CITYSCAPES

Panoramic Views on European Coins and Medals London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Barcelona, Venice and Budapest… Explore the historical landscapes of all these cities – and more – in Cityscapes: Panoramic Views on European Coins and Medals at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. The third in a series of prestigious shows organised in collaboration with the British Museum, Cityscapes highlights how, … Read more

HORSES!

Equestrian Themes in the Barber’s Collection of Works on Paper The domesticated horse has enjoyed a special relationship with man for millennia as a crucial partner in warfare, hunting, agriculture, leisure and other major aspects of our existence. This display of prints and drawings from the Barber collection explores our relationship with this animal, prized … Read more

ELISABETH VIGÉE-LEBRUN (1755-1842)

Portrait of Countess Golovina Moscow, about 1797/1800 Oil on canvas 83.5 x 66.7 cm Countess Golovine sweeps up her shawl and looks at us with startling candour. Vigée-Lebrun met and befriended Varvara Nikolaevna Golovina (1766–1821) in Russia in the late 1790s during the artist’s exile from revolutionary France. She described Golovina as a ‘charming woman’ who … Read more

JOHAN CHRISTIAN DAHL (1788–1857)

A Mother and Child by the Sea Dresden, 1840 Oil on canvas 21 x 31 cm A mother and child welcome home a fishing boat, presumably containing the child’s father. The combination of the magical light effect and the fact that so much remains hidden encourages different interpretations. Dahl’s father was a fisherman in Norway … Read more

EDGAR DEGAS (1834-1917)

Jockeys Before the Race Paris, exhibited 1879 
Oil, essence, bodycolour and pastel on paper 107.3 x 73.7 cm Degas’ racing pictures generally concentrate on the undramatic moments before the start. Here, the starting-post bisects the composition, creating an instantaneous effect, suggestive of a snapshot. Figures and horses are obscured, cut by the frame and shown … Read more

FUNCTION III

The Urban Landscape as Photographic Panorama ‘The Urban Landscape’ is the theme for this year’s project. Now in its third year, the Barber Institute’s photographic competition Function III, in collaboration with Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD), showcases the best young, creative talent. The theme also incorporates our exciting new exhibition Cityscapes: Panoramic Views … Read more

LIVING CITY

Sarah Taylor Silverwood The city and its relationship between humans and architecture are the starting point for Sarah Taylor Silverwoods finely detailed drawings and text-based works. Living City refers to the 19th-century idea of the ‘flaneur’ – someone who walks the streets of the city in order to experience it – and the writings of … Read more