Van Eyck: The Portraits

National Gallery, London

21 November 2026 – 11 April 2027 

Admission charge

The first-ever exhibition of the portraits of the Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck (active 1422–1441), will open at the National Gallery in winter 2026.

Bringing together for the first time, from across Europe, all 10 of the artist’s portraits, Van Eyck: The Portraits (21 November 2026 – 11 April 2027) will show about half of the twenty or so surviving autograph pictures by one of the supreme figures of the Northern Renaissance.

The nine painted portraits will be joined by the exceptional loan of van Eyck’s only surviving drawing, the 'Portrait of an Elderly Man' (about 1438, silverpoint and goldpoint on prepared paper, Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden). This is an astounding drawing, with a dense network of strokes to sculpt the sitter’s face and astonishingly precise colour notations. As the only certain preparatory study for any Netherlandish painting of the period, it provides a unique window into van Eyck’s process of creation. It is also the earliest material record of a formal sitting to survive, opening a new chapter in the history of portraiture. It will be reunited for only the second time ever with the painting it inspired: van Eyck’s 'Portrait of an Elderly Man (A Scholar?)' (1438(?), oil on wood, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery).

Three other drawings will be included in the exhibition. 'The Portrait of a Young Woman' (about 1435–40, the British Museum) by the artist’s close contemporary Rogier van der Weyden was probably made in response to van Eyck’s work. Two further drawings, made by artists working in van Eyck’s circle or following in the traditions he established, will show the enduring influence he had on the conception and creation of portraits and will allow visitors to compare the technical skills of some of the artists working at the time.

Other exceptional reunions will see the Gallery’s own popular and enigmatic Arnolfini Portrait (1434), the most visited painting page on its website, displayed for the first time ever with a panel showing the same sitter, the 'Portrait of a Man (Giovanni Arnolfini?)' (about 1435–38, Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). That van Eyck portrayed the same man twice, something unprecedented for the time aside from rulers, suggests a particular bond between artist and subject.

Van Eyck’s newly conserved Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) (1433, the National Gallery) will be shown alongside the likeness of the painter’s wife Margaret (1439, Musea Brugge/Musea Bruges). This is the first dated identifiable portrait of a woman who was not a member of the aristocracy. It is a milestone in European portraiture that captures the moment when the genre moved away from dynastic purposes to embrace a wider range of society: successful craftsmen, the artist’s relatives and his friends. One of these friends was probably the goldsmith 'Jan de Leeuw' (1436, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Picture Gallery) who makes eye-contact with the viewer – another effect that van Eyck seems to have pioneered.

With the inclusion of 'Jan de Leeuw' and the above-mentioned 'Portrait of an Elderly Man (A Scholar?)', the exhibition marks the first time in its history that Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum allows both of its van Eyck paintings to be lent at the same time.

Considered by many art historians as one of the founders of modern painting, this exhibition will enable visitors to appreciate van Eyck’s extraordinary technique and his ability to create a convincing illusion of reality. While portraits existed before van Eyck, they privileged elegance or the projection of power over individual character and their sitters were too generalised to be recognisable. In contrast, with van Eyck the concept of accurate likeness (the expectation that a portrait should look like the person it depicts) comes into full focus. Disarming in his exactitude and immediacy, van Eyck not only recorded his sitter’s signature traits but also fleeting qualities: bloodshot eyes, growing stubble, untidy hair. No detail, however small, escaped his acute gaze.

In addition, Van Eyck painted the frames and reverses of his panels in imitation of precious metals and stones of various kinds, material illusions compelling enough to fool his viewers. These trompe l’oeil elements offer a playful counterpoint to the truth of van Eyck’s likenesses. Painted on every side, van Eyck’s portraits are three-dimensional objects: they were not meant to hang silently on a wall but to be handheld, closely examined and discussed. The exhibition design will emphasise this by showing several portraits in the round for the first time ever, revealing the marbling that survives on their backs.

While the vast majority of artists working during the late medieval period remain anonymous, van Eyck almost systematically signed his paintings, inscribing his name, the portraits’ date (sometimes to the day), and in cases proudly adding his motto, Als ich kan (As well as I can). These inscriptions are always painted to look as though they are carved in the fictive stone or incised in the mock metal of the frames or parapet where they appear, contributing to the artist’s material illusions. Their exact meaning often remains obscure. Regardless, what these proud assertion of authorship undoubtedly reflect is van Eyck’s bold self-confidence and the rising status of painters from anonymous craftsmen to celebrated figures during the Renaissance.

Van Eyck’s origins and training are shrouded in mystery. In 1425, he was appointed court painter to the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good (1396–1467), a king in all but name who was one of the most powerful European rulers of the day. He served as the duke’s painter until his death in Bruges in 1441. Van Eyck was highly valued by the duke and was even sent on diplomatic missions and ‘secret journeys’ on his behalf. In 1428-9, he was sent to Lisbon, as part of the embassy entrusted with negotiating the duke’s marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabella (1397–1473). Van Eyck painted her portrait (now lost) so it could be sent back to Flanders for the duke’s approval. The duke later acted as the godfather to van Eyck's child in 1434. Van Eyck achieved international fame during his lifetime and his paintings are recorded in the collections of leading patrons across Europe throughout the 15th century and beyond.

Foregrounding new research on the artist’s technique, original frames and inscriptions, and addressing lingering controversies over his sitters’ identities, the exhibition’s catalogue will be the first monograph ever published on the subject of van Eyck’s portraits in English – surprising given the vast literature on the artist.

Emma Capron, Curator of Early Netherlandish and German Paintings at the National Gallery, says: ‘Some stories do not have a beginning. Portraiture is one of them. It bursts onto the scene fully formed in the 1430s under the brush of Jan van Eyck. None of the stylised likenesses that preceded his work would pass as a portrait today: you would not recognise their sitters if you walked by them on the street. This changes with van Eyck. Pushing the possibilities of oil painting to convey a convincing illusion of reality, suddenly we are faced with individuals pulsating with life, every single detail of their appearance captured, sitters who look back at us and who speak to us through elaborate and multilingual inscriptions. These portraits’ ability to baffle by their precision and liveliness is intact today. Yet, just as van Eyck defined the fledgling genre of portraiture, he also subverted it with his cryptic inscriptions and the play of materials of his frames and reverses. These images do not divulge their meaning easily, and they are all the more rewarding for it. We are really proud and grateful to our lenders to be able to show van Eyck’s pioneering contribution to the rise of portraiture in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.’

National Gallery Director, Sir Gabriele Finaldi, says ‘Van Eyck is one of the pillars of the National Gallery’s collection and a foundational figure in the European history of art. The portraits reflect a remarkable sensitivity to his sitters and an astounding technical virtuosity in their execution. This will be an extraordinary opportunity to see them all gathered together in one place.'

Publication:

Van Eyck: The Portraits

Authors: Emma Capron and Nicholas Flory, with contributions by Stijn Alsteens, Till-Holger Borchert, Lorne Campbell, Jill Dunkerton, Susan Frances Jones, Stephan Kemperdick, Susie Nash and Marika Spring

208 pages, 90 illustrations, 280 × 230 mm, portrait

Hardback: £40, special Gallery price: £35

Published by National Gallery Global Ltd. Distributed by Yale University Press

Some stories do not have a beginning. Portraiture is one of them. It seems to burst onto the scene fully formed in the 1430s under the brush of Flemish artist Jan van Eyck. Pushing the possibilities of oil painting to convey a convincing illusion of reality, his portraits present us with individuals pulsating with life, every detail of their appearance captured. 

Van Eyck not only transformed the style of contemporary portraiture but also challenged the definition of who should be portrayed. The men and women in his paintings are not royalty or aristocrats but the artist’s relatives, affluent merchants and successful craftsmen. Rendering their likeness in meticulous detail, van Eyck immortalised these figures through vivid depictions and allowed them to speak to us through enigmatic inscriptions.

This book will be the first ever published in English on the artist’s powerful portraits, accompanying a groundbreaking exhibition at London’s National Gallery. 

IMAGES

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife

Short title

The Arnolfini Portrait

1434

oil on wood

82.2 × 60 cm

© The National Gallery, London

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) 1433

oil on wood

33.1 x 25.9cm (including original frame)

© The National Gallery, London

Jan van Eyck
Portrait of Margaret van Eyck 1439

41.5 x 35cm (including original frame)
City Museums, Bruges, Groeningemuseum
© Municipal Museums Bruges, Groeningemuseum. Photo: The National Gallery, London

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of a Man (Giovanni Arnolfini?), about 1435–8

Oil on wood, 30 × 21.6 cm

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Christoph Schmidt; Public Domain Mark 1.0

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of Baudoin de Lannoy, about 1435–40

oil on wood, 26.6 × 19.5 cm

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Christoph Schmidt; Public Domain Mark 1.0

Jan van Eyck

Portrait of Baudoin de Lannoy, about 1435–40

oil on wood, 26.6 × 19.5 cm

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Christoph Schmidt; Public Domain Mark 1.0

Rogier van der Weyden

Portrait of a Young Woman, about 1435–40

silverpoint on cream prepared paper, 16.6 × 11.6 cm

The British Museum, London

© The Trustees of the British Museum

Netherlandish

Portrait of a Man

About 1440-60

Silverpoint on off-white prepared paper, 21.4 x 14.3 cm.

Purchased from Colonel John Wingfield Malcolm, 1895

The British Museum

©Trustees of the British Museum

Old Masters, New Amsterdam

The New York Historical 

 May 1 – August 30, 2026

 The New York Historical provides visitors with a unique glimpse into life in New Amsterdam through portraits, genre scenes, and still life paintings created by renowned 17th-century Dutch masters. In this first-of-its-kind exhibition, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam, paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn and his contemporaries help imagine the world of the Dutch settlement that would eventually become New York, depicting people at home, at the marketplace, at prayer, at play, and in taverns. Featuring objects from The New York Historical’s collection and more than 60 Dutch 17th-century paintings, including works from the Leiden Collection—among the largest and finest collections of 17th-century Dutch art in private hands—the exhibition also includes works from a variety of institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, National Gallery of Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the New York State Archives, and Trinity Church, as well as private collectors.  

“As we continue our commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase works of art by Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen, many of which have never before shown in New York,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “Old Masters, New Amsterdam is a fascinating view into daily life in New Amsterdam—a diverse settlement and a place of commerce, creativity, and conflict, which laid the foundations of the city and nation we know today.”

“Four centuries ago, the Dutch founded an outpost at the tip of Manhattan Island—a humble but vibrant settlement that would give rise to New York,” said Russell Shorto, the exhibition’s co-curator, director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical. “Across the ocean, meanwhile, Rembrandt and his peers were transforming art, revealing the beauty and drama of everyday life. These Dutch artists never set foot in New Amsterdam, but their portraits, character studies, and depictions of daily life in the Netherlands provide real insight into the world of Manhattan’s 17th-century settlers.”

“The Dutch greatly enjoyed family festivities that included music, dancing, food, and drink,” said Arthur Wheelock, co-curator of the exhibition, and senior advisor to the Leiden Collection. “Jan Steen’s joyous Peasants Merrymaking Outside an Inn, for example, wonderfully captures the vibrancy and wide range of human interactions that could be found at a country fair, whether in the Netherlands or in New Amsterdam.”

In the 1600s, the tiny Dutch Republic became a global power, outpacing larger nations through bold innovations in trade and finance. By entrusting overseas ventures to private companies, the Dutch extended their reach across the oceans, bringing home spices, textiles, and extraordinary wealth.

From 1626 to 1664, New Amsterdam was the capital of New Netherland, a colony established by the Dutch West India Company that stretched across parts of five future states. The Dutch policy of religious toleration spawned an unusually pluralistic society, in which at least 18 languages were spoken. The city’s position and its diverse inhabitants made it a hub of global trade in the Atlantic network.

Some of the finest Dutch artists of the 17th century, among them Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Lievens, Gabriel Metsu, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen, painted portraits and character studies. Though portraying scenes in the Netherlands, these works of art offer hints of what life was like in New Amsterdam for government officials, fur traders, preachers, doctors, and women at home and in the markets. One of the most memorable portraits on view is Rembrandt’s engaging Self-Portrait from 1634, which the young master painted just as he was becoming Amsterdam’s most celebrated artist. Rembrandt’s large portrayal of a dignified Amsterdam merchant, painted much later in his career, projects the gravity of a wealthy gentleman who has assumed social and political responsibilities in his life.

Homes in New Amsterdam echoed those of the old country, though they were generally more modest. Paintings of Dutch interiors on view offer glimpses into the rhythms of domestic life on Manhattan Island. As evident in Gerrit Dou’s Herring Seller and Boy, shopkeeping was a common way for a woman to make a living at home during the era. Paintings of Dutch women reading also echo the habits in New Amsterdam, where people devoured books and pamphlets. Each arriving ship brought letters with news from the home country. Gabriel Metsu’s Smoker Seated at a Table, and Caspar Netscher’s Two Women in an Interior with a Basket of Lemons, also provide tangible examples of how integral the transatlantic trade had become during this period, and how it brought luxury products within reach of ordinary citizens.

The exhibition includes market scenes as well as still-life paintings by Pieter Claesz and Frans Snyders that depict the types of foods that could be savored in New Amsterdam. Tavern life, where the Dutch enjoyed gathering for drink and song, is also seen in several works. Music was a constant feature in Dutch life, whether in the quietude of one’s home, on street corners, or at county fairs, as in Jan Steen’s large Peasants Merrymaking outside an Inn.

The story of New Amsterdam is also one of exploitation. Indigenous people were displaced, and the first enslaved Africans arrived only a year after the city’s founding. On display from The New York Historical’s collections are maps, portraits, and a deed from 1651 granting property north of New Amsterdam to Manuel de Spangie, a formerly enslaved African who had won his freedom a few years earlier. Works by the Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar showcase rare likenesses of people whose societies were reshaped by colonialism, including Native Americans. The figures shown in Head of a Young Black Boy (1635) and Head of a Black Woman with a Lace Kerchief Hat (1645) may have been household servants in Amsterdam or Antwerp. While slavery was technically illegal in Amsterdam, the line between “servant” and “slave” was a blurry one.

Also on view are two foundational documents in the early struggle for religious freedom in America: the Flushing Remonstrance and the journal of Quaker leader John Bowne.

The exhibition ends with several paintings providing a glimpse into 1776 and beyond. The individuality fostered in the Dutch era evolved into a New York hallmark: a brash, confident, entrepreneurial energy. On the eve of the American Revolution, the city’s diversity made it a cauldron of debate and unrest. Built on Dutch foundations and shaped by waves of newcomers, New York reflected the American experiment and propelled it forward. From The New York Historical’s collection, Francis Guy’s 1797 painting Tontine Coffee House, New York City, where commercial activity seemingly bursts across the canvas, shows the expansive growth of the city in the century after the Dutch founded New Amsterdam.

Accompanying the exhibition is a digital 3D reimagining of the 1660 Castello Plan. Created in partnership with the New Amsterdam History Center, this interactive map lets visitors step directly into 17th-century New Amsterdam—exploring the interior of a home and visiting the original City Hall, the Indian Trading House, and a house where enslaved Africans lived. The map also traces the Lenape trail that would later become Broadway, revealing the living city beneath today’s street.

The exhibition is co-curated by Russell Shorto, director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical, and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., senior advisor to the Leiden Collection.

IMAGES

Peter Stuyvesant (ca. 1610-1672), Property deed to Manuel de Spangie, January 18, 1651. Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, The New York Historical

Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680), Man with a Fur-Trimmed Hat, ca. 1646-48. Oil on canvas. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Frans Hals (1582-1666), Portrait of Conradus Viëtor, 1644. Oil on canvas. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes, 1634. Oil on panel. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), Herring Seller and Boy, 1664. Oil on panel. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Frans van Mieris (1635-1681), Young Woman Feeding a Parrot, 1663. Oil on panel. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Caspar Netscher (1639-1684), Two Women in an Interior with a Basket of Lemons, ca. 1664-65. Oil on panel. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), Young Man Smoking and A Woman Pouring Beer, ca. 1656-58. Oil on panel. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Jan Steen (1626-1679), Peasants Merrymaking Outside an Inn, ca. 1676. Oil on canvas. Image courtesy of the Leiden Collection, New York

Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677), Head of a Black Woman with a Lace Kerchief Hat, 1645. Etching printed in black ink on laid paper. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Gift of Frank Raysor. Photo: David Stover, © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

THE MODERN MOMENT, ART THAT SHAPED THE 20th CENTURY

 

Helicline Fine Art proudly announces the opening of its new exhibition THE MODERN MOMENT, ART THAT SHAPED THE 20th CENTURY, a salute to the ground-breaking artistic movements that defined our last 100 years. The exhibition runs September 10 through November 15 online at Heliclinefineart.com.   The Modern Moment embraces the remarkable diversity of Modernism. Collectors and curators will encounter vibrant cityscapes, powerful industrial scenes, tranquil rural landscapes, expressive abstractions, studies of working men and women, intimate portraits, and observations of everyday life. While each artist approached the modern world through a distinctive visual language, all sought to capture the energy, complexity, and optimism of their time. Daniel Celentano(1902–1980) IdleHours( ca.1930s) 10 3/8 x10inches Oil on masonite signed lower ight   Modernism was not a single movement but a series of artistic innovations that forever changed the way we see the world. The Modern Moment brings together a thoughtfully curated selection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture that celebrates the extraordinary breadth of 20th-century artistic expression.

Adolph Dehn (1895-1968) Central Park (1950) 22 x 30 inches Casein on board Signed and dated lower right

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) Brooklyn Bridge (1940) 22 x 15 inches Watercolor on paper Signed and dated lower right

Featuring works by both celebrated masters and deserving rediscoveries, the exhibition explores the movements that shaped modern art, including: Art Deco, Vorticism, WPA-era American Scene, abstraction, abstract expressionism, and caricature. Together, these works reveal artists responding to a century defined by social change, and unprecedented technological progress.   "Our offerings have always been guided by curiosity rather than convention," said Helicline Fine Art gallerist Roy Goldberg. "We are grateful to share works by artists whose visions helped define Modernism - whether they became well-known names or have yet to receive the recognition they deserve. This exhibition reflects what inspires us as dealers.”   Artists in the exhibition include: Sybil Andrews, Victor Arnutoff, Arnold Blanch, Rudolf Bauer, Mortimer Borne, Jo Cain, Daniel Celentano, Max Arthur Cohn, Adolph Dehn, Donald Deskey, Seymour Fogel, Henry Martin Gasser, Emil Ganso, Douglas Gorsline, William Gropper, Juanitta Guccione, Mac Harshberger, Bertram Hartman, Al Hirschfeld, John Grabach, Edith Kramer, Michael Loew, Reginald Marsh, Antonio Petruccelli, Hilla Rebay, Rolph Scarlett and Carl Sprinchorn.

Rudolf Bauer (1889-1953) Untitled, (1926) 20 x 24 inches Watercolor and pastel on paper Signed lower right

Anonymous Barbizon-Plaza Hotel Art Deco Panel, (c. 1930) Panel: 50 x 36 1/4 inches Aluminum Verso: 35th floor, #20

"Our exhibitions can be seen exclusively online, giving us the flexibility to present art globally in a more accessible way. We encourage discovery whenever and wherever collectors, curators and advisors are based. For those who wish to experience the artwork in person, works can be viewed by appointment in our Midtown Manhattan space, said gallerist Keith Sherman. Mac Harshberger  Michael Loew

Thomas Hart Benton: A Picture of America in Its Entirety

 

September 9–October 16 Opening reception: Wednesday, September 9, 6–8 PM Our fall season begins with a retrospective exhibition of the work of Thomas Hart Benton, spanning five decades of the artist’s storied career. The exhibition opens in September as part of the gallery’s 25th anniversary program and coincides with the United States Semiquincentennial. This is the first major solo exhibition of Benton’s work in New York in over a decade, following the unveiling of the installation of his iconic mural America Today (1930–31) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014. Thomas Hart Benton emerged in the 1930s as the leading figure in the telling of American stories. In this sweeping tribute to one of the most quintessential visual narrators of the American experience, A Picture of America in its Entirety speaks to Benton’s role as a principal storyteller of 20th century American history and as one of the nation’s greatest artists. Benton’s work was distinctly American in its colorful and dynamic representations of people’s everyday lives and labor. Inspired by his wide-ranging and frequent travel across the country, Benton sought to convey what he described as “a picture of America in its entirety.” Request Preview Thomas Hart Benton Self-Portrait, 1974 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Trail Riders, c. 1964–65 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Conversation, 1952 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Study for “The Kentuckian”, 1954 Inquire Learn More Further Reading Thomas Hart Benton: Biography Art historian and Benton scholar Erika Doss surveys the artist’s accomplishments and lasting impact, affirming his place in the history of American modern art. Read More Notes From a Scholar: Thomas Hart Benton’s Sugar Cane Lauren Kroiz, professor and art historian, offers a deep dive into the historical context and nuanced composition of Benton’s 1945 masterwork. Read More Thomas Hart Benton: Chronology A narrative timeline highlighting key moments in the artist’s life and career, from his birth in 1889 to the present. Read More