World-famous paintings from the National Gallery are stepping out of Trafalgar Square and into everyday life, as part of a major touring project that will see
life-size reproductions of masterpieces installed outdoors across the UK.
The initiative, The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep, is expanding with a new set of partners announced today. Over three years, the Gallery will work with 12 organisations, reaching communities in all four nations and sharing the national collection far beyond its London home.
Art, exactly where people live
For the project’s second year, new partner locations include Oakwell Hall and Country Park, Isle of Wight Council working alongside Shaping Newport, and Creative Mile: Brentford Art Trail. These exhibitions will run between 1 April 2026 and 14 February 2027.
Up to 30 life-size printed reproductions will appear in each location, displayed in fine detail and complete with frames. Free to view and placed outdoors, the artworks invite passers-by to stop, look closely, and discover details often missed inside gallery walls.
Shaped by place — and by people
Each exhibition is designed in collaboration with local communities, responding to the character, history, and landscape of its surroundings.
In Kirklees, community groups have worked with Huddersfield Art Gallery to select works that echo the area’s heritage. The displays will be accompanied by performances, guided tours, and talks, turning the parkland into a living cultural space.
In Newport, the Council and Shaping Newport are partnering with local arts charity Independent Arts to deliver workshops and creative projects at the charity’s Creative Hub, encouraging hands-on participation from residents.
Meanwhile in Brentford, Creative Mile will curate up to 30 artworks linked by the theme of love, placing them in unexpected locations along the art trail and inviting visitors to see both the paintings and the area’s artistic heritage in a new light.
Building on early success
The second phase follows the success of the project’s first year, including its run in Stoke-on-Trent, where the exhibition transformed Bethesda Gardens into a popular meeting place.
Dr Samantha Howard, Curator of Arts at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, said the exhibition quickly became part of daily life:
“Soon after its opening, the ‘Art On Your Doorstep’ exhibition in Bethesda Gardens quickly became a popular meeting place over the summer months. Rarely did a day pass without people stopping to view the artworks displayed throughout the gardens, often while meeting for lunch. The exhibition clearly helped to create an inviting and welcoming atmosphere within the space”.
That momentum continues at remaining Year One locations in Croydon, Torquay, and Derry/Londonderry.
Reflecting on the Croydon exhibition, which opened in January 2026, Hannah Widdington, Exhibitions Manager at the National Gallery, said: ‘The trail offered a rare chance to encounter these works beyond the familiar Gallery walls and weaves them into everyday life. Local residents have helped select the artworks featured on the trail and will contribute their own creative responses to form the Croydon Masterpiece - a testament to the borough’s imagination, pride, and artistic energy.’
Art without barriers
By placing life-size masterpieces in parks, high streets, and community spaces, ‘Art On Your Doorstep’ reimagines how — and where — people experience art. Developed with local partners and shaped by community voices, the project brings people and paintings together in shared public spaces, making great art part of everyday life.
More information can be found at: nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/across-the-uk/the-national-gallery-art-on-your-doorstep
Exhibition dates
Croydon Town Centre: 3 February – 5 July 2026
Torre Abbey: 6 March – 4 September 2026
Derry City and Strabane District: 30 March – 27 September 2026
Oakwell Hall and Country Park: 4 April – 30 September 2026
Newport: 6 May – 30 October 2026
Creative Mile: Brentford Art Trail: 4 September 2026 – 14 February 2027
Photo by Michael Coppins, Wikimedia commons.