Miss Clara and the Celebrity Beast in Art, 1500 – 1860

Long before Grumpy Cat, Dolly the Sheep or Red Rum, there was Miss Clara, a female Indian rhinoceros who achieved an unprecedented level of fame during the 18th century. Weighing in at around 5,000 lbs or 2268 kgs, Miss Clara disembarked in Rotterdam in 1741 after being transported from Bengal by an enterprising Dutch sea-captain, … Read more

Barber Schools | Visiting the Barber

School Visits School teachers –  experience our galleries with your students! Our schools offer invites you to take part in guided tours and self-guided visits for Secondary Schools, KS3-5. This offer is currently free. Please Note:  All Barber galleries are closed until summer 2024 as we begin the first phase of a building improvement project. … Read more

Sumptuous portrait is autumn visitor to the Barber

This striking painting by one of the 18th century’s leading portraitists, Allan Ramsay, is a new face greeting visitors to the Barber this autumn. Ramsay’s portrait of Rosamund Sargent, painted in 1749, is on loan from Bath’s Holburne Museum, and is exchange partner for the Barber’s iconic The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The Ramsay … Read more

Barber Evening Concert Series 23/24

Evening concerts The 23/24 Barber Evening Concert series is in full swing and you can buy tickets for all our concerts on the University of Birmingham Box Office. Due to a change in ventilation requirements for public venues, the University is required to install a new ventilation system in order for us to return to … Read more

Barber Lunchtime Concert Series 2023/24

Lunchtime concerts The 2023/24 Barber Lunchtime Concert series is well underway. Due to a change in ventilation requirements for public venues, the University is required to install a new ventilation system in order for us to return to the Barber Concert Hall. Until then, the Barber Lunchtime Concert series will be in the Elgar Concert … Read more