Masterpieces on the streets: the National Gallery goes on tour across Britain

Paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt and Renoir are leaving the walls of Trafalgar Square and heading into parks, waterfronts and high streets across the UK — albeit in reproduction. The National Gallery has launched a three-year initiative, Art On Your Doorstep, which will reach twelve locations across all four nations of Britain. Partner organisations select up to 30 works from the Gallery’s collection and install full-scale reproductions outdoors. Each painting is reproduced at its original size, allowing viewers to examine details that might otherwise require a crowded room and a patient queue, Afisha.London reports.

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Croydon became the first London borough to host the project, with its trail opening on 3 February 2026 and running until 5 July. Local residents took part in selecting the works and will collaborate with artists to create a collective piece, Croydon Masterpiece, reflecting the character and creative energy of the area.

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Elsewhere this year, the project appears in Torquay from 6 March to 4 September and in Derry and Strabane from 30 March to 27 September. The first Art On Your Doorstep exhibition opened in Stoke-on-Trent in summer 2025. The second phase begins on 1 April.

In Kirklees, fourteen paintings will be installed in Oakwell Hall and Country Park from 4 April to 30 September, with works chosen to resonate with the landscape and the site’s history. In Newport on the Isle of Wight, from 6 May to 30 October, an urban trail of eighteen reproductions will wind through the historic centre, traditional arcades and along the seafront. Route maps have been created by a local artist, and the trail is fully step-free. In September, Creative Mile: Brentford Art Trail joins the programme. From 4 September 2026 to 14 February 2027, up to thirty works will be brought together under the theme of love and placed in unexpected locations connected to the district’s artistic heritage.

Спектакль "Похороните меня за плинтусом"

Founded by parliament in 1824, the National Gallery holds one of the world’s most significant collections of western European painting, spanning the late 13th to the early 20th century. Leonardo, Raphael, Titian, Velázquez, Turner, Cézanne, Degas and Van Gogh are among the names represented. Entry to the Gallery in London remains free — as do all Art On Your Doorstep trails.

Сover photo: Vincent van Gogh. Wheatfield with Cypresses, Art On Your Doorstep / Glenn Foster for Croydon Council 

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