Every Van Eyck portrait in one room: the National Gallery’s winter show

For the first time, every surviving portrait by Jan van Eyck will hang in one room. Van Eyck: The Portraits opens at the National Gallery on 21 November 2026 and runs until 11 April 2027.

There are only ten of them, painted in the 1430s, and they’re spread across museums in Berlin, Vienna, Bruges and London. This is the first time they’ve been brought together.

What you’ll see

• The Arnolfini Portrait (1434), shown next to the Berlin Portrait of a Man, thought to show the same sitter. It’s the first time the two have hung side by side.
• Portrait of a Man (1433), the National Gallery’s possible self-portrait, newly restored, shown with Portrait of Margaret, the Painter’s Wife (1439) from Bruges
• Portrait of an Elderly Man from Vienna, reunited with Van Eyck’s only surviving drawing, on loan from Dresden
• Jan de Leeuw, also from Vienna

A small number of drawings from around the same time are included too, among them a portrait drawing by Rogier van der Weyden from the British Museum.

Tickets

It’s a paid, ticketed exhibition. Prices hadn’t been published in the sources we checked, so look at the National Gallery’s exhibition page before you book. Shows built around a single famous picture fill up at weekends, and weekday mornings are usually calmer. The rest of the gallery stays free.

Make a day of it

The gallery sits on Trafalgar Square, so it pairs well with the Christmas lights in the West End. Our Christmas in London 2026 dates list has the switch-ons, and free things to do in London covers the free museums nearby.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Van Eyck exhibition at the National Gallery?

From 21 November 2026 to 11 April 2027.

Is the Arnolfini Portrait in the exhibition?

Yes, shown next to a portrait from Berlin thought to show the same man.

Is the Van Eyck exhibition free?

No, it’s ticketed. The National Gallery’s permanent collection is free.

Sources

• IanVisits: all ten Van Eyck portraits reunite in London
• Finestre sull’Arte: Van Eyck at the National Gallery
• National Gallery: curator’s introduction

Last checked: 27 October 2026. Image: Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (1434), National Gallery, public domain.