Where can you see Jan van Eyck in London?

At the National Gallery: The Arnolfini Portrait and Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?). Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

What is Jan van Eyck's most famous work in London?

The Arnolfini Portrait, of 1434, at the National Gallery. A merchant from Lucca and his wife stand hand in hand in a room in Bruges, with a dog, a pair of clogs, oranges on the sill and a single candle burning. In the round mirror behind them are two more figures in the doorway, one of whom is the painter.

When and where was Jan van Eyck born?

About 1390, at probably Maaseik, in what is now Belgium. Jan van Eyck died in 1441, at Bruges, aged about 51.

What is Jan van Eyck known for?

Wrote on the wall of The Arnolfini Portrait: Jan van Eyck was here, 1434. Court painter to the Duke of Burgundy. Painted the Ghent Altarpiece with his brother Hubert. Jan van Eyck was a Netherlandish painter, of Early Netherlandish painting.

Painter, 1390 to 1441

Jan van Eyck

Van Eyck did not invent oil painting, as was long said, but he was the first to show everything it could do: the shine of brass, the nap of fur, a whole room reflected in a mirror the size of a coin.

Born: 1390, probably Maaseik, in what is now Belgium
Died: 1441, Bruges
Movement: Early Netherlandish painting
In London: 2 works in 1 museum

Where to see Jan van Eyck in London

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

The National Gallery2 works

The Arnolfini Portrait
1434
A merchant from Lucca and his wife stand hand in hand in a room in Bruges, with a dog, a pair of clogs, oranges on the sill and a single candle burning. In the round mirror behind them are two more figures in the doorway, one of whom is the painter.
Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
1433
A man in a red headdress wound like a turban looks straight out with sharp, slightly bloodshot eyes. The frame is the first one, and carries his motto and the date. Many think it is his own face.

The life of Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck was court painter to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who sent him on secret journeys and paid him a salary for life. He settled in Bruges about 1430 and died there in 1441. Some twenty paintings by him are accepted today.

He signed and dated his pictures, which almost no painter of his time did, and often added a motto in Greek letters that means: as I can.

What to know

Wrote on the wall of The Arnolfini Portrait: Jan van Eyck was here, 1434
Court painter to the Duke of Burgundy
Painted the Ghent Altarpiece with his brother Hubert

Born: About 1390, probably Maaseik, in what is now Belgium
Died: 1441, Bruges

Jan van Eyck: common questions

Where can you see Jan van Eyck in London?: At the National Gallery: The Arnolfini Portrait and Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?). Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Jan van Eyck's most famous work in London?: The Arnolfini Portrait, of 1434, at the National Gallery. A merchant from Lucca and his wife stand hand in hand in a room in Bruges, with a dog, a pair of clogs, oranges on the sill and a single candle burning. In the round mirror behind them are two more figures in the doorway, one of whom is the painter.
When and where was Jan van Eyck born?: About 1390, at probably Maaseik, in what is now Belgium. Jan van Eyck died in 1441, at Bruges, aged about 51.
What is Jan van Eyck known for?: Wrote on the wall of The Arnolfini Portrait: Jan van Eyck was here, 1434. Court painter to the Duke of Burgundy. Painted the Ghent Altarpiece with his brother Hubert. Jan van Eyck was a Netherlandish painter, of Early Netherlandish painting.