First major UK exhibition on Francisco de Zurbarán at the National Gallery
The first major monographic exhibition in the UK devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664), is on view at the National Gallery from 2 May to 23 August 2026.
Source: National Gallery · Image: Francisco de Zurbarán, “Agnus Dei”, Museo del Prado.
Along with Diego Velázquez (1599–1660) and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682), Zurbarán was one of the leading painters of 17th-century Spain. His paintings, which include stunning life-size depictions of saints, soaring altarpieces and contemplative still lifes, are celebrated for their naturalism, directness and deep emotional power.
This exhibition is 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. Several works by Zurbarán also featured in The Sacred Made Real, an exhibition held in 2009–10.
This exhibition of almost 50 paintings will span the chronological and iconographic breadth of the artist’s career. It will unite exceptional works from the collection of the National Gallery (including Saint Margaret of Antioch, A Cup of Water and a Rose and Juan de Zurbarán’s Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket) with paintings 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’), the two partner museums to which the exhibition will travel between October 2026 and June 2027.
Other major loans from France (‘Saint Francis of Assisi’, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon), Spain (‘Agnus Dei’, Museo Nacional del Prado; ‘Immaculate Conception’, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya) and the USA (‘Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth’, Cleveland Museum of Art) will complete this comprehensive exploration of Zurbarán’s career, which seeks to evoke the mystery, vision and power of his art.
