Roma or Gypsies have fascinated artists for centuries. The portrayal of Romanies have not always been favourable. It developed from poster like warnings over romantic props in landscape painting over to deeper ethnographic depictions. Some modern artists show deep compassion and love while others again veer to using them as props for their own purposes.

On 15-17 May 2023 there was the third World Roma Congress in Berlin in Germany. The purpose was to hear complaints and draft a new strategy. This means you will soon be hearing a lot more about Roma.

This is a good opportunity to take a look at how Roma have been portrayed in the arts. This will be the art of the main society, by Gadže artists, so to speak. There are Roma artists today but that is another story.

Roma (Gypsies) in art shown by timeline of the artists – ordered by painting date or the artist´s birthday.