A new art trail with life sized paintings is heading to Croydon next week

an image of four people standing with four works of recreated art which are part of the initiative

(Image credit: The National Gallery)

When you hear artists like Monet, Picasso, and Renoir, you might (rightly) think of some of the world’s most prestigious galleries – The Louvre, The National Gallery, Uffizi, MoMa even. Croydon, however, probably doesn’t. However, this is about to change as a gorgeous art trail of world-famous paintings is landing in Croydon next month.

Thanks to The National Gallery, magnificent masterpieces from Stubbs, Turner, Van Eyck, Van Gogh, Monet and more will be on display around the borough – in parks, squares, and gardens, all on view for passers-by. The whole trail is part of a free public outdoor art exhibition called The National Gallery: Art on your Doorstep.

The initiative lives up to its name, with The National Gallery teaming up with Culture Croydon to deliver the exciting exhibition which lands on 3rd February. Luckily, it’s not a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of installation, as the artwork will be on display until 5th July.

an image of one of the paintings on display as part of the initiative

Okay, okay, as you can probably imagine, you can’t just hang priceless, renowned artworks in public London spaces. The 30 prized pieces of art that will be hanging around the area are actually life-sized, painstakingly realised recreations of the real works. Whilst this may sound a tad on the cat-fishing side of culture, it means everyday members of the public will be able to get up close to every piece, avoiding the crowds, scary security, and glass shields that you’d usually find the paintings guarded behind.

Selected works will be on display in the town centre at The Queen’s Gardens, Croydon Minster, Whitgift Shopping Centre, Chapel Walk and Park Hill Park. Pieces will also be installed in Coulsdon, New Addington, Purley, Thornton Heath and Upper Norwood.

If you’re not a Croydon-dweller, and don’t fancy schlepping over there, it’s good news as Art on your Doorstep will be heading on display at other locations across the UK. Previously, the collection did a stint at Stoke on Trent before heading down to London, with a further 12 set to appear around the country by winter 2027.

Find a map of the Art On Your Doorstep trail, and check out other related events, here.

Art After Dark is back: London's West End set to light up with a free public art show

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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