Drawing Out the Sound

Representations of Music in Art How can sound be evoked in a drawing? Can a work of art sing? Throughout history, artists have been fascinated with depicting music, grappling with the challenge of conjuring sound through a silent and visual medium. In this display, prints and drawings from the 15th to the 20th century allow … Read more

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

A Man with an Oar Netherlands, about 1520/21 Pen and brown ink 16 x 10.4 cm  This fine drawing is one of a number of works believed to have been made during Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands in around 1520-21. It was among those taken from the museum of the Lubomirski family, established in the … Read more

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

St Christopher Nuremberg, 1521 Engraving Paper: 11.7 x 74 cm; mount: 55.7 x 40.5 cm  This print represents St Christopher, a third century martyr who served others by carrying them safely across a dangerous river. Christopher means ‘Christ-bearer’ and here he is shown bowing under the weight of a child who later revealed himself to … Read more

First Impressions

Early Acquisitions of Prints for the Barber Collection The Barber Institute’s collection of works on paper is famed for its exemplary quality, due in no small part to the acquisitions of its first Director, Professor Thomas Bodkin. This display focuses on the prints purchased for the collection in 1939, the year the Barber Institute opened, … Read more