London was just named the best city in the world for art, according to a new Time Out survey reported by Artsy — ahead of New York, Paris, and Tokyo. For a gallery in Ascot, that finding isn't abstract. Berkshire sits close enough to that scene for the distinction to matter directly, and the five works below make the case better than any survey could. Neon, spray paint, oil, and layered lacquer — five artists working in entirely different registers, each with a genuine claim on London's art identity, all currently available at Creed Gallery.
Mark Sloper — London Calling
Mark Sloper works under the name Illuminati Neon from his studio in Shepherd's Bush, London, turning years spent around the era's defining punk bands into hand-blown neon set against vintage flags, clothing, and memorabilia. His work has been collected by Elton John, Sting, Boy George, and Idris Elba, and was shown at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the START Art Fair in 2019. London Calling takes a genuine vintage Union Jack and fits it with neon tubing spelling out the words, the O in "London" recast as the circled anarchist A that has run through punk iconography since the movement's earliest days. The nod to The Clash's 1979 anthem is unmistakable, though the piece stands as its own object rather than an illustration of one — flag, glass, and gas combined into something as physically alive as the music it gestures toward.
View London Calling by Mark Sloper at Creed Gallery — £5,000
Sir Michael Craig-Martin — Deconstructing Seurat (Blue)
Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA was born in Dublin in 1941 and built his reputation as much through teaching as through his own practice — his Goldsmiths studio classes shaped the generation of artists, including Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, and Michael Landy, who came to define London's contemporary art scene in the 1990s. His own work, spanning six decades, is built around everyday objects rendered in flat outline and saturated colour, a visual language drawn as much from technical drawing as from Pop Art. Deconstructing Seurat (Blue), a pair, takes Georges Seurat's pointillist technique and reworks it through Craig-Martin's own vocabulary of line and colour block, collapsing nineteenth-century optical painting into a distinctly contemporary idiom — as much a comment on how we look at art history as a composition in its own right.
View Deconstructing Seurat (Blue) by Sir Michael Craig-Martin at Creed Gallery — £5,500
Stik — Deep (Don't Panic)
Stik's six-line, two-dot stick figures have become one of the most recognisable visual languages to come out of London street art, first appearing on walls around Hackney in the early 2000s before spreading across the city and internationally. The artist has spoken openly about experiencing homelessness before he began painting, and has described his work as a way of giving back to the community that supported him — a history that sits quietly beneath even his simplest compositions. Deep (Don't Panic) reduces Stik's figure to its barest form against a plain ground, the title's wry reassurance landing somewhere between dry British humour and a genuine moment of calm. It's a smaller, quieter work than Stik's large-scale murals, but no less direct.
View Deep (Don't Panic) by Stik at Creed Gallery — £3,000
Alec Monopoly — London Money Bags
Alec Monopoly, born Alec Andon in New York in 1986, built his reputation on the street before moving into galleries, adopting the board game's Rich Uncle Pennybags as a recurring stand-in for capitalist excess after watching the 2008 financial crisis unfold. The character — money bag in hand — has since appeared across murals, canvases, and sculpture worldwide, with the artist deliberately avoiding vandalism of government or private property in favour of abandoned buildings and warehouses. London Money Bags brings that same figure into a specifically London frame, spray paint and hand-finished detail layered with the visual shorthand of wealth and status the artist has spent his career both critiquing and profiting from. It sits comfortably alongside Craig-Martin's austere wit and Sloper's punk glamour — three very different ways of looking at the same city.
View London Money Bags by Alec Monopoly at Creed Gallery — £4,995
James McQueen — It Is What It Is
James McQueen has worked under a pseudonym since 2017, a decision he has said keeps the attention on the work rather than the artist, operating between London and New York on a practice built from vintage Penguin paperback covers — a fascination that traces back to his grandfather's own book collection. McQueen builds his canvases in layers, sanding back between each coat before finishing in high-gloss lacquer, so the surface reads as worn and well-handled even though the object itself is new. It Is What It Is takes its title from the same wry, plainspoken register that runs through his wider Anthology series — ordinary language granted the weight and presentation of literature. Creed Gallery holds one of the largest resale collections of McQueen's work available anywhere, spanning his originals, hand-painted multiples, and limited editions.
View It Is What It Is by James McQueen at Creed Gallery — £6,950
Time Out's survey putting London at the top of the world's art cities isn't so much a surprise as a confirmation of something already visible in rooms like these — five artists, working in neon, paint, spray, and print, all circling the same city from different angles. Creed Gallery sits twenty-odd miles outside it, in Ascot, for collectors across Berkshire, Surrey, Windsor, Virginia Water, Wentworth, and London who want to see that scene up close without the trip into town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was London ranked the best city in the world for art?
A recent Time Out survey, reported by Artsy, placed London ahead of New York, Paris, and Tokyo as the world's best city for art — reflecting the depth and range of its gallery scene, from major institutions through to the independent and street art scenes that run alongside them.
Is Ascot close to London's art scene?
Ascot sits around thirty minutes from central London by road or rail, making it well placed for collectors who want access to the city's art world without being based in it. Creed Gallery, in Ascot, serves collectors across Berkshire, Surrey, Windsor, Virginia Water, Wentworth, and London itself.
Who is Mark Sloper (Illuminati Neon)?
Mark Sloper is a London-based artist working under the name Illuminati Neon, creating hand-blown neon pieces set against vintage flags, clothing, and memorabilia from his studio in Shepherd's Bush. His work draws on his background around the era's defining punk bands and has been collected by figures including Elton John, Sting, Boy George, and Idris Elba.
What is Stik known for?
Stik is a London street artist known for six-line, two-dot stick figures that first appeared on walls around Hackney in the early 2000s. The artist has spoken about experiencing homelessness before starting to paint, and has described the work as a way of giving back to the community that supported him.
Does Creed Gallery sell original work by James McQueen?
Yes. Creed Gallery holds one of the largest resale collections of James McQueen's work available anywhere, spanning originals, hand-painted multiples, and limited editions.
Where can I see these artworks in person?
All five works are on view at Creed Gallery, 4 Hermitage Parade, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7HE.