wat the hell you talkin bout

Good questions, I know don't know any though =(

Can they be dead? Monet, Picasso, and Dali are pretty unique and interesting.

Wow...lets call people idiots then ask for help. Not exactly endearing yourself to the crowd honey.

Julian Beever is always impressive for all ages and contemporary (I'm assuming you aren't interested in the old relics like Picasso)

Escher is semi-contemporary and very well known.

You could also do something on commercial art since graphic design is a booming business. Paul Frank stuff is everywhere in the malls and I see them all the time on kid's purses.

I've done units for my kids on album covers, not neccesarily a specific artist but how they turn into cultural icons...for instance the Rolling Stones tounge.

Anime is also a big thing now, though I couldn't name a specific artist off the top of my head.

It depends on what you're into. I have friends who are really into the bright colors of Pop Art, like with Warhol, and friends who love the gloomy, death, blood art.. Personally, my likes range from Peter Max (hippie-like in my opinion) to Mark Ryden (often dark, creepy paintings). I would just look around, maybe browse art museum sites, search the people you know and find their mentors and colleagues until you find someone that really strikes you.

Check out Mark Ryden (a little sad and gorey though), Matthew Ritchie, Ingrid Calame, & Takashi Murakami.

http://www.markryden.com/index.html

Or... you could do a search on the Lowbrow art movement... maybe some of the woman Surrealists like Khalo, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Dorthea Tanning, etc...

http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/courses/EdPsy387-Sp95/Steven-Clark/project/major.html

{Come to mention it... there is Edward Gorey}