Image: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Lucian Freud’s exhibition ‘Lucian Freud – All Is Portrait’ will close at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, on Sunday 27 September 2026. The exhibition, which opened on 11 June, examines the British artist’s lifelong concentration on faces and bodies, with particular emphasis on his work as a draughtsman and on the relationship between his drawings and paintings.
Freud (1922–2011) is regarded by Louisiana as one of the major figurative artists of the 20th century. He became known for intense portraits and nude studies, as well as for a sustained dedication to portraiture. The exhibition follows that interest across his career, from work made in the 1930s through to the beginning of the 21st century.
Rather than focusing only on Freud’s paintings, ‘All Is Portrait’ presents his command of drawing in a range of media. The selection includes works made in pencil, pen and ink, charcoal and etching techniques. Louisiana also describes the exhibition as tracing a dynamic dialogue between Freud’s work on paper and his work on canvas, allowing the two forms to be considered together.
A carefully selected group of important paintings forms part of the presentation, alongside drawings, archival research and previously unseen material. Louisiana says the exhibition includes works being shown publicly for the first time. Among the works identified on the museum’s exhibition page are ‘Self Portrait with Hyacinth Pot’ (1947–48), from Pallant House Gallery in the United Kingdom, and ‘Reflection (Self Portrait)’ (1985), an oil painting from a private collection.
The exhibition was organised by the National Portrait Gallery in London in collaboration with Louisiana. Its presentation in Denmark is supported by Knud Højgaards Fond, Augustinus Fonden, and C. L. Davids Fond og Samling. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, located at Gl. Strandvej 13 in Humlebæk, is presenting the exhibition as part of its 2026 programme of temporary exhibitions.
Louisiana has scheduled related programming during the exhibition’s final weeks, including the lecture ‘Myten om Lucian Freud’ on 25 August, with British art historian and curator Andrew Wilson discussing the artist’s breakthrough years and the media interest surrounding his work. A separate talk, ‘Kunsten at gøre livet til kunst’, featuring Norwegian writer Tomas Espedal, is listed for 9 September. On 6 September, Louisiana members can attend a screening of the documentary ‘Lucian Freud: A Self Portrait’ at Grand Teatret in Copenhagen, with an introduction by Louisiana art educator Line Ali Chayder. The exhibition remains on view at Louisiana through 27 September 2026.
