BRITAIN:London's National Gallery has unveiled a summer "Grand Tour", extending itself on to the streets of the capital by placing some 30 full-size reproductions from its permanent collection in unusual and unexpected places.
For 12 weeks, masterpieces from painters as various as Caravaggio and Constable will vie for attention along the busy streets of Soho and Seven Dials in a celebration of the richness and diversity of the gallery's collection.
The Grand Tour, the result of a collaboration between the National Gallery and HP (Hewlett-Packard), and implemented by award-winning brand and design consultancy The Partners, aims to encourage people to make the short journey to see the original works and many others for free.
Through innovative and creative imaging and printing, HP has produced the paintings to mirror the format of the originals, including The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, Samson and Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens and A Grotesque Old Woman, attributed to Quinten Massys.
Steve Gill, vice-president and managing director of HP, said this was "a really exciting initiative ... to be involved in", providing his company with an opportunity to demonstrate its most advanced technology.
"Our imaging, printing capabilities and portfolio have enabled us to support the National Gallery with this Grand Tour, by producing high quality reproductions of these wonderful masterpieces," he said.
Each picture will be in a replica frame, with an information plaque beside it - as in the National Gallery - along with a telephone number enabling people to access a specially recorded audio guide to the particular painting and its artists.
A map of the entire Grand Tour, including a selection of suggested "mini-tours", the story of the project, audio downloads and a picture gallery are also available on a specially created website - www.the grandtour.org.uk
National Gallery director Charles Saumarez Smith expressed his delight with this "characteristically imaginative effort to bring art into the local community and to encourage new audiences to be aware of the great works of art to be seen in London".
The origins of the Grand Tour date back to the 17th century, when the wealthy undertook a journey of cultural enlightenment across Europe in a life-changing trip that could last months or even years.
The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square houses a collection of over 2,300 western European paintings from 1250 to 1900. Open seven days a week, entry to the permanent collection is free. Further information can be obtained at www.nationalgallery.org.uk