Bathroom Mirror by Patrick Caulfield, from Scene Unseen © Estate of Patrick Caulfield

For the uninitiated, suburban Croydon might not seem the most likely candidate as a home for the visual arts. But the area boasts the oldest art society in the country outside of London and, as new exhibition Scene Unseen reveals, it has a rich history in promoting the visual arts...

Untitled 1961 © Bridget Riley 2009. All rights reserved. Courtesy Karsten Schubert, London. Riley taught at Croydon College in 1968

Held at the Museum of Croydon, the new show displays various highlights from the Croydon Art Collection (including several pieces of abstract art) and places Croydon College firmly within the centre of the area's arts scene.

Alumni of the college include Malcolm McLaren and Jamie Reid – who both helped to define the visual aesthetic of punk – while Op artist Bridget Riley also taught art at the institution in the late 1960s.

Bois et la lune bleue by Max Ernst © The Estate of Max Ernst. All rights reserved, DACS 2009

Highlights from the Croydon Art Collection that will also be on show include works by Henry Moore, Patrick Caulfied (above, top) and Max Ernst.

Drawing by Malcolm McLaren, courtesy of the artist. McLaren studied at Croydon College

Scene Unseen is a free exhibition and is open until May next year.

Museum of Croydon
Croydon Clocktower
Katharine Street
Croydon CR9 1ET 
Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm 

Croydon College will also be running an exhibition of their archive material in the college's Parfitt Gallery, to coincide with Scene Unseen.