Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers – an exhibition.

Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most famous painters who has ever lived. His paintings are extremely popular and this exhibition in the National Gallery in London is a once-in-a-century experience, meaning that you will have to wait a very long time before you get a similar chance to see so beautiful Van Gogh paintings in the same place again.

If you come to this exhibition you can see paintings such as ‘Starry Night over the Rhône’ (1888, Musée d’Orsay), ‘The Yellow House’ (1888, Van Gogh Museum), and also paintings normally in the National Gallery such as ‘Sunflowers’ (1888) and ‘Van Gogh’s Chair’ (1889).

If you look at the years in which all these paintings were made, you will see that they are from the period in which Van Gogh resided in France. During those years, Van Gogh was inspired by poets, writers, and artists, and his paintings turned into something like a symphony of colors and texture. The exhibition deals with the time Van Gogh spent in Arles and Saint-Rémy and looks at several of his creations from this period.

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers in the National Gallery.

Dates: September 14, 2024 – January 19, 2025.
Location: National Gallery

Admission fee: Even though entry to the National Gallery is free, you need to pay an admission fee to visit this very special and fantastic temporary exhibition. You can book your tickets online at the website of the National Gallery.

You can read more about other museums in London, temporary exhibitions, upcoming concerts and festivals, and so much more in our London Guide.

The Last Caravaggio – an exhibition.

It is May in 1610 and Caravaggio is in the city of Naples in Italy. He is doing what he normally does, he is painting. But, two months later he dies under mysterious circumstances, and this is the last painting he ever made.

The name of this painting is “The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula”, and now it is returning to England for the first time in 20 years. There is a letter in which Caravaggio describes the story behind the painting and it will be on display together with his last creation. To spice it up even more, the National Gallery will portray its own picture from Caravaggio (‘Salome with the Head of John the Baptist’) from 1609-1610 together with “The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula.

The Last Caraggio in the National Gallery

Dates: April 18, 2014 – July 21, 2014
Location: National Gallery

Admission fee: It is free to visit this exhibition. Even though it is free, it is smart to book a free ticket online at the website of the National Gallery before you arrive to be sure that you can enter the museum at the given time.

You can read more about the National Gallery and its temporary and permanent exhibitions right here.

Would you rather read more about other programs, events, concerts, festivals, and markets in London? Look at our calendar to find out what’s going on in London.

Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance

One of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery in London is The Ugly Duchess, painted by Quinten Massys. The painting is from the 16th century. Between March 16th and July 11th in 2023, there will be a free temporary exhibition in the National Gallery that deals with how they dealt with beauty and satire in the renaissance.

There will be several interesting paintings exhibited together with The Ugly Duchess in this temporary exhibition. Finally, you can watch this painting together with “An Old Man“, which will be borrowed by the gallery for this exhibition.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see how painters dealt with aging, beauty, satire, and similar topics during the renaissance.

The Ugly Duchess: Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance

March 16, 2023 – July 11th, 2023
National Gallery

Bartolomé Bermejo in the National Gallery

Bartolome Bermejo is the name of a Spanish painter from the 15th century whom we only know for less than 20 works. Still, what we know of this guy and his works are so amazing that he is still unparalleled for his work during his lifetime, especially his oil-painting work.

From June 12th until September 29th, you can take a look at this awesome temporary exhibition in the National Gallery in London portraying seven of his rare works. And guess what, only one of these works has been in England before, while the other six works will be on English soil for the first time ever. In other words, this is a fantastic chance to learn more about Bartolome Bermejo and to see seven of his works (which is more than 33% of what we know he made) at the very same time.

A temporary exhibition in the National Gallery of London

This is a free temporary exhibition, meaning that you can enjoy it without paying a single penny, just like you can with most other permanent exhibitions in the National Gallery in London!

The full press release about the exhibitoin

Here you can see the full press release about the exhibition. The text is copied from the homepage of the National Gallery.

From the glimmer of a jewel to the sheen of armour, Bermejo’s ability to capture light, colours and textures in oil painting was unparalleled in 15th-century Spain.

Though fewer than 20 works by the artist are known and much of his life remains something of a mystery, Bermejo’s paintings set him apart as a technically skilled and visionary master.

Bringing together seven of his rare works, six of which have never been seen in the UK, this exhibition explores how Bermejo drew inspiration from Netherlandish painting, using illusionistic effects and a rich colour palette, to become one of the greatest artists of the Spanish Renaissance.

At the heart of the exhibition is Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil, widely considered the most important early Spanish painting in Britain. Its technical skill and excellent state of preservation are even clearer following its recent year-long conservation treatment.

This will be a unique opportunity to see Bermejo’s first documented painting, ‘Saint Michael’ alongside his last, the recently restored ‘Desplà Pietà’ (1490) from Barcelona Cathedral, which has never been lent outside of Spain until now. Also on display will be Bermejo’s only other signed masterwork, the ‘Triptych of the Virgin of Montserrat’ (probably 1470–75) from the Cattedrale Nostra Signora Assunta in Acqui Terme, Alessandria (Italy).

From Manet to Cézanne in the National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is one of the best art galleries in the world. Another fantastic gallery is the Courtauld Gallery in London, but it is closed for renovation work at the moment. So, what better to do with some of the pictures from the Courtauld Gallery in this period, than to let them be on display in the National Gallery in London?

Since the start of September 2018, the exhibition “Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne” has been on display in the National Gallery. It will be there until January 19th in 2019, so you still have some months left to visit the exhibition if it sounds interesting.

impressionists in the national gallery

It is the first time since 1948 that the National Gallery will portray important Impressionist paintings from the Courtauld Gallery, and who knows when it will happen again. If you visit the exhibition you will discover more than 40 works from Daumier to Bonnard.

Visitors will also get more knowledge about Samuel Courtauld, and get an understanding of his vision, taste, and motivation for selecting the images he selected.

Cézanne’s Card Players and Man with a Pipe

Some of the most famous paintings that will be on display from the Courtauld Gallery are Cézanne’s Card Players and Man with a Pipe, Toulouse-Lautrec’s Jane Avril in the Entrance to the Moulin Rouge, Renoir’s La Loge, Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Seurat’s Young Woman Powdering Herself.

There will be pictures from the National Gallery displayed next to the pictures from the Courtauld Gallery.

Since this is a temporary exhibition an entrance fee of 7,5 GBP has to be paid. Most parts of the National Gallery is free to visit, but temporary exhibitions such as this one are not free to visit.

More information about exhibitions and other happenings in London can be found here.