Dulwich Outdoor Gallery: When Street Art Meets Fine Art

Located in a tranquil pocket in South London, the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery is a unique London street art project. It was initiated in 2013 by the late Ingrid Beazly, art historian and volunteer educator at the fabulous Dulwich Picture Gallery. Passionate about street art and eager to break the barriers between urban art and fine art, Beazly invited street artists from all over the world to help create the remarkable Dulwich Outdoor Gallery. Get a taste of this fantastic open-air urban art project in this article.

Inspired by the Baroque paintings on display in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the muralists were asked to recreate these world-famous classic artworks in their own unique style. The result? A wonderful collection of fine art in the streets of Dulwich. Unintentionally, the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery also became a vibrant tribute to founder Ingrid Beazly who sadly died from cancer in 2017 at the age of 67.

I’m pleased I had the pleasure of meeting Ingrid Beazly a couple of times. After I originally posted this article in January 2016, Ingrid left me a comment and invited me for a private tour at the Dulwich Art Gallery where she would tell me more about the project and show me the original paintings the murals were based on.

A few months later I were even to see her fantastic private urban art collection and even Alien memorabilia when she opened up her home for participants of a guided Dulwich street art tour during the Dulwich Festival. I was shocked to learn about her death not much later as she came across as such a vibrant, friendly and bright person with a passion for art. Passed away too soon, this post is a modest tribute to Beazly and a celebration of her lasting legacy.

The mural by Stik on Ingrid Beazly’s house is based on the classic painting Elizabeth and Mary Linley by Thomas Gainsborough (1772).

Dulwich Outdoor Gallery: map of the street art murals

After my earlier street art explorations in Camden and Walthamstow, I made my way to yet another area in London I was previously unfamiliar with. At least the expanding London street art scene has made me discover new territories!

The first time I went to Dulwich in December of 2015, I started my self-guided street art walking tour at East Dulwich station and finished 2.5 hours later at Herne Hill station. I used the online map below to find the locations. When you click on the pins on the map, it gives you a short description of all the street artworks.

In this post you can see the majority of the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery street artworks alongside the classic paintings they’re based on. I’ll also give you the exact location of the murals in Dulwich and information on the artists. Be aware though that due to the fleeting nature of street art, not all paintings and artworks might still be there.

Want to discover more great London street art neighbourhoods? Find my complete London street art guide here!

1. Dulwich Outdoor Gallery: Remi Rough and System (Vale End)

This colourful mural on Vale End, right opposite of East Dulwich station is a collaboration between UK artists System and Remi Rough. System painted the portrait of the young street artist, based on Rembrandt van Rijn’s A Girl at a Window. Remi Rough added the spectacular background which he based on the painting The Triumph of David by Nicholas Poussin. You can see Rembrandt’s original painting below while Poussin’s painting features further down in this article. (Street artists Phlegm and RUN also based their works on Poussin’s painting.)

2. Dulwich street art: Remi Rough (no longer there)

I found this impressive mural by Remi Rough during the guided Dulwich street art tour I joined when I revisited the area. Based on the spectacular The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Sebastiano Ricci, Rough’s artwork was painted on a garage near Dulwich Village. The garage has been knocked down now though so you can no longer see this piece in real life unfortunately. A real shame as it definitely is a great piece of art.

3. Street art in Dulwich: Conor Harrington (Spurling Road)

This piece by Irish painter and muralist Conor Harrington was one my main reason for travelling to Dulwich. I’m a big fan of this fantastic artist and had seen many photos of this mural on social media in previous years. Seeing this artwork in real life was definitely worth the trip! Having seen many of equally amazing Conor Harrington murals in Shoreditch, this was one of the largest pieces I had found.

You can find this mural by Conor Harrington opposite the East Dulwich Tavern. His contribution to the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery is a bit of an odd one as it’s not a clear reiteration of a classic painting. Instead, Harrington based his bare-knuckle boxers on the general concept of violence as portrayed in ‘The Massacre of the Innocents’ (1660) by Charles Le Brun and also at ‘A Stag at Sharkey’s by George Bellows 1909. Coincidentally, his signature style always feature figures from the Regency era (1811-1820), which corresponds with the time the Dulwich Picture Gallery originally opened.

4. Dulwich street art: Faith47 (197 Consort Road)

Faith47 is without a doubt one of my favourite street artists. Considered as one of the top muralists in the world, Faith47 originally hails from South Africa but I’ve been fortunate to see her stunning artworks all over the world. From London to the Spanish city of Málaga and even Dunedin in New Zealand!

Trying to find her stunning mural in Dulwich took quite some effort. Located in an uninspiring and mostly residential neighbourhood, her interpretation of the painting Europa and the Bull by Guido Reni (c. 1640) was definitely worth the detour.

5. Dulwich street art: Pablo Delgado (corner of Grove Vale/Coppleston Road)

It always gives me a great feeling of accomplishment to find the tiny artworks by Pablo Delgado as they’re so easy to miss. Despite being incredibly small, Delgado manages to incorporate many fine details in his work. What I especially enjoy about his small paste-ups is the sense of shadow his 2D characters appear to cast.

It’s very comical photographing his works in the streets as people just stare at me and wonder why I’m almost laying flat on the pavement. Unlike the (spray-)painted artworks, Delgado’s tiny paste-ups don’t last very long. By the time you read this, these delicate artworks are probably lost forever.

Delgado’s miniature street art in Dulwich are based on a mash-up of The Nurture of Jupiter by Nicolas Poussin (c.1636-7) and Princess Victoria aged Four by Stephen Poyntz Denning (1823).

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6. Dulwich street art: Stik (Hansler Road)

This mural on the side of Property Inn is only one of many street artworks by Stik as part of the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery. Stik has always been one of my favourite London street artists. I’m therefore quite pleased that he was also the very first artist to participate in this ambitious urban art project. This mural by Stik on Hansler Road is based on A Couple in a Landscape by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1753).

7. Street art in Dulwich: Stik (Blackwater Court)

This cute and vibrant mural by Stik is located in Blackwater Court on Push Studios. It is based on the painting The Guardian Angel by Marcantonio Franceschini (1716).

8. Dulwich street art: Stik and Beerens (Court Lane)

To find the amazing street art murals in Dulwich, you will have to venture further from the high street. I was surprised to find so many eye-catching murals in seemingly boring residential streets such as Court Lane. On 150 Court Lane, there are even artworks by two different street artists.

On the left in the photo below you’ll see a work by Stik which is based on the classic painting Eliza and Mary Davidson by Tilly Kettle (c. 1784). The sheep on the right is painted by Beerens. It’s one of three sheep he painted in the area, his interpretation of the three boys featured in the painting Three Boys by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (c. 1670). Scroll down to see the second sheep I found and the original painting by Murillo.

10. Dulwich street art: Beerens (Court Lane)

Above is the second sheep by Beerens I found on Court Lane. Representing the black boy in the painting by Spanish artist Murillo, you will need to look up to be able to spot this cute sheep. Beerens’s three sheep can be found on 175, 177 and 150 Court Lane. The sheep on number 175 is black and hungry, looking longingly at the white sheep eating lush grass opposite him. The sheep on number 150 is sly: it has a fox’s tail.

10. Street art in Dulwich: Phlegm (Goodrich Road)

Sheffield-based illustrator and muralist Phlegm is another artist I admire. His immersive show A Modern Bestiary was the first street art exhibition I ever visited. It was truly amazing and I’ve been a firm fan of his works ever since.

I took this photo of Phlegm’s mural on the corner of Barry Road and Goodrich Road with an old camera and in the dark. The quality therefore isn’t the best unfortunately. Phlegm based his work on the painting The Triumph of David by Nicholas Poussin (c. 1631-33). The artist RUN also painted his interpretation of the same painting which you will find below.

11. Dulwich street art project: RUN (Dulwich Village)

Painted on several pieces of hoardings in front of The Crown and Greyhound pub on 73 Dulwich Village, it is likely that this mural by Italian-born artist RUN no longer exist in Dulwich. Like Phlegm, he also based his work on the painting The Triumph of David by Nicholas Poussin.

While Phlegm merely focussed on the trumpeter, RUN actually captured the entire scene as seen in the original painting (which is quite grim as we see Goliath’s decapitated head being carried around on a stake). I chose this specific section of RUN’s painting so you can see the two different interpretations of these two amazing muralists.

12. Dulwich street art: Phlegm (Herne Hill)

Phlegm’s second artwork in the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery is based on the black and white drawing Bond of Union by M.C. Escher (1956). Specialising in mind-boggling optical effects, Escher’s artwork was displayed in the temporary exhibition The Amazing World of M. C. Escher at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

13. Dulwich street art: Mad C (381 Lordship Lane)

This eye-catching mural by German artist Mad C can be found in the car park of the Plough Inn. I really love this mural which is a modern take on the classic painting Venetia, Lady Digby, on her Deathbed by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1633). You can see that while the woman is painted in an abstract way, Mad C kept the withering rose and its falling rose petals realistic.

14. Dulwich street art: Mear One (Lordship Lane)

Painte on the side of The Lordship Pub, corner of Lordship Lane and Pellet Road, this mural is by renowned LA graffiti artist and muralist Mear One. Despite its enormous size, it took me a few minutes to locate this artwork as the online map mentioned another name. That’s why it took me a few minutes to find this mural. Featuring the word ‘Equality’ in big letters, Mear One’s painting is a modern take on The Virgin on the Rosary by Bartolomé Estéban Murillo (c. 1765-1760).

15. Street art in Dulwich: Beerens (Blackwater Street)

In addition to the three sheep painted on Court Lane, Beerens painted yet another artwork in Dulwich. This wounded deer painted on the shop Mrs Robinson, on the corner of Blackwater Street, is Beerens’s interpretation of Saint Sebastian by Antonio Bellucci (1716-18).

I found most of the works, but due to the darkness and cold, I couldn’t finish the entire art trail. You can find more artworks and information about them in this Google Arts & Culture article about the incredible Dulwich Outdoor Gallery.

I hope you enjoyed this extensive blog post about the amazing street art in Dulwich! Which of these artworks was your favourite? Let me know in a comment below!
Thanks, Zarina xx

Want to find the fabulous Dulwich street art murals for yourself? Then pin this article for future reference!

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