A new outdoor exhibition by local artist Charles William Brown will take over Bethesda Gardens as The National Gallery’s Art on Your Doorstep exhibition comes to an end.
Stoke-on-Trent was chosen as the first place in the UK to host The National Gallery’s outdoor exhibition as part of the city’s Centenary celebrations.
Organised by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in collaboration with the National Gallery, London, the exhibition closes on 7 January 2026 after seven months in the city centre. It brought 15 masterpieces to the city for free outdoor viewing in Bethesda Gardens, opposite The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
The specially designed outdoor display fittings will remain in place and be used to showcase work from the museum’s own collection, keeping world-class art accessible to residents and visitors in the heart of the city.
The first of these displays will be work by local artist Charles William Brown (1882-1961) - a miner and celebrated local artist of the Potteries. His evocative paintings capture the region’s industrial and urban life, depicting miners at work, pottery decorators, lively streets, as well as cosy domestic scenes and scenes of natural beauty.
The exhibition will provide access to local art and history while The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is temporarily closed from 20 December 2026 for essential building works as part of its multi-million-pound transformation.
Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, anti-poverty and corporate services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The National Gallery exhibition has been a fantastic success, bringing life size masterpieces from artists like Van Gogh and Monet right to people’s doorsteps.
“We wanted to build on that success by keeping the outdoor gallery space active with work from our own talented local artists. This continues our commitment to making art accessible to everyone, without opening hours or entry fees, while celebrating the creativity we have right here in Stoke-on-Trent.”
The new exhibition will open in January 2026. For more information go to https://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/
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