Reimagining our Collection
The Barber has a renowned collection of art objects, from paintings and sculpture to drawings, prints and more. While we work to transform our spaces to be more accessible and welcoming - we'll also be reimagining our collection.
This includes collaborations with partner organisations so audiences can see our artworks through exciting new perspectives, researching and conserving works behind the scenes, and rethinking our display and labelling for when we reopen.
Where can you find our artworks while we're closed?
Exhibitions
Opportunities to enjoy some of the treasures in our collection come in the form of two major extended loan exhibitions.
Nearly thirty paintings, as well as prints and sculpture, are being shown across two venues. This will be the largest collective loan of works from the Barber since it first opened in 1939.
Inventing Post-Impressionism: works from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
This exhibition at Charleston in Firle, is a focussed exploration of the role that Post-Impressionism played in the development of the art of the interwar Bloomsbury Group, which played such a prominent role in the cultural life of the period.
The Barber in London: Highlights from a Remarkable Collection
23 May 2025 – 22 February 2026
This exhibition at the Courtauld in London will feature a rounded selection of masterpieces across periods and schools. It will provide a unique opportunity to consider how two of the UK’s foremost university collections of old master and modern paintings have evolved from an almost identical point of conception in the early 1930s.
Presenting our collection in different spaces, with their own contexts and perspectives will enable audiences to engage with our artworks in new and inspiring ways.
Each exhibition will be accompanied by an exciting public programme that will explore their major themes in more detail.
Loans
Eight high-profile loans are going to other institutions across the US, Europe and the UK at various points during our closure period. These are separate from the above exhibitions and will ensure our collection continues to be seen by audiences near and far.
Conservation
Condition assessments and treatment for parts of the collection will also be underway whilst the Barber is closed.
Notably the textiles and furniture formerly belonging to our founder, Lady Barber, much of which is not on permanent display, will be undergoing conservation work.
In addition, three early Italian paintings will undergo technical analysis at the Courtauld, London.
Research and redisplay of the collection
To reimagine our collection we're using the opportunity of the gallery's closure to consider how the permanent collection is displayed and the writing, or interpretation, that accompanies it.
The hang of our principal galleries has remained essentially unchanged since the 1990s, and most of the labelling is over fifteen years old. Much has changed in these years, and societal and cultural developments mean we need to reflect on how the collection is presented and used.
Extensive consultation with varied audience groups and sector professionals alongside research at other galleries will inform this process.
This work relates to our vision to be 'a museum that strives to make its growing internationally significant collections and programmes relevant to people’s lives today'.
Our goal is to ensure that our displays remain relevant, appealing and inspiring to visitors, honouring Lady Barber’s conception of the Barber as a place to promote the study and encouragement of art.
You too can have your say by completing our survey: