Van Eyck 2: The Portraits

Van Eyck : The Portraits 
at the National Gallery, London 
21 November 2026 - 11 April 2027 
Monday 30 November at 6:00pm 

This autumn the National Gallery in London is staging a remarkable exhibition of the work of Jan van Eyck, which it claims will bring together ‘all nine of the artist’s painted portraits’. There are, however, more portraits that will not be included. In at least three of his religious commissions there are entirely lifelike images of the patrons, and these include, most famously, the donors of his masterwork, the Ghent Altarpiece. As a result, so that we can discover all of van Eyck’s portraits, and to put them into the context of his career as a whole, over the course of two lectures we will look at all of his known paintings.

The second talk will effectively be an introduction to the National Gallery's exhibition: nine highly prized images which have never been shown together before. It is worth remembering that three of these are part of the National Gallery’s own collection. One is a subtle nod to the power of illusion, a second quite possibly a self portrait, and the third - the Arnolfini Portrait - ranks not only as probably the most important by this artist, but also as one of the most important portraits of the whole 15th century. To see how these unparalleled paintings compare to the other independent portraits is an opportunity not to be missed. 

Please remember, I do not record my talks.