On 21 November 2026, something unprecedented in art history will happen. That’s when the National Gallery in London opens Van Eyck: The Portraits, bringing all nine surviving painted portraits by the Flemish master Jan van Eyck together under one roof for the first time ever. Many of the works are so fragile and precious that they rarely travel – so this will probably be the only time they can be shown together. For anyone who loves art, it’s an event worth planning a trip around, and if you want to bring the atmosphere home, all you need is a poster on the right wall. This guide explains what’s happening, who Van Eyck was, and how to translate his portraiture into artwork that works at home.
Quick facts: Van Eyck: The Portraits is on view at the National Gallery in London from 21 November 2026 to 11 April 2027. The exhibition brings together all nine surviving painted portraits by Jan van Eyck – around half of the slightly more than twenty works by his own hand that remain. Highlights include the museum’s own Arnolfini portrait from 1434, and Van Eyck’s only surviving drawing is reunited with its corresponding painting for only the second time in history.
What’s on at the National Gallery – and why is it unique?
Jan van Eyck left behind remarkably few works. Of the slightly more than twenty paintings by his own hand that have survived to this day, around half are portraits, and these nine works are scattered across museums in several countries. Bringing them together requires institution after institution to agree to lend some of its greatest treasures at the same time – something that is unlikely to be repeated. The National Gallery describes it as the first and only time the works can be shown together, precisely because several are too fragile, old, and valuable to be moved often.
At the heart of the exhibition is the museum’s own painting, The Arnolfini Portrait from 1434 – one of the most analyzed paintings in the Western world, known for its mirror in the background, its little dog, and its abundance of symbols. There’s another rarity, too: Van Eyck’s only surviving drawing is reunited with the finished painting it led to, for only the second time ever. Standing before this collection will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone interested in how portraiture became an art form.
Nearly six hundred years after the paint dried, Van Eyck’s subjects still look straight at us – and it’s that gaze that makes them such compelling subjects for a wall.
Who was Jan van Eyck? Pioneer of oil painting and master of the Flemish Primitives
Jan van Eyck was active in what is now Belgium during the first half of the 15th century and is considered one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. He belonged to the group of artists often called the Flemish Primitives - a somewhat misleading name, since there was nothing primitive about their technique. On the contrary, Van Eyck pushed oil painting to a level of detail no one had previously come close to.
The secret lay in how he built up the image in thin, translucent layers of oil paint. The light seems to come from within the canvases, fabrics gleam, gold shimmers, and every strand of hair, wrinkle, and thread in the weave is rendered with almost unreal sharpness. He also signed several works with the enigmatic motto "Als Ich Can" - "as best I can" - a modest phrase from an artist who in practice could do more than anyone else of his time.
The Man with the Red Turban
One of the portraits being reunited is the famous Man in a Red Turban from 1433, which many scholars believe is a self-portrait. The intense gaze and luminous red headdress have made the image an icon. Alongside his portraits, Van Eyck also created the monumental Ghent Altarpiece, completed in 1432, one of the most famous and most stolen works of art in history. Together, these works paint a picture of an artist who changed what painting could be.
Master of symbols - why detail carries the story
What makes Van Eyck so fascinating to stand in front of is that nothing in his paintings is random. In the Arnolfini Portrait, the little dog is a symbol of fidelity, the light in the chandelier and the fruit on the windowsill carry meaning, and the round mirror on the wall captures the entire room - including two figures in the doorway who are otherwise unseen. Above the mirror, the artist even wrote "Johannes de eyck fuit hic", Latin for "Jan van Eyck was here", as a kind of testimony within the painting itself.
This kind of storytelling through detail is entirely different from a fleeting impression. Van Eyck’s paintings are meant to be read slowly, almost like a text, with every object adding a sentence. For anyone choosing art for their home, it’s a useful reminder: the subjects we enjoy most over time are rarely the ones that say everything in a second, but those that keep offering something new each time our gaze rests on them. A poster with that quality becomes a slow friend rather than a quick effect.
The same principle explains why portraits have remained among the most beloved subjects in art for six hundred years. A face automatically draws the eye – we’re biologically wired to seek eye contact – and a skillfully painted portrait sustains that connection. That’s why a single well-chosen portrait poster often does more for a room than several decorative prints together, and why a face can still hold an entire wall on its own.
What Van Eyck teaches us about choosing portraits and detailed art for the home
You don’t need to hang a Renaissance painting on the wall to appreciate what makes Van Eyck so powerful. Three principles from his art can be applied directly to how you choose a poster.
The first is the power of the gaze. A portrait in which the subject looks directly at the viewer creates an immediate connection and draws in the whole room. That’s why portrait prints work so well as focal points above a dresser or in a hallway where people pass close by. The second is richness of detail. Van Eyck’s paintings reward those who stop and look closely, and in the same way, a detailed poster stands the test of time – you discover new things months later. The third is the role of light. Van Eyck painted as if light came from within, and a poster with distinct interplay of light or deep, glaze-like colors comes alive when hung where daylight and lamps can play across it.
Tip: Detailed art in the spirit of Van Eyck calls for close viewing. Hang a portrait or a richly detailed piece on a wall you can actually get close to – by the dining area, in the hallway, or beside a reading chair – rather than high up where you can only see it from a distance. High-CRI lighting also gives deep tones the same inner glow that fascinates us in the originals.
Specific recommendations: motifs, formats, and rooms
If you want to bring some of the Van Eyck exhibition’s atmosphere into your home, there are several ways to do so. Classic portraits and works of art by famous masters offer the most direct connection, and in our collection of artworks by famous artists, you’ll find pieces in the same painterly tradition. If you’re looking for a feeling rather than a specific era, timeless photographic portraits and evocative black-and-white prints work beautifully – they have the same gaze and gravity as the old portraits, expressed in a more modern style.
When it comes to format, portraits and detailed subjects benefit from being hung at eye level and in a size that invites you to take a closer look. A single 50x70 portrait makes an obvious focal point above a dresser or sofa, while smaller 30x40 formats work well in a collection where several faces or subjects come together. A dark wooden frame or deep frame reinforces the classic gravitas, while a slim black frame creates a more graphic look. If you’re curious about the long history of art and posters behind this kind of subject, Bozetto’s guide to the history of wall art is a great read, as is our overview of the history of posters.
Van Eyck worked in cities such as Bruges and Ghent, and anyone drawn to the settings of the Northern Renaissance can complement a portrait with a scene of one of those historic Flemish cities from our collection of posters of famous places. That way, the art has both a face and a place to call home.
One final thing worth considering is the color palette. Van Eyck’s canvases are dominated by deep, saturated hues - burgundy, dark green, brown, and gold - which happen to be close to the warm, earthy palette shaping interior design in 2026. That makes classic portraits surprisingly easy to fit into a modern home right now. A dark, serious subject in a warm wooden frame complements this year’s brown and olive-green tones without clashing at all, bringing together old master artistry and contemporary interiors in a way that feels both intentional and natural.
Frequently asked questions about Van Eyck and the 2026 exhibition
Van Eyck: The Portraits will be one of 2026’s major art events – an opportunity to see faces nearly six hundred years old brought together in the same room for the first and last time. Even if a trip to London isn’t in the cards, you can bring some of its gravitas and beauty into your home: a portrait with the right gaze, a richly detailed subject in the right light. Explore our collection of art by famous artists and timeless black-and-white prints, and read our guide to Gustav Klimt if you’re drawn to painting where gold and detail take center stage.
Sources: National Gallery – Van Eyck: The Portraits and Smithsonian Magazine.