Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist, National Gallery

Albrecht Dürer was one of the Renaissance greats, a man who rivalled Italian contemporaries such as Raphael and Michelangelo. But the Nuremberg born artist was very much of the northern tradition, favouring detail over expressiveness and a fidelity to nature over romance. That's not to say that his works were in anyway dull. He was a master of observation and imagination, a true innovator of his time. In February the National Gallery will explore Dürer's work through his travels across Europe and the influences he found along the way.

Dürer was a prodigious talent, and he knew it, too. Aged only 28, and already famed throughout Europe for his work, he painted a self-portrait in which he looks out at the viewer with absolute confidence, consciously imitating contemporary images of Christ. He painted many portraits, all highly detailed and psychologically charged.

This exhibition will include over 100 drawings, paintings and prints, all baring witness to the journeys Dürer made to the Alps, Venice and the Netherlands over the course of three decades. These visits resulted in new artistic relationships and exposed the northern artist to a wealth of new vistas, people and buildings, all of which would find expression in his work. This exhibition promises to be a treat, introducing visitors to a wealth of famous, and less-well known images. Check back nearer the time for more information.