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Outdoor exhibition of famous art works opens

Lee Bottomley
BBC Radio Stoke
BBC A woman with shoulder length hair, wearing a blue suit jacket and patterned top looks to the camera. She is stood to the right of a large painting, which is slightly blurredBBC
Jane Knowles from the National Gallery says the aim is to put art at the heart of everyday life

An outdoor exhibition featuring life-sized prints of fifteen famous artworks has opened.

Art on Your Doorstep, featuring works by artists including Van Gogh and Monet, can been seen in Bethesda Gardens, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

The city becomes the first place in the UK to host a National Gallery outdoor exhibition and was chosen to help mark its centenary year.

"It offers people the chance to encounter art as they go about their everyday life," said Jane Knowles from the gallery. The free display will run until January.

A print of a very large painting stands on a frame. The painting depicts people lay and sat by a river, with some other people in the water.
Each replica has a QR code, so people can find out more about the art and artist

The paintings from the national collection were chosen by the arts curator at the nearby Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

"It's an absolutely incredible selection of some of the most well known artists and most beautiful paintings ever created," said Ms Knowles.

A very large reproduction of a painting, set in the grounds of a park. The painting is largely dark, and features a number of people crowded together.
The paintings have been reproduced in their true size

Having the replicas on display in this way allows people to "pause, reflect and connect with no bother at all, not even step into a museum," said the gallery's director of public engagement.

The National Gallery celebrated its bicentenary in 2024, and it was an honour to join in Stoke-on-Trent's centenary, she added.

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