Among the newly announced exhibitions will be a display of Lucian Freud’s drawings, a centenary exhibition celebrating Marilyn Monroe and an exploration of queer identity, community and love through the lens of Tim Walker.
The National Portrait Gallery has announced its exhibition programme for 2026, featuring a diverse line up of displays to visitors to enjoy.
Opening on the 12th February, Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting will explore the artist’s lifelong preoccupation with the human face and figure from the 1930s to the early twenty-first century. On display until the 3rd May, the exhibition will focus on Freud’s mastery of drawing in all its forms – from pencil, pen, and ink to charcoal and etching.
Also on display next spring, Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will display a series of photographic portraits by the American artist, marking the first major museum exhibition of her work to be shown in the UK. Created in collaboration with the artist, the exhibition will be on display from the 5th March until the 31st May.
The National Portrait Gallery will celebrate what would have been Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday next summer with Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait (4th June until the 6th September). This exhibition will explore her life, career and legacy through the portraits created of her by some of the world’s most renowned photographers and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries including: Andy Warhol, Cecil Beaton and Eve Arnold.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 (25th June – 7th October 2026), will once again celebrate the best of contemporary portraiture. Each of the artworks selected showcase the range and complexity of skill, artists explore both classical and innovative techniques that show the enduring relevance of portraiture today.
Meanwhile, heading into autumn months, Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends will go on display from the 8th October until the 31st January 2027. Designed as an exhibition to explore queer identity, community, and love through the lens of the British photographer, the display will take visitors on a journey into Walker’s inner world.
The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2026 will return from the 29th October 2026 – 10th January 2027, to celebrate the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals in the very best of contemporary photography. Many of the works selected have never been displayed before and capture both traditional and contemporary approaches to the photographic portrait.
For more information visit: https://www.npg.org.uk/