These 19 portraits were painted in oil by Mark Bailey between 2012 and 2018. Each figure in the set was important in the evolution of culture, though most of them remain relatively obscure.
These paintings and their associated written descriptions were used as the basis for images generated by NightCafe's artificial intelligence tool. The resulting artwork ranges from lovely to haunting to psychedelic. This artwork is available as a collection of Tezos NFTs called History and the Machine.
Alan Turing lived from 1912–1954. His work in theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence was extremely influential.
Abraham Heschel lived from 1907-1972. He was an influential religious scholar and civil rights activist.
Emma Goldman lived from 1869-1940. She was an activist concerned with the rights of women and workers. Her writing informed the development of feminism and anarchist political philosophy.
William James lived from 1842-1910. He wrote prolifically on philosophy and psychology. His work was immensely influential on these fields.
Emile Durkheim lived from 1858-1917. He formally established the discipline of sociology.
Nikola Tesla lived from 1856-1943. He was a prolific inventor best known for his work on alternating current.
Aldous Huxley lived from 1894-1963. He wrote nearly fifty books, including the classic Brave New World.
Sri Aurobindo lived from 1872-1950. He was an activist concerned with India's independence from British rule who later became an influential spiritual teacher. Pictured here with close spiritual collaborator Mirra Alfassa.
Jean Baudrillard lived from 1929-2007. He was a French philosopher associated with post-structuralism. Simulacra and Simulation is one of his best known works.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived from 1906-1945. He was a pastor and theologian who strongly opposed the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis at the age of 39.
Edgar Cayce lived from 1877-1945. He claimed clairvoyance and became famous for giving thousands of psychic readings. The New Age movement draws heavily on Cayce's work.
Jane Roberts lived from 1929-1984. She psychically channeled an entity called 'Seth' to dictate books that her husband Robert Butts transcribed. The New Age movement draws heavily on Roberts' work.
Carl Jung lived from 1875-1961. He founded analytical psychology.
Anais Nin lived from 1903-1977. She was an author best known for her journals and erotica books such as Delta of Venus.
Piotr Kropotkin lived from 1842-1921. As a scientist, he published Mutual Aid: a Factor in Evolution. As a philosopher, his work informed the development of anarchism.
Rudolf Steiner lived from 1821-1965. He spent his life trying to balance science with spirituality, which led to the development of Waldorf education and biodynamic agriculture.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin lived from 1881-1955. He was a controversial Jesuit priest who developed the concept of the 'noosphere' with Vladimir Vernadsky.
Wilhelm Reich lived from 1897-1957. He was an Austrian psychoanalyst who published The Mass Psychology of Fascism and promoted sexual liberation. Much of his work was controversial and scientifically dubious.
Allen Dulles lived from 1863-1969. He was the first head of the CIA. In this capacity, he oversaw MK ULTRA and other programs responsible for crimes against humanity.