Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting

Fascinating exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of works on paper by Lucien Freud.

The show looks at Freud's mastery of drawing and how he used it in preparation for paintings, as an art form in its own right and as a medium to use after a painting. It also looked at his use of etching and print making.

It took a wide definition of portraits based on a quote from Freud "Everything is autobiographical and everything is a portrait, even if it's a chair". It therefore included a wonderful topical drawing of daffodils and there was a wonderful section of drawings after famous paintings or inspired by them. I loved the accurate pictures of a Chardin and a detailed look at his painting in his study based on a Watteau and the show included the original.

The drawings were used to discuss how Freud's style changed and yet drawings remained at the heart of it. 

Closes 4 May 2026


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