A major exhibition of previously unseen works by the celebrated British artist Lucian Freud will open at the National Portrait Gallery in London next year, offering an unprecedented look into his creative process.
Drawing into Painting: A Deep Dive into Freud's Archive
The exhibition, titled "Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting," will run from 12 February to 4 May 2026. It is billed as the UK's most comprehensive museum exhibition of his work and will form a central part of the gallery's 2026 programme. The show is curated by the NPG's senior curator of contemporary collections, Sarah Howgate, in collaboration with artist and director of the Lucian Freud Archive, David Dawson.
The collection draws extensively from the Lucian Freud Archive held at the gallery. It will feature a remarkable 170 drawings, etchings and paintings, many of which have never been displayed publicly. Highlights include childhood drawings, 48 of the artist's personal sketchbooks, personal letters and unfinished paintings.
Masterpieces and Influences on Display
The exhibition aims to shift focus from Freud's renowned paintings to his meticulous work as a draughtsman, exploring how his drawings signposted major evolutions in his style. A key piece will be one of his most ambitious figure paintings, Large Interior, W11 (1981–3). This work is a direct response to Jean-Antoine Watteau's Pierrot Content (1712), and both paintings will be displayed together, with the Watteau on loan from Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.
Another fascinating section will reveal Freud's long-term engagement with the work of John Constable. It will feature his repeated attempts to copy Constable's Study of the Trunk of an Elm Tree (1821), studies which ultimately inspired his own painting After Constable's Elm (2003). Constable's original study will be exhibited alongside Freud's interpretations.
Revealing the Artist's Daily Practice
Sarah Howgate expressed her excitement about presenting this lesser-known side of Freud's oeuvre. "Lucian Freud was one of the greatest observers of the human condition in the 20th century," she said. "Widely known as a painter, this exhibition interrogates his lesser-known work as a draughtsman."
She added that the show brings together Freud's finest drawings from across the globe, reuniting them with their corresponding paintings. "This exhibition, taking place in London, the city Freud loved more than any other, reveals a less familiar side of his work," Howgate noted. "It is a wonderful opportunity to understand his behind-the-scenes workings and day-to-day thinking as an artist."
The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication of the same name. The book will include conversations between the curator and Bella Freud and David Dawson, plus contributions from writers including Colm Tóibín, Catherine Lampert, Tanya Bentley and Isabel Seligman.
