Lucian Freud exhibition opens at The National Portrait Gallery

In 2026, the National Portrait Gallery will present Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting, the most expansive UK museum exhibition ever dedicated to Lucian Freud’s work on paper. Bringing together drawings, prints and a select group of paintings, the exhibition offers a rare and intimate insight into Freud’s artistic process, revealing how drawing remained the engine of his practice throughout his life.

Best known for his uncompromising portraits and nude studies, Freud reshaped figurative painting in Britain through his forensic attention to the human body. His work is often described as raw, even confrontational, yet beneath the intensity lies a relentless discipline: a lifelong commitment to looking, revising, and returning to the same subjects again and again. This exhibition places that process centre stage.

Spanning more than seven decades, from the 1930s to the early 21st century, Drawing into Painting traces Freud’s enduring fascination with the human face and figure. From quick pencil studies and searching charcoal drawings to pen-and-ink works and etchings, the exhibition reveals drawing as both a preparatory tool and a complete artistic language in its own right. Alongside these works on paper, a small but significant selection of paintings highlights the ongoing conversation between Freud’s drawings and his canvases.

The exhibition also coincides with a major enrichment of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. Ahead of the show, the Gallery has acquired twelve works from Freud’s estate, including eight etchings; the first examples of this medium by Freud to enter the collection. One of these newly acquired works, an etching depicting Freud’s daughter, fashion designer Bella Freud, is featured in the exhibition alongside archival material and research rarely seen by the public.

Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting marks the artist’s first appearance at the National Portrait Gallery since the landmark retrospective Lucian Freud Portraits in 2012, staged shortly after his death. Seen now, more than a decade later, the exhibition offers a quieter but deeper perspective, one that shifts attention from finished masterpieces to the sustained acts of observation that defined Freud’s career.

Following its London presentation, the exhibition will travel to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, where it will be shown from 10 June to 27 September 2026.

Tickets range from £23–25 (£25.50–27.50 with donation), with free entry for Members.