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30 life-sized reproductions of masterpieces from London's National Gallery will go on display in Croydon.
The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep is a major free outdoor exhibition programme that scatters true-to-size artwork reproductions across 12 locations around the UK. Stoke-on-Trent was the first place to host, while Croydon will be the first London location to do so, from 3 February-5 July 2026.
The artworks — which include George Stubbs' Whistlejacket, Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Bathers at Asnières by Seurat — will appear in the Queen's Gardens, Croydon Minster, Whitgift Shopping Centre and Park Hill Park in the centre of Croydon, as well as various other areas in the borough including Coulsdon, New Addington, Purley, Thornton Heath and Upper Norwood. It's free to admire the artworks.
A map of the paintings' locations will be available to download from Culture Croydon, and to collect from Croydon libraries. A family activity sheet will also be available from 3 February.
Various workshops, walks and talks will accompany The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep, including free drop-in workshops led by British visual artist Rachel Gadsden, the result of which will be assembled into a series of four large-scale artworks titled the Croydon Masterpiece, "celebrating the people, stories and spirit of the borough." It'll go on display in May.
This isn't the first time that masterpieces by a well-known artist have been exhibited in the area. In 1995, Croydon Clocktower hosted Cock and Bull Stories: A Picasso Bestiary, an exhibition of Pablo Picasso's animal paintings.
Speaking of animals, it was recently announced that beavers may be introduced back into the wild in Croydon.
The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep, Croydon, 3 February-5 July 2026, free
