Image: National Gallery, London
‘Zurbarán’, billed by the National Gallery as the first major UK exhibition devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán, is in its closing weeks in the Sainsbury Wing in London. The show opened on 2 May 2026 and runs until 23 August 2026, with tickets required.
The gallery invites visitors to “move between soaring altarpieces and exquisite still lifes” by the painter it describes as a visionary of Baroque Seville. A peer of Murillo and Velázquez, Zurbarán is presented for his drama, mystery and vision, and for the intensity he finds in ordinary things — from the rind of a lemon to the gaze of a saint. Strong light and deep shadow, the gallery says, bring real faces, soft fabrics, fresh fruit and flowers to life in paintings that unite stillness, focus and faith.
The selection draws on major collections across Europe and the United States and spans Zurbarán’s career, from his first religious commissions to paintings made for private devotion. The exhibition is organised by the National Gallery, London, with the Musée du Louvre, Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Critical response has been strong: the gallery cites five-star reviews from The Times, The Standard and The Guardian, with The Sunday Times calling it one of the greatest shows its critic has seen and The Observer describing it as an unmissable show of Baroque genius. That reception is the source of the “five-star exhibition” line the gallery has used in its own social posts.
Standard admission is £20 off-peak, Sunday to Thursday, and £22 on Friday and Saturday, with under-18s admitted free and Members going free. The gallery has extended opening hours for the run, staying open daily until 7pm and until 9pm on Fridays. A Pay What You Wish scheme ran on Friday evenings from 22 May to 7 August 2026 and has now ended.
Support for the exhibition comes from Fondation Socindec, The Elizabeth Cayzer Charitable Trust, The Vaseppi Trust, the Robert Lehman Foundation, Karyl Nairn KC, Count and Countess Emilio Voli and ARTscapades. With the run ending on 23 August, roughly two weeks remain to see the exhibition in London.
