The upcoming Van Eyck National Gallery exhibition in London (21 November 2026 – 11 April 2027) will bring together rare portraits by Jan van Eyck, one of the most fascinating painters of the Northern Renaissance.
The Van Eyck National Gallery exhibition will focus on the artist’s portraiture, bringing together some of the rarest and most extraordinary paintings from the 15th century. For anyone who loves early European art, this is not just another exhibition. It’s a rare opportunity to stand face to face with works that changed the history of painting.
And yes, I’m already planning my visit.
But this anticipation also brings back memories of the Van Eyck exhibition I saw in Paris a few years ago. That experience alone convinced me that seeing Van Eyck in person is something every art lover should do at least once.
Why Jan Van Eyck Still Feels Astonishing Today
Van Eyck lived in the early 1400s, yet his paintings often feel almost modern in their precision. He is widely known as a master of oil painting and one of the key figures of the Northern Renaissance.
What struck me most when I first saw his work in real life was the optical detail and extraordinary precision. Every surface feels carefully observed. Fabrics shimmer. Skin tones look alive. Tiny reflections appear in jewels, mirrors, and metal.
The level of craftsmanship is astonishing.
For a long time, art history tended to focus more on the Italian Renaissance. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo became household names, while Northern painters often remained in the background.
But when you look closely at Van Eyck’s work, it becomes clear that something equally revolutionary was happening in the North. In many ways, his paintings feel even more intimate and mysterious.
You don’t just look at them. You study them.
And eventually you find yourself completely absorbed by the details.
What the Van Eyck National Gallery Exhibition Will Show
The National Gallery Van Eyck exhibition will focus specifically on the artist’s portraits. According to the museum, only a very small number of Van Eyck portraits survive today, which makes this exhibition particularly special. The National Gallery intrigues us by writing, “for the first time in history, see all of Jan van Eyck’s portraits together. Only once, only at the National Gallery.”
All existing nine (only!) portrait works will be brought together in London, allowing visitors to explore how Van Eyck approached portraiture with extraordinary realism and psychological depth.
His sitters do not appear idealised or distant. They feel present, almost as if they could step out of the painting. Their expressions are subtle, thoughtful, sometimes enigmatic.
Portraits in the 15th century were still a relatively new artistic territory. Van Eyck helped define how individuals could be represented with dignity, personality, and astonishing visual detail.
The exhibition will explore how these portraits were created and why they were so innovative for their time.
Seeing Van Eyck in Paris Changed My Perspective
My appreciation for Van Eyck really deepened when I visited the exhibition at the Louvre Museum, called “A New Look at Jan Van Eyck (or Revoir Van Eyck)”.
Even before entering, I realised something unusual was happening. The queue was long. Very long. Museum staff kept walking along the line asking people if they were sure they were waiting for the Van Eyck exhibition. Apparently some visitors sometimes mixed up the halls.
But the crowd knew exactly what they were waiting for.
Once inside, the atmosphere was almost reverential. The galleries were dimly lit, which made the paintings glow softly in the darkness. Seeing them in that setting made them feel even more real.
One of the biggest surprises for me was their size.
Many Van Eyck paintings are actually quite small. When you see them reproduced in books or online, it’s easy to imagine something larger. But standing in front of the originals, you realise how intimate they are. You naturally lean closer. And that’s when the magic happens.
Suddenly you notice details you never expected.
Tiny reflections in gemstones. Individual hairs in fur collars. Delicate patterns woven into fabrics.
It feels less like looking at a painting and more like observing a perfectly preserved moment from another century.
At the centre of the Paris exhibition was the magnificent Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, freshly restored and one of the Louvre’s quiet masterpieces. That masterpiece will not travel to London, but the memory of seeing it still lingers.
What stayed with me even more, though, were the portraits. Out of the very small number that still exist, I remember seeing two of them there. Standing in front of them felt strangely personal, as if the people in those paintings had quietly returned to life for a moment.
Why the Van Eyck National Gallery Exhibition Will Be Special
That’s why the upcoming Van Eyck exhibition in London feels so exciting.
Because opportunities like this are rare.
When museums manage to bring together several works by Van Eyck, it becomes a chance to see connections that are impossible to notice otherwise. His approach to faces, light, textures, and expression starts to reveal itself more clearly.
You begin to understand just how innovative he really was.
And judging by the crowds in Paris, I wouldn’t be surprised if London attracts just as many visitors. If you are planning to go, it might be wise to book early and expect some queues.
Great art tends to have that effect.
Planning Your Visit
The Van Eyck portraits exhibition will take place at the National Gallery from 21 November 2026 to 11 April 2027 and will be ticketed; ticket information is still pending.
The gallery holds one of the most important collections of European painting in the world, and hosting an exhibition dedicated to Van Eyck’s portraiture is a natural fit.
For art lovers visiting London, this will likely become one of the city’s most anticipated exhibitions.
If my experience in Paris is anything to go by, seeing these paintings in person is completely different from seeing them in books or online. The details alone are worth the visit.
Tips from ArtsyTrips. For some time, Van Eyck’s exhibition will run simultaneously with Renoir’s (3 October 2026 – 31 January 2027). So if you visit Van Eyck between 21 November 2026 and 31 January 2027, you’ll be lucky enough to experience both masters from different centuries. I will certainly be planning to do exactly that. Read more here: Renoir Exhibition 2026: Paris and London Highlights for Art Lovers.