Completed in 1432, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan and Hubert van Eyck is the first datable painting of the Northern Renaissance, and a milestone in the history of art.

This lecture looks at the Van Eyck’s dazzlingly – and unprecedentedly – naturalistic depiction of people, plants and objects, enabled by their novel use of the oil medium, and unravels the meaning of the altarpiece’s complex imagery. We also explore its later history, including its finding by the Monuments Men in 1945, and will highlight some of the discoveries to have emerged during its current restoration.