This is London Magazine April Edition 2026 - Flipbook - Page 28
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Francisco de Zurbarán
The Crucified Christ with a Painter,
about 1650. Oil on canvas, 105 x 84 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
© Photographic Archive Museo
Nacional del Prado.
ZURBARAN AT NATIONAL GALLERY
Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664)
is one of the great artists of 17th-century
Spain. He worked in Seville, then one of
Spain’s richest cities, and made artworks
for some of the country’s most important
people and places. There has never been
a major exhibition devoted to him in the
UK. He was working in Spain at the
same time as the artists Velazquez and
Murillo, whom he would have known,
but his name is less familiar today.
The new exhibition which opens on
2 May at the National Gallery is a rare
chance to get to know Zurbarán through
some of his best and most important
paintings, which are coming to London
from all over the world.
From soaring altarpieces to
beautifully detailed still lifes, from early
commissions to later works, you can see
paintings from across his entire career.
Striking portraits of monks, saints and
martyrs, images of faith and devotion,
shimmering fabrics, fresh fruit and
flowers – his paintings, large and small,
fill the exhibition walls.
The painting that set Zurbarán on the
path to success was ‘The Crucifixion’
(1627), on loan from the Art Institute
Chicago. Part of a commission for the
Dominican Order of San Pablo el Real in
Seville, it is Zurbarán’s earliest surviving
signed and dated work. In its original
setting in a dark chapel, lit by candlelight and viewed through a metal grille
in the shadows, it looked so real that
many people thought it was a sculpture.
The National Gallery is one of the
greatest art galleries in the world.
Founded by Parliament in 1824, the
Gallery houses the nation’s collection of
paintings in the Western European
tradition from the late 13th to the early
20th century.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II:
HER LIFE IN STYLE
In 2026, to mark the
centenary of Queen Elizabeth
II’s birth, The King’s Gallery at
Buckingham Palace will host
the most comprehensive
exhibition of the late Queen’s
fashion ever staged. Queen
Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
features around 200 items,
including half displayed for
the first time, tracing the
monarch’s sartorial journey
across ten decades—from
childhood to queen, and from
private dressing to global
diplomacy.
Highlights include Princess
Elizabeth’s silver lamé and
tulle bridesmaid dress by
Edward Molyneux from 1934, her iconic
1947 wedding dress and 1953
Coronation gown by Norman Hartnell,
and evening wear spanning the 1950s to
1970s, from Hartnell’s crinoline skirts to
Ian Thomas’s relaxed, printed gowns.
The exhibition also showcases how the
Queen used clothing diplomatically,
such as a 1961 Hartnell gown
incorporating Pakistan’s national colours
for a State Banquet in Karachi.
Beyond couture, the display explores
her everyday style: impeccably cut riding
jackets, tartan skirts, silk headscarves,
and tailored suits, revealing the enduring
elegance that influenced contemporary
designers. Visitors will also encounter
jewellery, hats, shoes, design sketches,
fabric samples, and handwritten
correspondence, offering rare insight
into the Queen’s personal involvement in
her wardrobe.
Visit www.rct.uk to book tickets and
find out more information.
© Cecil Beaton. Victoria and Albert Museum.
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