Van Eyck: The Portraits - Art Talk

Discover the brilliance of Jan van Eyck in an evening with Nicholas Flory, art historian and curator of the National Gallery’s landmark van Eyck exhibition. Drawing on his curatorial insights, Flory takes you behind the scenes: the meticulous techniques, the hidden meanings, and the revolutionary vision that made van Eyck one of the most influential painters of the Northern Renaissance. This talk offers a rare chance to hear directly from the curator who brought these masterpieces together - perfect for anyone curious about art, history, and the craft of close looking.

Portraiture as we know it begins with van Eyck. His vision and skill launched painting into a new era of unrivalled realism. Watchful eyes, a hint of stubble, wrinkles, flushed cheeks. Van Eyck captured his subjects in all their intimate details. Though these people sat for their portraits 600 years ago, they feel alive today. 

The Exhibition ‘Van Eyck: The Portraits’ at the National Gallery brings together from across Europe all nine of the artist’s known painted portraits, making up half of his surviving works worldwide.  Breathing life into van Eyck’s world, the exhibition introduces the men and women he spent his life around. They are not kings, queens and aristocrats; they are successful craftsmen, merchants and the artist’s relatives. This is a story of people. This is the moment when access to art widened. The exhibition marks the first and only time these works can be brought together.

Expect fresh perspectives, close-looking, and a deeper appreciation of why van Eyck still feels so startlingly modern.