Piero della Francesca Exhibition Announced for London’s National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is set to open an exhibition dedicated to the Italian Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca. Scheduled to run from October 2, 2027, to January 30, 2028, the exhibition will bring together significant works from various international institutions.

Among the works to be displayed is The Urbino Diptych, featuring portraits of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza, which will be loaned from the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence. This piece is considered one of Piero’s notable portraits and will be a highlight of the exhibition.

The exhibition will also include the entire Perugia Altarpiece (Pala di Perugia, 1468), which will be lent by the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia. This altarpiece represents a major religious commission from Piero’s career.

Another significant loan is the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Four Angels (circa 1460–70), coming from the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. This painting is an example of Piero’s approach to religious subjects and his use of composition.

Three works from the National Gallery’s own collection will serve as centrepieces: Baptism of Christ (probably about 1437–45), Saint Michael (1469), and The Nativity (early 1480s). These works represent different phases of Piero’s artistic development and will be central to the exhibition’s narrative.

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 allows visitors to engage with Piero’s work in a new format, given the original frescoes’ immobility.

The exhibition is 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 the Intesa Sanpaolo bank and philanthropist John J. Studzinski. The exhibition will be structured around themes such as colour, design, space, perspective, narrative, and light, as described by the gallery.