© National Gallery
Zurbarán
2 May 2026 — 23 August 2026
On NowThe National Gallery presents the first UK exhibition devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán — reuniting major religious commissions and intimate still lifes that reveal the 17th-century Seville master's extraordinary naturalism, textile virtuosity and deeply spiritual vision, co-organised with the Louvre and the Art Institute of Chicago.
From National Gallery
A giant in the history of Spanish art, Francisco de Zurbarán was one of the great painters of 17th-century Seville, a centre of global trade. His vivid paintings, from small still lifes to soaring altarpieces, burst with naturalism and convey intense spiritual experiences. Renowned as a painter of fabrics, Zurbarán represented extravagant clothing as well as the austere robes of monks with unsurpassed skill. He was also a careful observer of lived reality. Ordinary items – a ceramic vessel,...
Read more at National Gallery →Critic Reviews (5)
TimeOut
Annabel Downes
Zurbarán
"Zurbarán painted to inspire devotion with a total conviction, whether it was the flesh of Christ, the rough folds of a monk's robe or the bloom on a lemon. Four centuries later, the paintings still inspire that same kind of awe and fixation in the people standing before them."
Read full review →The Standard
Melanie McDonagh
Even the godless will be enraptured by this drama
"Francisco de Zurbarán is not a household name here when it comes to 17th-century Spanish art, but this exhibition may change that. For in painting after painting we encounter genius."
Read full review →The Guardian
Jonathan Jones
Ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted
"The word 'visionary' is done to death but the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán demands it: he paints supernatural things naturally and natural things supernaturally. Space becomes different in his world, melting distance and erasing the barrier between you and the picture."
Read full review →The Telegraph
Alastair Sooke
More agony than ecstasy
"For non-believers, though, who might not be moved by (or familiar with) the pictorial conventions of 17th-century Catholic Spain, this exploration of the career of Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) could be hard going. Yet, they can also seem theatrical, like spot-lit actors whose performances don't quite convince."
Read full review →The Times
Waldemar Januszczak
This is one of the greatest shows I've ever seen
"He could do most of the things Velázquez could do — he could certainly do startling realism — but with Zurbarán the facts are turbocharged by a darkness that makes his work feel prickly. Zurbarán trumps Velázquez in his strangeness."
Read full review →About the Artist
Visit
Trafalgar Square, London·View on artmap
Sunday10am–6pm
Monday10am–6pm
Tuesday10am–6pm
Wednesday10am–6pm
Thursday10am–6pm
Friday10am–9pm
Saturday10am–6pm
Related Exhibitions
© National Gallery
Zurbarán
2 May 2026 — 23 August 2026
On NowThe National Gallery presents the first UK exhibition devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán — reuniting major religious commissions and intimate still lifes that reveal the 17th-century Seville master's extraordinary naturalism, textile virtuosity and deeply spiritual vision, co-organised with the Louvre and the Art Institute of Chicago.
From National Gallery
A giant in the history of Spanish art, Francisco de Zurbarán was one of the great painters of 17th-century Seville, a centre of global trade. His vivid paintings, from small still lifes to soaring altarpieces, burst with naturalism and convey intense spiritual experiences. Renowned as a painter of fabrics, Zurbarán represented extravagant clothing as well as the austere robes of monks with unsurpassed skill. He was also a careful observer of lived reality. Ordinary items – a ceramic vessel,...
Read more at National Gallery →Critic Reviews (5)
TimeOut
Annabel Downes
Zurbarán
"Zurbarán painted to inspire devotion with a total conviction, whether it was the flesh of Christ, the rough folds of a monk's robe or the bloom on a lemon. Four centuries later, the paintings still inspire that same kind of awe and fixation in the people standing before them."
Read full review →The Standard
Melanie McDonagh
Even the godless will be enraptured by this drama
"Francisco de Zurbarán is not a household name here when it comes to 17th-century Spanish art, but this exhibition may change that. For in painting after painting we encounter genius."
Read full review →The Guardian
Jonathan Jones
Ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted
"The word 'visionary' is done to death but the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán demands it: he paints supernatural things naturally and natural things supernaturally. Space becomes different in his world, melting distance and erasing the barrier between you and the picture."
Read full review →The Telegraph
Alastair Sooke
More agony than ecstasy
"For non-believers, though, who might not be moved by (or familiar with) the pictorial conventions of 17th-century Catholic Spain, this exploration of the career of Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) could be hard going. Yet, they can also seem theatrical, like spot-lit actors whose performances don't quite convince."
Read full review →The Times
Waldemar Januszczak
This is one of the greatest shows I've ever seen
"He could do most of the things Velázquez could do — he could certainly do startling realism — but with Zurbarán the facts are turbocharged by a darkness that makes his work feel prickly. Zurbarán trumps Velázquez in his strangeness."
Read full review →About the Artist
Visit
Trafalgar Square, London·View on artmap
Sunday10am–6pm
Monday10am–6pm
Tuesday10am–6pm
Wednesday10am–6pm
Thursday10am–6pm
Friday10am–9pm
Saturday10am–6pm