Van Eyck: The Portraits at the National Gallery

Van Eyck: The Portraits is the first exhibition ever to bring together all of Jan van Eyck's surviving portraits. Ten works, nine paintings and one drawing, come to the National Gallery in London from collections in Berlin, Bruges, Vienna and Dresden, joining two portraits from the gallery's own collection. The exhibition runs from 21 November 2026 to 11 April 2027.

For anyone who draws or paints faces, this is a rare chance to see, side by side, the works that defined what a portrait could be in fifteenth-century Europe.

About the Exhibition

Jan van Eyck, active in Bruges in the first half of the 1400s, was one of the most influential painters in European history. His portraits are famous for their extraordinary detail: every wrinkle, stubble hair and reflection is observed, built up in thin layers of oil paint that still glow nearly six hundred years later. Bringing all of them into one room lets visitors compare how he constructed faces, used light and placed his sitters against dark backgrounds.

The National Gallery's own collection includes some of his best-known works, including the portrait often thought to be a self-portrait, the Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) with its red chaperon. Seeing it among the other portraits gives new context to a painting many people know only from reproductions.

Exhibition Dates

21 November 2026 — Exhibition opens 11 April 2027 — Exhibition closes

Why Van Eyck Matters for Artists Today

Van Eyck's portraits are a masterclass in observation. He did not idealise his sitters: he painted what he saw, with an honesty that still feels modern. For illustrators and painters, the exhibition shows how much information a small panel can hold, and how lighting from one side can model a face with total clarity. Look closely at the eyes, the edges of the faces against the background, and the textures of fur, fabric and skin.

Who Should Visit?

• Portrait painters and drawing students
• Illustrators interested in realism and detail
• Art history students and lovers of early Netherlandish painting
• Anyone curious about the beginnings of oil painting in Europe

Tickets

This is a ticketed exhibition, while the National Gallery's permanent collection remains free. Members enter free. Check the National Gallery website for current prices, concessions and timed booking before you go.

Tips for Visiting

The portraits are small, so crowds can gather in front of each one. Book an early weekday slot and allow time to look slowly. Bring a small sketchbook if you like to draw in galleries, and check the gallery's rules on sketching in exhibitions. After the show, visit the free permanent collection, which holds many more masterpieces of fifteenth-century Netherlandish painting.

Planning Your Visit

The National Gallery is on Trafalgar Square, close to Charing Cross and Leicester Square stations. Combine the exhibition with a walk through the Sainsbury Wing galleries of early Renaissance art, or with the National Portrait Gallery next door, to follow the story of portraiture from the fifteenth century to today.

How to Look at a Van Eyck Portrait

Start from a distance, to see how the head sits against the dark ground, then move close. Notice how the light comes from one side, how the edges of the face soften into shadow, and how tiny highlights in the eyes bring the sitter to life. Look at the hands and clothing too: fur, folds and jewellery are painted with the same care as the face. Many of these panels also have original frames with inscriptions, which add to the story of who the sitters were.

Things to Know

• Dates: 21 November 2026 – 11 April 2027.
• First time: all ten surviving Van Eyck portraits together.
• Tickets: required for the exhibition; members free.
• Free collection: the rest of the gallery is free to visit.

Visit the Exhibition

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Tickets, opening hours and events are on the official National Gallery website.

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Last verified: October 29, 2026