To mark the centenary of Lucian Freud’s birth, the National Gallery is staging the largest exhibition of his paintings in a decade. For curator Daniel F. Herrmann, it is an opportunity to shed new light on Freud’s artistic development and unwavering commitment to the medium of painting. ‘His practice has often been overshadowed by biography and celebrity,’ he says. ‘In this exhibition we offer new perspectives on the artist’s work looking closely at the contexts in which it developed.’

Spanning his seven-decade career, it brings together more than 65 works, from his intimate early pictures to his celebrated large-scale canvases of powerful individuals and nudes. Highlights include a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II, on loan from the Royal Collection, a large-scale naked portrait of the benefits supervisor Sue Tilly, and an unsettling portrait of a woman with a daffodil from 1945.

Organised chronologically in five thematic sections, it reveals the astonishing range of Freud’s work and influences. ‘I want people really to engage in slow looking with these paintings and find the joy in working out how they operate,’ Herrmann told the Evening Standard ahead of the opening. We can certainly get on board with that.