Past exhibitions

Free

Past exhibition

Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition 2024

19 February – 17 March 2024

Take a look at the shortlisted artworks for the Fourth Plinth on Trafalgar Square

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Free

Past exhibition

Pesellino: A Renaissance Master Revealed

7 December 2023 – 10 March 2024

Discover an overlooked Renaissance great in the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Francesco Pesellino

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Free

Past exhibition

Discover Liotard and the Lavergne Family Breakfast

16 November 2023 – 3 March 2024

See, together for the first time in 250 years, Liotard’s pastel and oil versions of ‘The Lavergne Family Breakfast’.

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition

Frans Hals

30 September 2023 – 21 January 2024

Discover Frans Hals, one of the greatest portrait painters in Western art

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Free

Past exhibition

Paula Rego: Crivelli's Garden

20 July – 29 October 2023

Explore the relationship between Dame Paula Rego’s painting and the 15th-century altarpiece that inspired it

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2023

13 July ‒ 8 October 2023

Children inspired by Claude-Joseph Vernet's 'Shipwreck in Stormy Seas'

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Past exhibition

After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art

25 March – 13 August 2023

The exhibition focuses on the exciting and revolutionary artistic developments in Europe from 1886 to 1914

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Free

Past exhibition

Saint Francis of Assisi

6 May – 30 July 2023

The first major art exhibition in the UK to explore the life and legacy of one of history’s most inspirational figures

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Free

Past exhibition

The Ugly Duchess: Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance

16 March – 11 June 2023

Looking again at one of the best-known faces in the Gallery

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Free

Past exhibition

Nalini Malani: My Reality is Different

National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund

2 March ‒ 11 June 2023

Our first National Gallery Contemporary Fellow, Nalini Malani, presents new ways of seeing well-known works of art

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Free

Past exhibition

Turner on Tour

3 November 2022 – 19 February 2023

Two ground-breaking Turner paintings return to Britain for the first time in a century

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition

Lucian Freud: New Perspectives

1 October 2022 – 22 January 2023

This first major exhibition of Lucian Freud’s work in 10 years brings together paintings from more than seven decades

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Free

Past exhibition

Discover Manet & Eva Gonzalès

21 October 2022 – 15 January 2023

A fresh examination of Manet and Eva Gonzalès

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Past exhibition

Winslow Homer: Force of Nature

10 September 2022 – 8 January 2023

The first in-depth exhibition in the UK to show the work of Winslow Homer

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Free

Past exhibition

Picasso Ingres: Face to Face

3 June – 9 October 2022

See one of Picasso's greatest portraits alongside the masterpiece that inspired it, Ingres’s ‘Madame Moitessier’

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2022

9 June – 11 September 2022

See how children have been inspired by Orazio Gentileschi's 'The Finding of Moses'

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition:

Raphael

9 April – 31 July 2022

His life was short, his work prolific, and his legacy immortal

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery

The Prelude

10 December 2021 – 18 April 2022

Kehinde Wiley's first collaboration with a major UK gallery

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition

Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist

20 November 2021 ‒ 27 February 2022

The first major UK exhibition of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer in nearly 20 years

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Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

Bellotto: The Königstein Views Reunited

22 July – 31 October 2021

Five monumental views reunited for the first time in more than 250 years

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2021

17 June – 12 September 2021

See how children have been inspired by 'The Battle of San Romano'

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition

24 May 5 –July 2021

The Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Programme returns to the National Gallery.

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

Impressionist Decorations: The Birth of Modern Decor

This exhibition has been postponed indefinitely

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2020

16 November 2020 – 31 January 2021

See how children have been inspired by George Bellows' 'Men of the Docks'

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Past exhibition

Artemisia

3 October 2020 – 24 January 2021

See how Artemisia challenged conventions to become one of the greatest storytellers of her time

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Past exhibition

Titian: Love, Desire, Death

16 March 2020 — 17 January 2021

Titian’s sensuous interpretation of Classical myths of love and loss, temptation and punishment

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Free

Past exhibition

Sin

7 October 2020 – 3 January 2021

Enter a room of sin...

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

Young Bomberg and the Old Masters

27 November 2019 – 1 March 2020

A fascination with Old Masters: Bomberg at the National Gallery

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Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition:

Gauguin Portraits

7 October 2019 – 26 January 2020

The first-ever exhibition devoted to the portraits of Paul Gauguin

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

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’.

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2019

9 May – 11 August 2019

Children inspired by Joseph Wright 'of Derby'

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Past exhibition

Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light

18 March – 7 July 2019

The first UK exhibition of Spain's Impressionist, Sorolla, in over a century

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Free

Past exhibition

Boilly: Scenes of Parisian Life

28 February – 19 May 2019

Explore revolutionary Paris through Boilly’s daring and playful paintings

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Free

Past exhibition

Lorenzo Lotto Portraits

5 November 2018 – 10 February 2019

Uncover the symbolism and psychological depth of Lotto’s Renaissance portraits

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Free

Past exhibition

Rachel Maclean:

The Lion and The Unicorn

29 November 2018 – 3 February 2019

A contemporary exploration of national identity

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

Courtauld Impressionists:

From Manet to Cézanne

17 September 2018 – 20 January 2019

A celebration of major Impressionist paintings from The Courtauld Gallery

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Past exhibition

Thomas Cole: Eden to Empire

11 June – 7 October 2018

Watch empires rise and fall, and lose yourself in the vast American wilderness

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Free

Past exhibition

Ed Ruscha: Course of Empire

11 June – 7 October 2018

See Ed Ruscha's modern take on the cyclical nature of civilisation

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2018

09 May – 12 August 2018

See how school children have been inspired by Pintoricchio's Penelope with the Suitors.

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Past exhibition

The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Monet & Architecture

09 April – 29 July 2018

More than 75 paintings by Monet, together for the very first time.

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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'

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Free

Past exhibition

Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic

26 April – 28 August 2017

A new tapestry by Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili, handwoven by Dovecot Tapestry Studio

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

Fourth Plinth Shortlist Exhibition 2016

19 January – 26 March 2017

See the shortlisted proposals for the 2018 and 2020 Fourth Plinth commissions

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Visions of Paradise: Botticini's Palmieri Altarpiece

04 November 2015 – 28 March 2016

4 November 2015 – 28 March 2016

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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’

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

Soundscapes

08 July – 06 September 2015

Hear the painting. See the sound.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Peder Balke

12 November 2014 – 12 April 2015

Discover Norways unsung forerunner of modernism and experience the drama and romance of the Far North.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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).

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Artistic Exchanges: Corot, Costa, Leighton

07 May – 03 September 2014

Discover how encounters in cosmopolitan Rome shaped European artists approaches to nature

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Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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).

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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)'.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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’

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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).

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Out of Art into Literacy

13 September – 05 December 2010

An exhibition showcasing primary pupils’ storytelling inspired by the National Gallery collection

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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'.

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2010

29 April – 19 September 2010

The 2010 display: works inspired by Renoir’s ‘The Umbrellas’

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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'

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

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

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Take One Picture 2009

27 April – 12 July 2009

Take one picture 2009: works inspired by Turner's 'The Fighting Temeraire'

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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'.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

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.

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Free

Past exhibition

Scratch the Surface

20 July – 30 November 2007

This exhibition examined the role that the slave trade played in the lives of two people featured in portraits in our collection: Zoffany's portrait of 'Mrs Oswald' and Sir Joshua Reynolds's 'Colonel Tarleton'.

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