belonged entirely to himself: Surrealism.

Try it at home: Close your eyes, think about a dream or a made-up world, then draw it with no rules. The stranger, the better.

4. Frida Kahlo

Iconic self-portrait painter | Mexico, 1907–1954

As a kid, Frida initially saw art as just a hobby. It wasn't until a devastating bus accident left her bedridden at eighteen that Kahlo began painting seriously. Her mother had a special easel made so she could paint lying down. Art became her outlet before it ever became her calling.

Her first professional piece, "Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress," came at nineteen. Kahlo is best known for her bold, introspective self-portraits, because, as she put it: "I am the subject I know best."

Try it at home: A "This Is Me" self-portrait. Draw yourself and surround the portrait with objects, animals, or symbols that represent who you are right now.

5. Jean-Michel Basquiat

Neo-expressionist painter | USA, 1960–1988

Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn making kids drawings on scraps of paper, cardboard, and whatever surfaces he could find. From around age 4, his sketches were cartoon-like, inspired by films, comics, and cars. At age 8, someone gave him a copy of Gray's Anatomy, a book that would shape his entire visual language.

Noticing his creative spark early, his mother started regularly taking Jean-Michel to museums across NYC. He taught himself art history and absorbed it obsessively. Those same museums would eventually hang his work. Even as an adult, Basquiat would say: "I like kids work more than work by real artists any day."

Try it at home: Combine torn newspaper, paint, and markers on a single page. Words and images can both be part of the picture.

If Basquiat's story resonates, we have more on encouraging creativity in young children and how early scribbles shape a creative life."

6. Yayoi Kusama

Avant-garde artist | Japan, born 1929 - present

Kusama began drawing her now-iconic dots and repeating patterns as a young child. She describes this style as the way she made sense of a world that often felt overwhelming. Her parents didn't always understand her desire to be an artist. She kept going anyway.

Today, millions of people visit her exhibitions around the world. Many of them are children who feel an instant, joyful connection to what she creates.

Try it at home: Choose one simple shape (a dot, a star, a squiggle) and fill an entire page with it. Vary the size, the color, the spacing. For more "infinity net" art inspiration, check out Art with Jenny K.

7. Kehinde Wiley

Contemporary portrait painter | USA, born 1969 - present

Wiley grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where his mom enrolled him in art classes at The Huntington. He credits that experience with changing the direction of his life. Those classes gave him access to a creative world he might not have found otherwise. Inside that gallery, Wiley became captivated by the grandeur and scale of portrait painters like Thomas Gainsborough.

The scale of those 18th and 19th century portraits inspired him to create work that was equally commanding. Wiley's vibrant, large-scale paintings place contemporary subjects inside classical painting traditions. Kehinde went from being a kid admiring the famous "Blue Boy" to painting the official presidential portrait of Barack Obama.

Try it at home: Draw yourself in a powerful, confident pose and fill the background with bold patterns. Follow this Kehinde Wiley project guide from Art Projects for Kids.

Feeling Inspired to frame your own kids' drawings?

An Artkive mosaic is a great way to give your kid's art a museum-gallery display at home.

Every Master Started With Kids Art

Your child is in the middle of their own first chapter right now. The drawings on your refrigerator, the paintings drying on the counter, the sketchbook tucked under the bed. This is what the beginning looks like.

For so many of these now-famous artists, their earliest works were lost to time. Preserving childhood creations has always been a difficult task, but you never know who might be the next great master artist. Thanks to parents and mentors who saw the potential and valued their child's efforts, we get to see how each artist began. As we've seen, intentional steps must be taken to do so.

The kids artwork your child makes today is worth saving just as much as what comes next. At Artkive, that's exactly what we do. Start by getting an Artkive Box and we'll professionally photograph every piece, design your book, and deliver something your family can pull off the shelf for generations.

Let Artkive Help You Preserve the Works of Your Master Artist!