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Join art historian Elizabeth Goldring in conversation with the National Portrait Gallery’s Senior Curator of Research and 16th-Century Collections Charlotte Bolland, to discuss the life, work and legacy of Renaissance master Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497-1543), court painter to Henry VIII.

Together they will explore and discuss Goldring’s recent scholarly biography of Holbein the first in more than a century. From his early days in Augsburg and Basel to his lasting impact on British art and culture, this definitive account breathes new life into Holbein’s story, shedding light on the artist whose paintings would shape perceptions of the Tudor court for five hundred years.

This talk explores Holbein’s famous portraits of Tudor figures – Henry VIII, his queens, would-be wives, and leading courtiers such as Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell – and examines iconic works, including The Ambassadors. Goldring situates Holbein’s art within the broader context of Tudor Britain, tracing the birth of collecting, connoisseurship, and art history itself.

Please note, there will be a book signing of Holbein: Renaissance Master with Elizabeth Goldring immediately after the talk in the Main Gallery shop.