LONDON.- Leading artist Sir Peter Blake, creator of the Beatles’ famous Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, today launched Art Everywhere, the world’s largest art show, showcasing the nation's favourite British art on tens of thousands of poster sites across the UK for two weeks from 12 – 25 August 2013.

Cities, towns and villages across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will become the world’s largest gallery when poster sites ranging from billboards to bus stops will become artworks on high streets, major roads, tube and train stations, supermarkets and shopping malls.

Sir Peter unveiled his work The Meeting or Have a Nice Day Mr Hockney on the giant outdoor billboard at Westfield London Shopping Centre to launch the project.

The works, which have been selected by the public from the national collection of British art, include popular favourites by artists including Holbein, Turner, Gainsborough, Constable, Millais, Lowry, Whistler, Bacon, Freud, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst. The top 10 ranges widely from two outstanding Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott and Millais’ Ophelia, to Turner’s masterpiece The Fighting Temeraire and LS Lowry popular Going to the Match. More surprising choices are Gassed by John Singer Sargent and Francis Bacon’s Head V1. The list includes 23 contemporary works.

Art Everywhere is a collaborative project between Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, the Art Fund, Tate, Posterscope, Vizeum, Clearchannel, CBS Outdoor, Ocean Outdoor, JC Decaux, Primesight, blippar, 101 Creative and EasyArt.