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Past exhibition

15 October 2008 - 18 January 2009

Admission charge
Location: Room 1

This landmark exhibition explored the dramatic rise of portraiture during the Renaissance. It featured works by the great masters of Northern and Southern Europe, including Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, van Eyck, Holbein, Dürer, Lotto, Pontormo and Bellini.

Renaissance Faces provided a rare opportunity to explore Renaissance portraiture in exceptional depth, displaying over 70 paintings alongside important sculptures, drawings and medals.

During the Renaissance, portraits touched on every aspect of human life, from childhood to politics, friendship, courtship, marriage, old age and death.

This exhibition provided fresh insights into fundamental issues of likeness, memory and identity, while revealing a remarkable community of princes, envoys, merchants, clergymen, tradesmen and artists.

This exhibition was organised by the National Gallery, London, and the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.

Sponsored by