The exhibition will open at the gallery in the Spring 2026.
Hercules and Cerberus, 1634
Oil on canvas, 132 x 151 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
© Photographic Archive Museo Nacional del Prad
A major exhibition devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán will open at London’s National Gallery next year, going on display from the 2nd May until the 23rd August it has been confirmed.
Considered to be one of the leading painters of 17th-century Spain alongside Diego Velázquez and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Zurbarán’s work was celebrated for their naturalism, directness and deep emotional power.
This newly announced exhibition will mark the first dedicated presentation of the artist’s paintings at the National Gallery since 1994 when the series of ‘Jacob and his Twelve Sons’ from Auckland Castle was shown in the Sunley Room.
When it goes on display next year, it will feature almost 50 paintings, spanning the chronological and iconographic range of the artist’s career. Highlights include works in the National Gallery’s collection such as Saint Margaret of Antioch, A Cup of Water and a Rose and Juan de Zurbarán’s Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket alongside pieces from from the Musée du Louvre (‘Saint Bonaventure on His Bier’ and ‘Saint Apollonia’) and the Art Institute of Chicago (‘The Crucifixion’, ‘Saint Romanus of Antioch’ and ‘Saint Barulas’ and Juan de Zurbarán’s ‘Flowers and Fruit in a Chinese Bowl’).
Following its display in London, the exhibition will then travel to the Musée du Louvre and the Art Institute of Chicago between October 2026 and June 2027.
Talking about the news, Daniel Sobrino Ralston, the National Gallery’s CEEH (Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica) Associate Curator of Spanish Paintings, says ‘We are excited to present the most comprehensive survey of Zurbarán’s work ever seen in Britain, bringing together exceptional loans from across the UK, Europe and the United States. This exhibition offers new insights on one of the great artists of the Baroque era, whose visionary paintings have shaped our understanding of 17th-century Spain.’
To find out more about the exhibition visit: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/zurbar%C3%A1n