On until 23 August 2026 | Sainsbury Wing | Tickets from £20

Feel free to call me an art philistine, but I’d never heard of Francisco de Zurbarán before seeing this stunning exhibition at the National Gallery.

I even checked E.H. Gombrich’s famous The Story of Art to learn a little about him. Zip, nothing, not a mention.

So when you go down the dark stairs to the basement of the Sainsbury Wing and enter a Baroque world of extraordinary images and sacred craft, it all feels slightly overwhelming.

The paintings from the Spanish artist who lived from 1598 to 1664 are, of course, mostly religious and created to make believers have ever more faith.

Crucifixions, the Virgin Mary and child, saints and still lifes.  The attention to detail is beautiful as Zurbarán brings materials to life, from lamb’s fleece to loincloths, woolsack to ceramic pitchers.

He spent most of his life in Seville, working for religious institutions, private sponsors and the King of Spain. Velázquez was his more famous peer but now is his time to shine in London in a fiveshow described by The Guardian as 'sublimely real' and by The Observer as 'an unmissable show of Baroque genius'.

Colossal Head: This feels like it belongs in a different exhibition, a giant proud head, a painting that may depict an actual giant. It looms out at you, all power, luminosity and gentle defiance and is unlike anything else by Zurbarán.

It has only recently been attributed to him and is a painting unique within 17th-century art, with no comparable artwork from the period. Given that it is surrounded by saints and martyrs, it comes as a shock.

Agnus Dei: A lamb lies trussed up on a stone ledge, a still life, maybe dead or soon to be so, its fleece waiting to be stroked. The Lamb of God, a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice, it is a quietly moving image.

Saint Francis in Meditation: Not the only saint in the show or even the only painting of St Francis, but this one really got to me. He is praying while cradling a skull, yet for me it is the intensity of the hooded face and eyes looking up to Heaven, the tattered robes elevating his devotion. A painting owned by the National Gallery since 1853, it comes to life when surrounded by Zurbarán’s masterpieces.

The Rest of the National — and Beyond

The Zurbarán sits in the newly-refurbished and more open Sainsbury Wing, but leaving without exploring the permanent collection would be a missed opportunity.

The National is one of London’s greatest assets and it is easy to forget just how astounding it is to wander in for free off Trafalgar Square and find all the most incredible artists from history on its walls.

With over 700 years of Western European painting, and a focused 45-minute walk through the Impressionist rooms and on to the Leonardo da Vinci in Room 9 makes for the perfect counterpoint to Zurbarán's intense Catholic drama — same period, very different world.

And if you're curious how Zurbarán compares to his celebrated peer, the National's own small but beautiful grouping of Velázquez is just a few rooms away.

Eating & Drinking

For dining, you're spoilt.

Within the building itself, Ochre Brasserie combines atmospheric interiors with a seasonal menu of British and European classics — the two-course set lunch at £26 is genuinely good value, and the Locatelli in the Sainsbury Wing brings Giorgio Locatelli's modern Italian cooking right to the gallery's door, with handmade pastas, delicate crudi and an excellent Italian wine list.

I haven’t eaten at either yet, but Locatelli is a legend and the venue looks immaculate.

For something a short walk away, J Sheekey on St Martin's Court — an iconic West End institution for over 150 years and one of my favourit restaurants of all time — is a natural choice for a post-Zurbarán lunch, with exceptional seafood and a long, convivial atmosphere perfectly suited to the occasion. Book ahead.

And just across Leicester Square at the back of the National, the kaleidoscope of taste and colours that is Chinatown opens up. My current favourite, particularly for roast meats is Gold Mine on Wardour Street.

And if you fancy a nearby pint, the Harp is a great old school boozer on Chandos Place.

Zurbarán runs at the , Sainsbury Wing, until 23 August 2026. Tickets from £20; free entry on Friday evenings (pay what you wish).