The Barber Association Lady Barber’s dream was to found an arts institute for the University of Birmingham – a gallery and concert hall to be used ‘in perpetuity for the study and encouragement of art and music’. Its art collection should be ‘of that standard of quality required by the National Gallery and the Wallace … Read more
German Romantic Prints and Drawings from the Barber’s Collection Inspired by their native landscape, mythology and history, 19th-century German Romantic artists were fascinated with the themes of nature, love and the fragility of life. This display explores the motives behind the fantastical imagery of some of the best known exponents, including Carl Wilhelm Kolbe, Adrian … Read more
Portraits of Inter-War Politicians by Edmund Kapp The 2015 General Election might one day be regarded as one of the most unpredictable and intriguing of this century. But politics a hundred years ago was no less fascinating – and the politicians of the day arguably a good deal more colourful. This display features portrait drawings … Read more
Smith, Dobson & British Portraiture 1920-60 A snapshot through the lens of Modernism, this fascinating exhibition explores and juxtaposes the work of two under-appreciated British artists: sculptor Frank Dobson and painter Matthew Smith. Discussing the dynamic relationshop between sitter and artist within the broader cultural context of the period, it features such celebrated contributors to … Read more
Epic ambitions underpin this display inspired by Hercules and Caucus, the magnificent chiaroscuro woodcut by Hendrick Goltzius, recently acquired for the gallery. Gods and Heroes includes prints after Titian, Michelangelo and Rubens, featuring subjects drawn from both ancient mythology and the Judo-Christian tradition. It seeks to uncover the methods and motives behind the representation of … Read more
The frivolous and extravagant fashions of the Ancien Regime were brought to a swift and bloody end at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789. In the ensuing years, a taste for simpler, classically inspired clothing migrated across from Revolutionary France into Britain. This display explores the depiction of fashionable dress in an array … Read more
The Imperial Legacy in Coinage and Culture Look at one of the coins you’re carrying today: you’ll see the Queen’s portrait facing right and Latin script around the royal head. It seems our coins have looked this way forever – and that’s nearly true. But why? This exhibition uses money to explore and question our deep-seated familiarity with the Roman Empire’s imagery. Britain is … Read more
Voyeurism, idolatry, the transience of life and orange-phobia are among the diverse subjects and themes explored in this year’s New Art West Midlands. Created in a wide range of media – including oil, acrylic, photography , found objects, textiles and boiled sweets – this multi-site, selective award exhibition showcases work by emerging local artists. The … Read more
German Expressionist Prints from the Barber’s Collection A society fractured by conflict – and poised on the brink of further social unrest – is depicted with brutal honesty in these striking early 20th-century prints by celebrated artists including Max Beckmann, George Grosz and Egon Schiele. Complementing Rebel Visions, this display also explored the changing social … Read more
Works on Paper from the Barber’s Collection The naked body has inspired some of the greatest works of art, and the study of it was long regarded as vital to demonstrate artistic mastery in representing both the ideal and the everyday. Intended to add context to Zoffany’s fascinating painting, A Life Class, currently on loan … Read more
The War Art of CRW Nevinson The powerful art and contradictory personality of British war artist Richard Nevinson will be explored in this ground breaking exhibition – the centrepiece of our autumn programme. Famous for his dramatic, often haunting images of the battlefield and its soldiers, Nevinson’s arresting paintings, drawing, prints and posters also acknowledged … Read more
Portrait Prints from the Barber’s Collection Featuring stunning works by Rembrandt, Goya, Cezanne and Picasso, this display spans four centuries of portrait printmaking. It explores the different compositional approaches, styles and techniques adopted by artists that contribute to an evolving dialogue about the purpose and practice of portraiture. Organized to complement the exhibition ‘Lasting Impressions‘, … Read more
Works on Paper from the Barber’s Collection To coincide with this summer’s display of 17th-century seascapes, this selection of works on paper travels upstream to highlight the importance of rivers in everyday life. Featuring prints and drawings by, or after, artists such as Wenceslas Hollar, Turner, Whistler and Max Klinger, the display explored themes of … Read more
20th-century Portrait Prints From etchings to a plasticine print, Lasting Impressions brings together works that document the renaissance of the portrait print from the early 20th century to the present day. By the late 1800s, printmaking had undergone such monumental technological changes that its status had sunk to that of mere reproduction. However, in response, … Read more
The Turkmen states of medieval Anatolia (11th-14th centuries) ruled areas which had formerly been under Byzantine governance. Though the Turkmen leaders and many of their troops were Muslim, there were also large Christian and Jewish populations living in the areas under their rule. Their coinage is remarkable for its blending of Christian and Muslim imagery … Read more
Prior to the rise of Islam in the seventh century, the power which most effectively matched the Byzantine Empire in the east was the Sasanian Persian Empire, based around the areas of modern Iran and Iraq, and centred on its capital city of Ktesiphon, near modern Baghdad. In comparison to the Byzantine Empire, little is … Read more
British coinage in the Barber collection begins in the first century BC with coins produced in the Channel Islands, under the influence of Continental models. By the first century AD local rulers were producing coins with clear Roman influences, until Britain was largely brought under Roman rule. From the mid first century A.D. until 410 … Read more
The Merovingians and Burgundians ruled areas of modern France and Italy in the immediately post-Roman period of western European history (from the fifth century). Although the rulers of these groups traced their lineage to mobile Germanic-speaking people who had migrated from the north and east their models of government were overwhelmingly Roman. They took over … Read more
The Barber Institute collection of western medieval coins is small but contains some fine examples of Visigothic, Vandal, Merovingian and Burgundian coins, Lombard and Norman issues, a selection of British coins charting the development of British coinage from the pre-Roman to the modern period, and an important collection of coins of the Crusader states.
In addition to coins and seals, the Barber Institute Coin Room also houses a small selection of paranumismatica (things like or associated with coins). These provide useful teaching aids and in some cases supplement a historical understanding of coins by providing information about their creation and use in markets. In particular, the Coin Room houses … Read more
In AD 622 the Prophet Muhammad led a community from the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula to the city of Medina. This date has come to form the beginning of the Muslim calendar as it represents the first founding of a community based on belief in Muhammad’s teachings and the revelation of the … Read more
The Barber collection has significant strengths in eastern medieval coinage, including some unique examples of early Arab-Byzantine issues, a large selection of Sasanian coinage, extensive holdings of Turkmen coins and a range of Georgian and Armenian coinage. Elements of this collection are the focus of the 2013-14 numismatic exhibition Faith and Fortune: visualizing the divine … Read more
