Paul Storytelling is at the heart of the majority of Christian images. For centuries, before many could read, it was through paintings, drawings, print and sculpture that most people learned the story of Christ’s life. Episodes from that story feature in a large proportion of all the art created over the last two millennia: in the … Read more
RECLAIMING THE REPORT February – March 2023 At the College of Medicine and Health (CMH), exclusively for CMH students. Students joined the CMH Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts for a three-part creative workshop inspired by the recent Disabled Students’ Commission Report. In 2022, the Birmingham Guild of Students … Read more
Unrecorded Spanish Artist Christ at the Column Spain, 19th century Elephant ivory 22.8 x 7 x 3cm This sculpture was identified as a deliberately aged fake during the conservation of the ivories in the Barber’s collection in 2012. It may have been copied from 13th-century statues called ‘ivory corpora’ (sculptures of the crucified Christ). The … Read more
Unrecorded French Artist Mirror back carved with a Tournament Scene Paris (?), 19th century imitation of the French 14th-century style Elephant ivory 8.4 cm diameter including four pierced lions on the rim This is a 19th-century imitation of a mirror back carved in the French 14th-century style. It is closely based on genuine examples. The … Read more
Unrecorded French Artist Wing of a Diptych with Saint John the Baptist and other Figures Paris, 14th century Elephant ivory with traces of gilding and colour 7.8 x 5.4cm There are traces of hinges on the left hand side of this carving, suggesting that the piece was originally part of a diptych (an object made … Read more
Unrecorded French Artist Casket with Scenes of Chivalry and Love Paris (?), early 14th century Elephant ivory; brass brackets, straps and handles (later additions) 9.5 x 23.2 x 13.6cm This is one of nine such caskets (or coffrets) known to have survived complete, most others are in prestigious museum collections around the world, including the … Read more
How to find us The Barber is just three miles from the centre of Birmingham – we encourage our visitors to use public transport, walk, or cycle where possible. PLEASE NOTE: Our galleries are closed for essential building improvements – reopening summer 2024. Cycle There is a cycle rack to the right of the main … Read more
Enjoy a look around the exhibition, and hear guest curator Dr Jamie Edwards, from the University of Exeter, talk about the show’s themes, in this 12-minute video… Credit: Blend Films Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564 – 1637/38) was hugely successful in his lifetime. Born in Brussels, he was the son the renowned painter, Pieter Bruegel … Read more
(Hermann) Max Pechstein Still Life in Grey Berlin, signed and dated 1913 Oil on canvas 100.3 x 74.6 cm Signed with monogram and dated upper right: HMP This colourful still life presents an unusual combination of objects including a cauliflower, a blue and white jug in an east German design (specifically that of Saxony), and … Read more
Lovis Corinth Portrait of Dr Ferdinand Mainzer (1871–1943) Berlin, 1899 Oil on canvas Canvas: 75 x 58 cm; Frame: 94.5 x 76.2 x 10 cm Corinth was a key figure in the development German modernist art, his work a vital bridge between the visual explorations of late nineteenth century Impressionism and the psychological preoccupations of … Read more
Ikegobo to the Iyoba | Barber Schools Resources Find out more about how, why and where this Edo artefact was made. Explore how it came to be in Birmingham today, colonial histories and discuss a contemporary artist’s response. This resource contains age-appropriate discussion and images of the historical invasion and looting in Benin City, Nigeria. … Read more
Money has often been a matter of life and death, since time immemorial. Coins are struck in tribute to great emperors, monarchs and leaders, and their beloved children – recently deceased or even long dead – and have honoured illustrious relatives and ancestors through the portraits they can carry. They have been used in many … Read more
Spanning borders, periods and cultural perspectives, this display of prints and drawings explores the concept of topography: how a place is defined by a description of its significant physical features – be they geographical, natural or man-made. It features images from the Barber collection by artists as diverse as Fra Bartolommeo, Wenceslaus Hollar, Piranesi, JMW … Read more
Small portraits, often originally encased in intricate bejewelled frames or snugly stowed in lockets, were both a unique art form and a form of jewellery popular across Europe for over 350 years, from about 1510 to 1860. These portrait miniatures were intended to be viewed up close, cradled in the hand, worn on the body … Read more
Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) combined an unparalleled virtuosity as painter and draftsman with an innovative approach to printmaking. He also possessed a shrewd entrepreneurial sense, and an ability to portray subjects and issues that appealed to the general public and the highest-ranking patrons alike – including the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. These factors … Read more
How can exploring pictures in an art gallery improve management and marketing practice for business leaders of the future? That is the question that has been considered by more than 450 students from Birmingham Business School visiting the Barber’s galleries as part of a groundbreaking initiative aimed at decolonising business and management education. During February … Read more
Reclaiming Narratives: The Portrait A joint project between the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the College of Medicine and Health (CMH) at the University of Birmingham In Spring 2022, a group of CMH students teamed up with award-winning artist photographer Marley Starskey Butler* and the Barber for a three-part portraiture workshop. The aim was … Read more
Women In Focus: Zine Making and the Gender Gap with Round Lemon Thursday 19 January, 2023 Have you ever contemplated our collection through a feminist lens? In January 2023, Round Lemon took us on a journey through art history as they broached the subject of the gender gap and addressed how Women artists are represented … Read more
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
Visitors this New Year will be greeted by three of the greatest paintings from the collection usually on display at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The trio of internationally significant masterpieces have been lent by Birmingham Museums Trust for a two-year period to the Barber – where they will hang among our own collection. The … Read more
Politics, Propaganda and the Collapse of the Roman Republic If you thought fake news, personal propaganda – and political strongmen shifting democracies toward dictatorship – were modern phenomena, then this exhibition invites you to think again. The First Dictators explores how coins were used for propaganda purposes during the dying days of the Roman Republic … Read more
