These days, having a formal art education isn’t an obligatory measure. It is up to a person whether to spend money on colleges and art schools or pursue their future career without specialty training. In the past, though, many famous painters started to hone their skills under the tutelage of renowned masters in the workshops. However, there were some self-taught artists who, despite their autodidactism, became famous. Here they are.

Five famous self-taught artists who were autodidacts

Vincent van Gogh

Almost entirely self-taught, Vincent van Gogh studied drawing at the Brussels Academy and worked with Anton Mauve. However, he preferred solitude with nature, which was his art studio throughout all his life.

Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono is an icon of contemporary performance art. A Japanese multimedia artist pursued her considerable talent in music. At the same time, she didn’t receive training in visual arts. Most of her ideas were her own improvisation.

Grandma Moses

Anna Mary Robertson Moses is probably one of the most famous self-taught artists as of today. She was adept at primitive, or naïve, art. The granny started painting at the age of seventy-seven to keep herself busy and out of mischief after the death of her husband. Grandma Moses didn’t receive any formal education in her life.

Bill Traylor

The life of an African-American self-taught artist was a huge trial. He was born in slavery and spent the majority of his life working as a sharecropper. Bill Traylor began to draw when he moved to Montgomery, Alabama.

Frida Kahlo

The Surrealism of Frida Kahlo was her own invention based on her feelings, passions, and experience. The woman went through a lot of trouble and tragedy, so there was little time to take classes.

Whether you belong to self-taught artists or you are receiving a formal art education, your art is valid. Every creative path is unique, so simulating other people’s decisions and actions is pointless.