Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

The Chain of the Alps from Grenoble to Chambéri British, 1812 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 186 x 288 mm This plate appeared in the tenth part of the Liber Studiorum series, and is based on sketches made during Turner’s 1802 European tour. He travelled specifically to see the Alps and this print belongs … Read more

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851)

Isis London, 1819 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 20.9 x 30 cm This image is highly reminiscent of Claude Lorrain and belongs to the elusive ‘E.P’ category. It was published in the forteenth and final installment of the Liber Studiorum series. The ruins in the foreground create a strong sense of an idealised ancient … Read more

Arent van Bolten (about 1573 – 1633)

Lamp in the form of a Grotesque Bird Model: Amsterdam or Zwolle, about 1620; Cast: Northern Europe, probably about 1900 Bronze 17 cm high The model for this curious creature can be traced to a series of drawings of grotesque beasts, in the then fashionable auricular (or ‘ear-like’) style, by the Dutch designer and silversmith … Read more

Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

Don’t Scream, Silly (No Grites, Tonta) Madrid, 1799 Etching with aquatint and drypoint Plate: 21.5 x 15.8 cm, mount: 56 x 40.5 cm Plate 74 from Los Caprichos. Goya’s commentary reads: “Poor little Francisca! She was looking for the footman and she met the goblin. But don’t be afraid! The goblin is in a good … Read more

Emil Nolde (1867-1956)

Prophet Berlin, 1912 Woodcut 49.5 x 36.5 cm; mount 73 x 59 cm In this deliberately roughly-cut woodcut of an unnamed prophet, the thick hair and beard merge with the blackness of the background. Nolde pursued a unique spiritual path and sought to express his own, truly German, art. Purchased 1996 (No. 96.5)

Max Ernst (1891-1976)

Birds in Green, Rain USA, 1959 Etching with aquatint and mixed techniques printed in colours Forms of birds and hands frequently appear in this pattern of lines. Highly influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theories of the mind, Ernst experimented with automatic drawing, in which he used uncontrolled strokes in an attempt to represent the unconscious visually. … Read more

Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945)

Help Russia Berlin, 1921 Lithograph A suffering and emaciated man is embraced by two pairs of tough-looking hands. Designed as a propaganda poster during the Russian Civil War, this lithograph demonstrates the artist’s sensibility to the social conditions of the working class. The print medium serves as a useful tool for spreading pacifist and political … Read more

Centre Stage

Entertainment in Art  The dynamism, spectacle and artifice of the stage – whether theatre or circus – have fascinated artists since time immemorial – and this display acknowledges the UK’s 250th anniversary of the circus. This selection of works on paper from the Barber’s collection explore how Degas, Sickert and others have portrayed figures linked … Read more

Sounding Images

The Barber’s art works as you’ve never heard them before… As part of their Sounding Images module, University of Birmingham music students have created new electroacoustic pieces inspired by works in the Barber collection. Listen to four paintings in the gallery, including the Henri Matisse loan ‘Landscape in Corsica’, on this audio tour, and experience … Read more

Drawn to Perfection

Masterworks from the Royal Collection Absolutely integral to the processes of art, drawings have always served many crucial and varied functions. This first exhibition in an exciting new partnership with Royal Collection Trust explores their use – as prototypes for paintings and frescoes, tapestries, sculpture or architecture, and as detailed working sketches that allow an … Read more

New York City Life

Prints by John Sloan John Sloan was a contemporary of George Bellows, and his work – like that of his fellow Ashcanners – provides fascinating historical insights into Manhattan life in a period of rapid social change. These rare prints, a gift to the Barber from Delaware Art Museum prompted by our 2016 exhibition Bellows … Read more

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Nude in Three-Quarter Profile, Part of the Head cut away Paris, 1913 Crayon transfer lithograph on Japanese paper 50.4 x 33.1 cm  Matisse’s nude figure is an expression of neither idealism nor realism.  With its simple but strong lines and cropped features, it is, rather, an almost abstract product of pure drawing. The image would … Read more

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

Le Divan Japonais Montmartre, Paris, 1892, published January 1893 Colour lithograph Toulouse-Lautrec established his name with poster designs, particularly those made to advertise the cabaret, Le Moulin Rouge. Many of his posters were heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, with their large flat areas of colour, stylised shapes and strong outlines. One of Toulouse-Lautrec’s unrivalled … Read more

after Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640)

Portrait of Helena Fourment? Antwerp, 1630-1635 Drawing with black and red chalk heightened with white 561 x 351 mm Both the former attribution to Rubens and the identification of the sitter as Helena Fourment are doubtful, and compromised by poor condition. The traditional identification of the sitter as the artist’s second wife stems from the … Read more

Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917)

Bust of Victor-Henri, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay (1830-1913) Paris, Model: about 1884; Version: about 1902 Marble 81.3 x 40 x 40 cm Henri Rochefort-Luçay was a radical journalist, art collector and patron, noted for his remarkably wild hair and equally fierce opinion. The original plaster model was made in about 1884, but this version was carved, perhaps … Read more

Follower of Rembrandt, Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669), possibly Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678)

Study of a Nude Youth Amsterdam, about 1646 Pen and ink with brown wash  274 x 160 mm Rembrandt and his pupils are known to have made life drawings of naked male models in about 1646. The model here was possibly Rembrandt’s young student Willem Drost. He appears in a number of studio drawings by … Read more

Men of the Docks 2018

George Bellows With its radical urban subject matter and its lyrical palate of wintry hues, Men of the Docks, 1912, became the first painting by George Bellows acquired for a UK public collection when it was purchased by the National Gallery in 2013. Just a year later, his Nude, Miss Bentham was purchased for our … Read more