13 Great Works of Art That Were Never Finished

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13 Great Works of Art That Were Never Finished

HBO, TTstudio/Shutterstock

Ah, the stories of unfinished works. From the grandest of masterpieces to the most ambitious of dreams, these works have captivated the imaginations of generations, inspiring us to strive for greatness and never give up on our dreams... or to just kind of dabble at art, collect plaudits from everyone, and never actually bother to deliver the finished product at all. 

This list is a tribute to these unfinished works, and the often gifted and famous people who created them. From the unfinished masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci, to the never-realized movie dreams of Stanley Kubrick, to JRR Tolkien and his bet with CS Lewis, these works are a reminder that even the greatest of minds can leave us with something incomplete... frustratingly so, in some cases. 

So, without further ado, let us take a journey through the world of unfinished works, and the often absolutely exasperating stories behind them.

British representatives: too proud to be painted.

Unfinished works Signing of the Preliminary Treaty of Peace Benjamin West's painting, depicting British and American negotiators at the signing of the treaty that ended the American Revolutionary war, was never completed because the British representatives wouldn't let him paint them. CRACKED

Benjamin West

The Daily Beast

Leonardo’s only Italian masterpiece.

CRACKED Unfinished works Leonardo da Vinci's Portrait of a Musician Leonardo's unfinished painting is kept in a special room at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy. It's the only painting by the Renaissance artist that has stayed in Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci

Milano Art Guide

Decades in the making, never finished.

CRACKED Unfinished works The Thief and the Cobbler This animated fantasy movie took decades to make. In 1992, the producer took it away from the director and changed it, trying to release it in some form. Roy E. Disney tried to restore the original version, but it never got finished.

Richard Williams Productions

Cinematheque

‘Foundation’: Asimov’s ideas, plus some new ones.

Unfinished works The Foundation novel series The Apple TV+ series Foundation is based on Isaac Asimov's seven novels, and includes ideas from all of them, as well as some never-before- seen concepts... which was kinda necessary, since Asimov left the series unfinished when he died. CRACKED

Apple TV+

Inverse

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