Top Oil Paint Brands for Artistic Mastery

Diving into the vibrant world of oil painting, artists often search for the perfect set of paints to bring their visions to life with richness and depth. The quality of oil paint can dramatically influence the outcome and longevity of a masterpiece, making the choice of brand crucial for both beginners and seasoned painters. From the timeless appeal of traditional hues to innovative, modern palettes, selecting the right brand can offer an array of textures and finishes that enhance creative expression. Interested in discovering which brands stand out in the realm of oil paints? Check out the comprehensive list below.

Illustration of oil paint

Best brands of oil paint in 2025

Winsor & Newton

Winsor & Newton is a renowned brand in the art supplies industry, particularly celebrated for its high-quality oil paints. The company is a key player in the global oil paint market, known for its extensive product portfolio and strategic market positioning. Winsor & Newton, along with other brands like Jackson's and Daler-Rowney, dominates the market through innovative products, extensive distribution networks, and strategic partnerships.

Gamblin

Gamblin Artists Colors is renowned for its high-quality, professional oil paints, crafted with the finest grade pigments and devoid of fillers or modifiers, ensuring exceptional working properties and safety. Founded in 1980 by Robert Gamblin, the company has dedicated itself to oil painting and printmaking, producing luscious colors and contemporary mediums that are true to historic working properties yet safer and more permanent. Gamblin's innovative products, such as Gamsol and Gamvar, have significantly improved studio safety and painting techniques. Their focus on detail and improvement has made them a master in the niche of oil paint products, with a team of 25 people committed to maintaining the highest standards. Gamblin's products are designed to support artists in creating permanent works of art with confidence. For more information, visit the official Gamblin Artists Colors page.

Old Holland

Old Holland, founded in 1664, is a renowned brand among artists worldwide, known for its high-quality oil paints made using traditional recipes from the Old Dutch Masters. The company offers 168 oil colors, ensuring 100% lightfastness through the use of newly developed, lightfast alternatives for pigments that were not previously stable. Old Holland's products are used by artists and restorers in over 50 countries, and the company has modernized its production process while maintaining historical ingredients. In 2014, Old Holland adopted a sustainable, environmentally friendly production process, and in 2018, it launched the Old Holland Academy. The brand's commitment to quality and tradition has made it a staple in the art world. For more details about their heritage and innovations, visit the Old Holland's official website.

Sennelier

Sennelier is renowned as one of the best producers of oil paint, leveraging the finest natural and inorganic pigments from around the world to create their Artist's Oil Colour. Founded in 1887 by Gustave Sennelier near the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the company has a rich history of serving artists like Cezanne, Gauguin, and Picasso. Sennelier oil paints are characterized by their high pigment load, extra-fine consistency, and use of archival safflower oil, which enhances their tinting strength and vibrant colors. The paints offer a unique French Satin Sheen and excellent translucency, opacity, and lightfastness. With a range of 144 colors, Sennelier continues to set the standard for quality in the art world. For an in-depth review, visit this Sennelier Oil Paint Review.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt Oil Paints, produced by Royal Talens in Holland since 1899, are renowned for their exceptional quality, featuring 120 highly concentrated, lightfast colors with a high pigment load. These paints are ground to an extra-fine consistency on a three-roll mill, resulting in a buttery, smooth texture and outstanding tinting strength. They are made with pure linseed or safflower seed oil and are rated for over 100 years of lightfastness in museum conditions. The range includes 57 mono-pigmented colors and offers a harmonious handling property, making them a preferred choice among professional artists. Rembrandt's transparent earth colors are particularly celebrated for their brilliance and depth of transparency. For more information about their product offerings, visit the Royal Talens Rembrandt Oil Paint collection.

Michael Harding

Michael Harding is a renowned brand in the art world, celebrated for its high-quality, handmade oil paints that boast the highest pigment loads and are free from fillers, driers, and extenders. Established in 1982, the brand is led by artist and entrepreneur Michael Harding, who dedicates 25% of his time to selecting and testing pigments to ensure maximum color chroma and lightfastness. With 100 vibrant colors available, these oils are the choice of top artists, including Howard Hodgkin and David Hockney, and are known for their creamy, buttery consistency and exceptional film strength. Michael Harding oils are crafted using historic techniques and the finest ingredients, such as cold-pressed linseed oil, and are available in various sizes. The brand's commitment to quality has made it a leader in the fine art supply industry. For more details on the history of Michael Harding, you can explore our resource.

M. Graham

M. Graham is renowned for producing high-quality oil paints, utilizing walnut oil as the vehicle, which allows for a higher pigment load, greater color saturation, and better tinting strength compared to linseed oil-based paints. This approach results in vibrant, long-lasting colors that resist yellowing over time. The company is committed to environmental and health safety, operating a solvent-free factory and promoting eco-friendly practices. M. Graham paints are made in the USA, specifically in Oregon, and are praised by artists for their smooth, buttery consistency and excellent workability. With a focus on sustainability, M. Graham buys 100% of their power through renewable energy options and implements various recycling and energy-saving measures. Learn why many artists say "I love M. Graham oil paints."

Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith is a renowned brand in the fine art paints market, particularly noted for its high-quality watercolor and gouache paints, as well as its innovative approaches to oil paints. Founded in 1976 by Dan Smith, the company has been a leader in producing artist-quality paints, including its Extra Fine(tm) Watercolors introduced in 1993, which are celebrated for their lightfastness and permanence. Daniel Smith is one of the top five global manufacturers of fine art paints, along with FILA, Colart, Schmincke, and Old Holland, collectively accounting for nearly 25% of the market. The company has recently shifted its focus from traditional oil colors to water-soluble oil colors, ensuring easier cleanup without solvents. This commitment to innovation and quality has made Daniel Smith a trusted name among professional artists worldwide. For more details, visit Daniel Smith's official website.

Schmincke Mussini

Schmincke Mussini is renowned for its premium oil paints, formulated with a unique blend of natural oils (linseed, safflower, and walnut) and dammar resin, a recipe inherited from Professor Cesare Mussini in 1881. This combination ensures a balanced and tension-free drying process, reducing the risk of cracking and enhancing the colors' brilliance and lightfastness. The range includes 108 colors, with 60 single-pigment tones and 44 radiant transparent colors, making it a treasure for artists. The dammar resin adds a distinctive resinous scent and allows for layered painting without deadening the colors. This historical formula has been perfected over centuries, offering artists an unparalleled painting experience. For more details, explore Schmincke Mussini oil paints.

Blockx

Blockx is renowned as one of the best producers of oil paint, celebrated for its excellent quality and traditional manufacturing process. The paints are hand-ground using slowly rotating stone mills, ensuring a high pigment load and minimal lightfastness issues, with all colors having a minimum lightfastness rating of 7 out of 8 on the blue wool scale. Blockx uses pure pigments, with iron oxides, earths, and blacks ground in linseed oil and other pigments in poppyseed oil to prevent yellowing and wrinkling. The brand offers 87 colors in 35 ml tubes and 3 whites in 200 ml tubes, all made in Belgium. This attention to detail and commitment to quality makes Blockx a favorite among artists. For more information, visit the Blockx oil paint collections.