Largest Ever Piero della Francesca Exhibition to Open at London’s National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is set to open the largest ever exhibition devoted to Piero della Francesca, a prominent Italian Renaissance painter. Scheduled to run from 2 October 2027 to 30 January 2028, the exhibition will bring together a selection of the artist’s most significant works from both the gallery’s own holdings and international lenders.

Among the highlights is The Urbino Diptych, featuring portraits of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza, which will travel from the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence. This work, dating to around 1472, is considered a major example of Piero’s portraiture and will be on display for the duration of the exhibition.

The exhibition will also include the entire Perugia Altarpiece (Pala di Perugia, 1468), on loan from the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia. This altarpiece is a significant religious work and represents Piero’s mastery in large-scale compositions.

Another important loan is the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Four Angels (circa 1460–70), which will be provided by the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. This painting further demonstrates Piero’s approach to religious subjects and his use of space and light.

Three works from the National Gallery’s own collection will serve as centrepieces for the exhibition: Baptism of Christ (probably about 1437–45), Saint Michael (1469), and The Nativity (early 1480s). These paintings are central to understanding Piero’s artistic development and his contributions to Renaissance painting.

A digital version of The Legend of the True Cross, the fresco cycle from the Bacci Chapel of the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo, will also be featured. This digital presentation offers visitors a chance to experience one of Piero’s most celebrated narrative works in a new format.

The exhibition is co-curated by Laura Llewellyn, curator of Italian paintings before 1500 at the National Gallery, and Machtelt Brüggen Israëls of the Rijksmuseum and the University of Amsterdam. Sponsors include Intesa Sanpaolo bank and philanthropist John J. Studzinski. The gallery’s statement notes that the exhibition will explore seven interlocking aspects of Piero’s art: colour, design, space, perspective, narrative, and light.