By Isle of Wight Observer
Island residents are being encouraged to enjoy a major national art exhibition one last time, before it leaves Newport at the end of October.
The National Gallery’s Art On Your Doorstep has brought 18 life-size reproductions of famous paintings to the county town, where they have been on display since May 6.
The artworks are positioned along a free, step-free one-mile trail through Newport’s heritage areas, town centre, traditional alleyways, and historic squares, finishing at the harbour-side.
The Island is one of only seven locations hosting the trail in 2026, as part of a three-year National Gallery programme reaching all four nations of the UK.
The paintings were selected by community groups and a local school, with many chosen to reflect their surroundings. Each has been reproduced life-size, in fine detail, and complete with its frame.
The trail also forms part of the Isle of Wight Autumn Walking Festival, which runs until October 11.
The National Gallery’s head of exhibitions, Alex Kavanagh, previously said Newport had shown “a clear commitment to using art as a way of connecting people with their town and with each other”.
The Isle of Wight Council secured the exhibition through the Shaping Newport partnership, alongside Newport & Carisbrooke Town Council and Newport Business Association.
Alex Minns, the council’s service director for community regeneration and economy, said: “It has been a pleasure to have artwork lighting up the streets of Newport all summer, and we have had really positive feedback on the trail from residents and tourists alike.”
The reproductions include works by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustav Klimt, and JMW Turner.