Past exhibitions
Past exhibitions
Free
Gainsborough's Blue Boy
25 January – 15 May 2022
Gainsborough’s iconic Blue Boy returns to the UK – exactly 100 years, to the day, since it left
Free
Kehinde Wiley
at the National Gallery
The Prelude
10 December 2021 – 18 April 2022
Kehinde Wiley's first collaboration with a major UK gallery
Free
Virtual Veronese
A virtual reality experience
7 March – 18 April 2022
Experience Veronese’s painting, ‘The Consecration of Saint Nicholas’, as it would have been seen in 1562
The Credit Suisse Exhibition
Dürer's Journeys:
Travels of a Renaissance Artist
Until 27 February 2022
The first major UK exhibition of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer in nearly 20 years
£
Poussin and the Dance
9 October 2021 – 3 January 2022
Tambourines shake, wine spills, and figures whirl across the canvas in Poussin’s paintings of revelry, dance and drama
Free
Bellotto:
The Königstein Views Reunited
22 July – 31 October 2021
Five monumental views reunited for the first time in more than 250 years
Free
Take One Picture 2021
17 June – 12 September 2021
See how children have been inspired by 'The Battle of San Romano'
Free
Conversations with God
Jan Matejko’s Copernicus
21 May – 22 Aug 2021
Jan Matejko’s (1838–1893) epic painting ‘Astronomer Copernicus’ unites two of Poland’s most famous figures
Free
Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition
24 May 5 –July 2021
The Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Programme returns to the National Gallery.
Free
Sensing the Unseen
Step into Gossaert's 'Adoration'
9 December 2020 – 13 June 2021
Step into Jan Gossaert’s world of intricate detail, technical mastery and rich meaning in a new Gallery experience
Impressionist Decorations:
The Birth of Modern Decor
This exhibition has been postponed indefinitely
This exhibition has been postponed indefinitely
Free
Take One Picture 2020
16 November 2020 – 31 January 2021
See how children have been inspired by George Bellows' 'Men of the Docks'
Artemisia
3 October 2020 – 24 January 2021
See how Artemisia challenged conventions to become one of the greatest storytellers of her time
Titian:
Love, Desire, Death
16 March 2020 — 17 January 2021
Titian’s sensuous interpretation of Classical myths of love and loss, temptation and punishment
Free
Nicolaes Maes:
Dutch Master of the Golden Age
22 February – 20 September 2020
Share a knowing look with mischievous eavesdroppers and peer behind the doors of 17th-century Dutch households
Free
Young Bomberg and the Old Masters
27 November 2019 – 1 March 2020
A fascination with Old Masters: Bomberg at the National Gallery
£
Leonardo
Experience a Masterpiece
9 November 2019 – 26 January 2020
The Gallery becomes a painting studio, an imagined chapel and a room-sized experiment in this immersive exhibition
£
The Credit Suisse Exhibition:
Gauguin Portraits
7 October 2019 – 26 January 2020
The first-ever exhibition devoted to the portraits of Paul Gauguin
Free
Bartolomé Bermejo:
Master of the Spanish Renaissance
12 June – 29 September 2019
See the dazzling works of the greatest painter of the Spanish 15th century, Bartolomé Bermejo
Free
Sea Star:
Sean Scully at the National Gallery
13 April – 11 August 2019
See new work by Sean Scully inspired by the National Gallery Collection and Turner’s ‘The Evening Star’.
Free
Take One Picture 2019
9 May – 11 August 2019
Children inspired by Joseph Wright 'of Derby'
£
Sorolla:
Spanish Master of Light
18 March – 7 July 2019
The first UK exhibition of Spain's Impressionist, Sorolla, in over a century
Free
Boilly:
Scenes of Parisian Life
28 February – 19 May 2019
Explore revolutionary Paris through Boilly’s daring and playful paintings
Free
Lorenzo Lotto Portraits
5 November 2018 – 10 February 2019
Uncover the symbolism and psychological depth of Lotto’s Renaissance portraits
Free
Rachel Maclean:
The Lion and The Unicorn
29 November 2018 – 3 February 2019
A contemporary exploration of national identity
Free
Landseer's The Monarch of the Glen
29 November 2018 – 3 February 2019
Landseer’s iconic painting returns to the Gallery for the first time since 1851
£
Mantegna and Bellini
1 October 2018 – 27 January 2019
Together they shaped the course of art history. Discover a story of family, rivalry, and marriage
£
Courtauld Impressionists:
From Manet to Cézanne
17 September 2018 – 20 January 2019
A celebration of major Impressionist paintings from The Courtauld Gallery
£
Thomas Cole:
Eden to Empire
11 June – 7 October 2018
Watch empires rise and fall, and lose yourself in the vast American wilderness
Free
Ed Ruscha:
Course of Empire
11 June – 7 October 2018
See Ed Ruscha's modern take on the cyclical nature of civilisation
Free
Take One Picture 2018
09 May – 12 August 2018
See how school children have been inspired by Pintoricchio's Penelope with the Suitors.
£
The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Monet & Architecture
09 April – 29 July 2018
More than 75 paintings by Monet, together for the very first time.
Free
Tacita Dean: STILL LIFE
15 March – 28 May 2018
Still life through the lens of Tacita Dean, one of the genre's leading contemporary practitioners
Free
Murillo: The Self Portraits
28 February – 21 May 2018
The only known self-portraits by Spanish master Murillo, reunited for the first time in over three hundred years.
Free
Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell
20 September 2017 – 07 May 2018
A rare opportunity to see stunning paintings, pastels, and drawings by leading French Impressionist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas.
Free
Manod: The Nation’s Treasure Caves
05 March – 08 April 2018
A fascinating exhibition which recalls a remarkable chapter in the National Gallery's history
£
Reflections: Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites
02 October 2017 – 02 April 2018
Discover how van Eyck’s 'Arnolfini Portrait' was one of the beacons by which the Pre-Raphaelites forged a radical new style of painting.
£
Monochrome: Painting in Black and White
30 October 2017 – 18 February 2018
Journey through a world of shadow and light with artists including Rembrandt, Ingres, Picasso, Richter, and Eliasson.
Free
Lake Keitele: A Vision of Finland
15 November 2017 – 04 February 2018
See all four versions of Gallen-Kallela's Lake Keitele; one of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery.
Free
Giovanni da Rimini: A 14th-Century Masterpiece Unveiled
14 June – 08 October 2017
Learn about a key moment in the history of art, when emphasis on observation and realism was born.
Free
Take One Picture 2017
07 June – 24 September 2017
Take One Picture is the National Gallery’s flagship project for primary schools. This year's exhibition showcases the innovative ways in which schoolchildren have responded creatively to Rubens’s vibrant 'Roman Triumph'
Free
Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic
26 April – 28 August 2017
A new tapestry by Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili, handwoven by Dovecot Tapestry Studio
Free
Rubens and Rembrandt
22 March – 06 August 2017
Explore two great masters of the 17th century, profoundly different in style and approach yet united in their genius
£
The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Michelangelo & Sebastiano
15 March – 25 June 2017
Explore the extraordinary relationship between two great Italian masters, Michelangelo and Sebastiano del Piombo, who found common ground in the fiercely competitive world of High Renaissance Rome.
Free
Cagnacci's Repentant Magdalene
15 February – 21 May 2017
Cagnacci was one of the most unconventional Italian painters of the Baroque period. Though unfamiliar to many visitors today, Cagnacci was celebrated in his own lifetime for his extremely sensual paintings of female saints and heroines.
£
Australia’s Impressionists
07 December 2016 – 26 March 2017
Escape the darkness of winter for the light-filled landscapes of the Australian Impressionists in the first UK exhibition of its kind.
£
Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition 2016
19 January – 26 March 2017
See the shortlisted proposals for the 2018 and 2020 Fourth Plinth commissions
Free
Maíno’s Adorations: Heaven on Earth
28 September 2016 – 29 January 2017
Experience two outstanding masterpieces by Spanish painter Maíno, on display in the UK for the first time.
£
Beyond Caravaggio
12 October 2016 – 15 January 2017
‘Beyond Caravaggio’ is the first major exhibition in the UK to explore the influence of Caravaggio on the art of his contemporaries and followers.
Free
George Shaw: My Back to Nature
11 May – 30 October 2016
George Shaw unveils the culmination of his two-year studio residency at the National Gallery.
Free
Take One Picture 2016
08 June – 25 September 2016
Take One Picture is the National Gallery’s flagship project for primary schools. The works in this exhibition demonstrate the innovative ways in which schools have responded to Thomas Gainsborough’s Mr and Mrs Andrews.
£
Painters' Paintings: From Freud to Van Dyck
23 June – 04 September 2016
'Painters' Paintings' takes its inspiration from works in the National Gallery Collection once owned by painters, revealing the private acquisitions of Freud, Matisse, Degas, Leighton, Watts, Lawrence, Reynolds, and Van Dyck.
Free
Dutch Flowers
06 April – 29 August 2016
The exhibition explores Dutch flower painting from its beginnings in the early 17th century to its peak in the late 18th century.
£
Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art
17 February – 22 May 2016
From the bold colours and abstract shapes of Matisse and Kandinsky, to the expressiveness of Van Gogh and Gauguin, to the vibrant complementary colours of the Impressionists. All can be traced back to Eugène Delacroix.
Free
Visions of Paradise: Botticini's Palmieri Altarpiece
04 November 2015 – 28 March 2016
4 November 2015 – 28 March 2016
Free
A right royal buzz
17 February – 20 February 2016
Works of art made by parents and children from All Souls Primary School, Westminster, inspired by the theme of flowers that provide important homes for wildlife.
£
Goya: The Portraits
07 October 2015 – 10 January 2016
Striking and often unforgiving, Goya’s portraits demonstrate his daringly unconventional approach and remarkable skill at capturing the psychology of his sitters.
Free
Goya's Portrait of Dona Isabel de Porcel: A Question of Attribution
07 October 2015 – 10 January 2016
A unique opportunity to focus on the ‘Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel’ and reconsider its attribution in the context of the exhibition ‘Goya: The Portraits’
Free
Monet: The Water Garden at Giverny
16 September 2014 – 31 December 2015
In 1918, the day after the Armistice was signed, Monet gave a group of paintings to the French nation as a 'monument to peace'. They were known as the 'Water-Lilies,' and continue to captivate visitors almost a century later.
Free
Art in Dialogue: Duccio | Caro
13 June – 08 November 2015
‘Art in Dialogue: Duccio | Caro’ is a creative interaction of two works of art made almost 700 years apart: 'The Annunciation' by the Sienese painter Duccio (active 1278–1319) and ‘Duccio Variation No. 3’, one of seven sculptures that the British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro (1924–2013) made in response to Duccio’s painting. This is the first time that this painting and sculpture have been seen together.
Free
Take One Picture 2015
05 June – 20 September 2015
The works in this display demonstrate the innovative ways in which schools have responded to Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil by Bartolomé Bermejo.
Free
Frames in Focus: Sansovino Frames
01 April – 13 September 2015
Often overlooked and seldom the focus of an exhibition, it is frames not paintings that take centre stage in this exploration of one of the most inventive and exuberant types of picture frame.
Free
El Greco at the National Gallery
27 February – 02 August 2015
This temporary display marks the exceptional loan of El Greco’s altarpiece, 'The Crucifixion with Two Donors' alongside the Gallery’s holdings of the artist's works.
£
Inventing Impressionism
04 March – 31 May 2015
So universally popular are the Impressionists today, it’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t. But in the early 1870s they struggled to be accepted. Shunned by the art establishment, they were even lambasted as ‘lunatics’ by one critic.
Free
Peder Balke
12 November 2014 – 12 April 2015
Discover Norways unsung forerunner of modernism and experience the drama and romance of the Far North.
Free
Maggi Hambling: Walls of Water
26 November 2014 – 15 February 2015
Experience the energy and intensity of crashing waves in vast, new works by Maggi Hambling.
£
Rembrandt: The Late Works
15 October 2014 – 18 January 2015
Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the passion and innovation of Rembrandt's influential late works.
Free
Take One Picture 2014
21 May – 21 September 2014
The National Gallery is hosting a display of original work by primary school pupils, inspired by Georges Seurat's ‘Bathers at Asnierès’ (1884).
Free
Building the Picture:
Architecture in Italian Renaissance Painting
30 April – 21 September 2014
Explore the significance of architecture in Italian Renaissance painting in this exhibition which includes works from Duccio, Botticelli and Crivelli.
£
Making Colour
18 June – 07 September 2014
Journey through the history of colour in a unique exhibition exploring the materials used to create colour in paintings and other works of art.
Free
Artistic Exchanges: Corot, Costa, Leighton
07 May – 03 September 2014
Discover how encounters in cosmopolitan Rome shaped European artists approaches to nature
£
Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance Venice
19 March – 15 June 2014
From the deftly captured shimmer of a pearl, to the sweep and splendour of his architectural settings, Veronese has captured our imaginations over centuries.
£
Strange Beauty: Masters of the German Renaissance
19 February – 11 May 2014
Explore the National Gallery's German Renaissance paintings in this exhibition produced in collaboration with the University of York.
Free
The Sunflowers
25 January – 27 April 2014
Enjoy a unique opportunity to view two of Van Gogh's 'Sunflower' paintings alongside each other for the first time.
£
Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna 1900
09 October 2013 – 12 January 2014
The striking paintings of Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka star in this major exhibition which examines the central role portraiture played in Viennese painting around 1900.
Free
Michael Landy: Saints Alive
23 May – 24 November 2013
A series of large-scale kinetic sculptures made from recycled materials, by contemporary artist Michael Landy, bring a contemporary twist to the lives of the saints.
Free
Take One Picture 2013
12 June – 22 September 2013
The National Gallery is hosting a display of original work by primary school pupils, inspired by Willem Kalf’s ‘Still Life with Drinking-Horn’ (about 1653).
£
Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure
26 June – 08 September 2013
Explore the musical pastimes of the 17th century Netherlands through a lively display combining the art of Vermeer and his contemporaries with rare musical instruments and songbooks of the period.
Free
Birth of a Collection:
Masterpieces from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
22 May – 01 September 2013
An outstanding collection of Old Master and 19th century paintings will go on display at the National Gallery as part of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts anniversary celebrations.
Free
Through European Eyes: The Landscape Oil Sketch
06 February – 28 April 2013
See how landscape painters across the centuries have pitted their brushes against the infinite variety of nature with this display of oil sketches from the National Gallery and Gere collections.
Free
Through American Eyes: Frederic Church and the Landscape Oil Sketch
06 February – 28 April 2013
Step into a world of wild natural phenomena with the landscape oil sketches of celebrated American landscape painter, Frederic Church.
£
Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present
31 October 2012 – 20 January 2013
The exhibition explores work by early photographers from the mid-19th century and the most exciting contemporary artists working with photography, alongside historical painting. Work by leading photographers Martin Parr, Craigie Horsfield, Sam Taylor-Wood, Richard Billingham, Julia Margaret Cameron and Gustave Le Gray will be on display beside key works from the National Gallery collection.
Free
Richard Hamilton: The Late Works
10 October 2012 – 13 January 2013
This highly personal exhibition by Richard Hamilton, one of Britain’s most influential artists and a pioneer of Pop Art, traces an enigmatic path through his work since 1964, leading to his unfinished and unseen final work, 'Balzac (a) + (b) + (c)'.
Free
A Masterpiece for the Nation
Acquiring Nicolas Poussin's 'Extreme Unction' for the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
20 September – 11 November 2012
'A Masterpiece for the Nation' is a display of Poussin's 'Extreme Unction' in Room 1, succesful joint fundraising campaign between the Art Fund and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge to acquire the painting.
Free
Metamorphosis: Titian 2012
a unique collaboration with The Royal Ballet
11 July – 23 September 2012
‘Metamorphosis: Titian 2012’ – featuring new work by contemporary artists Chris Ofili, Conrad Shawcross and Mark Wallinger in a unique collaboration with The Royal Ballet.
Free
Take One Picture 2012
09 May – 16 September 2012
The National Gallery is hosting a display of original work by primary school pupils, inspired by Paolo Veronese’s ‘Family of Darius before Alexander’
Free
Titian's First Masterpiece: The Flight into Egypt
04 April – 19 August 2012
'Titian's First Masterpiece: The Flight into Egypt' examines how the talented young painter adapted ideas from other artists's work to create what is believed to be one of his earliest paintings, 'The Flight into Egypt'. This extraordinarily ambitious and innovative work, is displayed alongside contemporary Venetian works from the National Gallery and other British collections.
Free
The Comte de Vaudreuil: Courtier and Collector
07 March – 12 June 2012
The Comte de Vaudreuil: Courtier and Collector. A display of paintings from this pre-Revolutionary French collector. 7 March — 12 June 2012, Room 15. Admission free.
£
Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude
14 March – 05 June 2012
For the first time, the 'Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude' exhibition provides an in-depth exploration of the influences of Claude's style on Turner's work. Bringing together the closely related works of both artists, the exhibition introduces visitors to the story of the Turner Bequest and its importance in the history of the National Gallery.
Free
Inside Art
27 February – 20 May 2012
Inside Art: Creative Responses to the Collection by Young Offenders. This display of artwork is produced by 37 young men from Feltham Young Offenders Institute who participated in Inside Art – an outreach project organised by the Education Department. 27 February – 20 May 2012, Learning Gallery. Admission free
£
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan
09 November 2011 – 05 February 2012
‘Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan’ was the most complete display of Leonardo’s rare surviving paintings ever held.
Free
Art for the Nation:
Sir Charles Eastlake at the National Gallery
27 July – 30 October 2011
This exhibition illuminates the life and work of the Gallery’s first director, Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (1793–1865), a man described by one contemporary as ‘the Alpha and Omega’ of the Victorian art world.
Free
Devotion by Design:
Italian Altarpieces before 1500
06 July – 02 October 2011
As part of a programme of summer shows focusing on the National Gallery’s collection, ‘Devotion by Design’ explores the function, the original location, and the development of altarpieces in Italy during the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance.
Free
Take One Picture 2011
11 May – 25 September 2011
The National Gallery is hosting a display of original work by primary school pupils, inspired 'Tobias and the Angel' by the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio.
Free
Forests, Rocks, Torrents:
Norwegian and Swiss Landscapes from the Lunde Collection
22 June – 18 September 2011
This landmark exhibition will display what is arguably one of the most complete collections of 19th-century Norwegian and Swiss landscape paintings outside their respective nations.
Free
Jan de Beer: Antwerp Mannerist
18 February – 05 June 2011
To complement the exhibition Jan Gossaert’s Renaissaince, the National Gallery is hosting a display introducing one of Gossaert’s contemporaries, Jan de Beer (about 1475 – about 1528).
£
Jan Gossaert's Renaissance
23 February – 30 May 2011
Jan Gossaert, a native of Flanders (active 1503; died 1532), was one of the most startling and accomplished artists of the Northern Renaissance. ‘Jan Gossaert’s Renaissance’ is the first exhibition dedicated to the artist for over 40 years, and presents the results of a complete re-examination of his work.
Free
An American Experiment:
George Bellows and The Ashcan Painters
03 March – 30 May 2011
With 12 paintings never before seen in the UK, this exhibition introduces visitors to the American artist George Bellows and his artist friends, the Ashcan Painters: William Glackens, George Luks, John Sloan and their teacher Robert Henri.
Free
Bridget Riley: Paintings and Related Work
24 November 2010 – 22 May 2011
Bridget Riley is one of the most significant and original painters of our time. This Sunley Room exhibition will enable visitors to investigate how Riley’s work relates to the National Gallery Collection.
Free
Inside Art
07 February – 01 May 2011
Inside Art features work made by 30 young offenders from Feltham YOI. This work was created during art projects run on site by National Gallery Education.
Free
Ben Johnson: Modern Perspectives
08 December 2010 – 23 January 2011
To coincide with the exhibition 'Canaletto and his Rivals', the National Gallery has invited the artist Ben Johnson to complete a view of London, live in the Gallery.
£
Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals
13 October 2010 – 16 January 2011
This exhibition presents the finest assembly of Venetian views since the much-celebrated display in Venice in 1967. It features works by Canaletto and all the major practitioners of the genre.
Free
Out of Art into Literacy
13 September – 05 December 2010
An exhibition showcasing primary pupils’ storytelling inspired by the National Gallery collection
Free
Clive Head: Modern Perspectives
13 October – 28 November 2010
To coincide with the exhibition 'Canaletto and his Rivals', the National Gallery has invited the artist Clive Head to show three views of London.
Free
Frederick Cayley Robinson: Acts of Mercy
14 July – 17 October 2010
Cayley Robinson (1862–1927) is one of the most distinctive and yet elusive British painters of the early 20th century. This exhibition will bring together the four panels from his masterpiece 'Acts of Mercy'.
Free
Take One Picture 2010
29 April – 19 September 2010
The 2010 display: works inspired by Renoir’s ‘The Umbrellas’
Free
Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries
30 June – 12 September 2010
This exhibition explores the vital contributions of applied science to the understanding of Old Master paintings in the National Gallery.
Free
Christen Købke: Danish Master of Light
17 March – 13 June 2010
This is the first exhibition outside Denmark to focus on the paintings of Christen Købke (1810–1848). Emphasising his exquisite originality and experimental outlook, the exhibition focuses on the most innovative aspects of his work.
Free
A Masterpiece Recovered: Delaroche’s Charles I Insulted
24 February – 23 May 2010
Free exhibition: a chance to see a recently recovered masterpiece by Paul Delaroche. Coincides with the major exhibition 'Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey'
£
Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey
24 February – 23 May 2010
This exhibition traces the historical context of Delaroche's monumental painting, the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey', one of the most familiar and enduring images of the 19th century.
Free
Inside Art:
Creative responses to the collection by young offenders
08 February – 25 April 2010
An exhibition featuring work made by young men from HMYOI Feltham participating in the Inside Art project.
Free
Kienholz: The Hoerengracht
18 November 2009 – 21 February 2010
‘The Hoerengracht’ (1983–8), by American artists Ed and Nancy Kienholz, will transform the Sunley Room into a walk-through evocation of Amsterdam’s red-light district.
Free
The Making of a Spanish Polychrome Sculpture
21 October 2009 – 24 January 2010
To coincide with the major National Gallery Sainsbury Wing exhibition, 'The Sacred Made Real', Room 1 hosts a special display examining the technical challenges of making a polychrome (painted) sculpture.
£
The Sacred Made Real
Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600 - 1700
21 October 2009 – 24 January 2010
This exhibition will bring together paintings and painted wooden sculptures by the great Spanish realists of the 17th century.
Free
Festival of Light
A celebration of creative work by visitors of all ages
28 September – 20 November 2009
An exhibition displaying the creative work produced by participants in National Gallery education programmes
Free
Corot to Monet
A Fresh Look at Landscape from the Collection
08 July – 20 September 2009
'Corot to Monet' charted the development of landscape painting up to the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874
Free
Titian's Triumph of Love
21 July – 20 September 2009
Titian's 'Triumph of Love' went on display, showing the true quality of this painting for the first time in generations.
Free
Take One Picture 2009
27 April – 12 July 2009
Take one picture 2009: works inspired by Turner's 'The Fighting Temeraire'
£
Picasso: Challenging the Past
25 February – 07 June 2009
Displaying some 60 works by the artist, this exhibition invited visitors to re-explore the National Gallery’s permanent collection in light of Picasso’s fascination with the Old Masters.
Free
Picasso's Prints: Challenging the Past
25 February – 07 June 2009
This display of 13 prints by Picasso coincides with the major exhibition 'Picasso: Challenging the Past'. It expands on many of the themes of the major exhibition, particularly his exciting ‘variations’ after the masters.
Free
Line of Vision 2009
11 April – 24 May 2009
This display showcased work produced by two groups of young people who participated in Line of Vision projects at the National Gallery in October and November 2008.
Free
Sisley in England and Wales
12 November 2008 – 26 March 2009
This exhibition brought together works that Alfred Sisley produced during two paintings campaigns in the UK. The exhibition provided a chance to celebrate a relatively unexplored part of the artist's work.
Free
The Simon Sainsbury Bequest to the National Gallery
22 October 2008 – 01 February 2009
The Simon Sainsbury Bequest is one of the most significant in the National Gallery’s history. This intimate display celebrated the arrival of three Impressionist masterpieces to the collection.
£
Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian
15 October 2008 – 18 January 2009
This landmark exhibition explored the dramatic rise of portraiture during the Renaissance. It featured works by the great masters of Northern and Southern Europe.
Free
Line of Vision 2008
29 September 2008 – 04 January 2009
This display showcased work produced by two groups of young people who participated in Line of Vision projects at the National Gallery in May and June 2008.
Free
Campaign for the Titians: 'Diana and Actaeon'
22 October – 14 December 2008
The display was put on in support of the campaign by the National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland to secure ‘Diana and Actaeon’ for the nation. It reunited 'Diana and Actaeon' with its sequel, 'The Death of Actaeon' for the first time in two centuries.
Free
Love
24 July – 05 October 2008
Comprising works of art from the 15th century to the present day, this exhibition explored how artists have represented this most powerful of emotions.
£
Radical Light
Italy's Divisionist Painters 1891 - 1910
18 June – 07 September 2008
This exhibition explored the complex relationship between Italian Divisionism and the emerging Futurist movement in the early years of the 20th century. It was the first of its kind to be organised outside Italy.
Free
Take One Picture 2008
28 April – 31 August 2008
The 2008 display showing work inspired by Rubens's 'A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning'.
Free
Alison Watt: Phantom
12 March – 29 June 2008
The work in this exhibition was produced by Alison Watt during her time as Associate Artist at the National Gallery.
£
Pompeo Batoni (1708 - 1787)
20 February – 18 May 2008
This exhibition celebrated the often overlooked work of the 18th-century Roman portrait painter, Pompeo Batoni.
Free
The Landscape Oil Sketch
15 December 2007 – 06 April 2008
This exhibition displayed collections of an often overlooked body of work, the landscape oil sketch, by great artists from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Free
Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition 2008
08 January – 30 March 2008
This exhibition displayed models of the six shortlisted pieces for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Free
Art of Light: German Renaissance Stained Glass
07 November 2007 – 17 February 2008
This exhibition brought together some of the finest examples of German stained glass from this period and put them next to a selection of National Gallery paintings, matching them up by period and region.
Free
Discoveries: New Research into British Collections
21 November 2007 – 10 February 2008
Discoveries brought together paintings from across the country, some of which had never been seen in public before. It demonstrated the astonishing range and quality of our UK public collections, spanning over 500 years.
£
Renaissance Siena: Art for a City
24 October 2007 – 13 January 2008
'Renaissance Siena: Art for a City' offered the first opportunity to see Sienese Renaissance works in the context of the volatile last century of the Sienese Republic.
Free
Line of Vision 2007:
Moving Parts
05 November – 16 December 2007
This display showcased work produced by young people, aged 12 to 22, who visited the National Gallery in July 2007 to participate in a project called Moving Parts.