11. Self Portrait Without Beard by Vincent van Gogh
Up next in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them is this painting by Van Gogh that is just a single self-portrait among the 43 others he painted of himself merely between 1886 and 1889. It was one of the last paintings he produced and was a gift to his mother; his little way of showing her he was alright. However, he committed suicide only a few months later. Fortunately, the portrait shows his left side; hence his mutilated ear is not visible, which he had cut off in an episode of extreme rage.
