Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery is the UK’s most comprehensive exhibition to focus on the artist’s work on paper. the exhibition features previously unseen materials and explores Freud’s lifelong preoccupation with the human form from the 1930s to the early 21st century.
Lucian Freud (1922-2011) achieved recognition as one of Britain’s foremost figurative painters, celebrated for his clinically raw and intensely observed portraits and nude studies. Freud’s working practice, artistic techniques and processes, alongside his dedication to the genre of portraiture all contribute to his popularity as an artist.
Focusing on Freud’s mastery of drawing in all its forms – from pencil, pen, and ink to charcoal and etching – the a carefully selected group of important paintings will reveal the dynamic dialogue between his practice on paper and on canvas.Ahead of the exhibition in 2026, the National Portrait Gallery has acquired 12 new works from the estate of Lucian Freud. Among these are 8 etchings, including a trial proof, which are the first of their medium by Freud to enter the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection.
One of the newly acquired etchings, which depicts the artist’s fashion-designer daughter, Bella Freud, is featured in the new exhibition, alongside archive research and previously unseen materials. Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting is the first exhibition of Freud’s work at the National Portrait Gallery since the major retrospective Lucian Freud Portraits held in 2012, shortly after his death. Following its run at the National Portrait Gallery, Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting will tour to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark, from 10 June to 27 September 2026.
Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting is at the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London from 12th February to 4th May 2026. Find more information here.
