The Young Couple (Junges Paar) Berlin, 1904 Etching and Aquatint 290 x 310 mm plate size Printed by Otto Felsing, Berlin; published by Emil Richter. Proof, with margins, signed by the artist. Purchased 2018 (Inv. No. 2018.1)
When the Royal Academy of Arts was founded in 1768, it elected Sir Joshua Reynolds – then England’s most prominent painter – as its first President. As part of a programme of events around the UK to mark 250 years of the Royal Academy, we celebrate Reynolds as artist and collector. The display brings together the four … Read more
The language of colour across four centuries of printmaking is explored in this display that complements the Barber’s main spring exhibition, ‘The Rhythm of Light’. Featuring at least six different types of printmaking and numerous colouring techniques by artists as diverse as Gillray, Turner, Max Ernst and Edward Lear, It also explores the possible functions, … Read more
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
A selection of the Barber’s most iconic paintings – as you’ve never heard them before! Inspired by works in the gallery, University music students have created new electroacoustic pieces as part of the Sounding Images module. Their selection includes works by Claude, Dahl, Magritte and Auerbach – so take an audio tour of the gallery … Read more
Francisco de Goya worked in a politically turbulent period of Spanish history, notoriously articulating his fears and observations through his masterful treatment of light and shadow in his prints. This display of examples from the Barber’s collection places five of Goya’s enigmatic works among those by other Spanish artists, such as Picasso and Miró, who … Read more
Matthew Pagett Imagine a net so wide it catches not just people and places but also their thoughts, feelings and histories. Imagine that net cast over campus… Our artist-in-residence, Matthew Pagett, was asked to respond to our recent exhibition about early-20th-century New York artist George Bellows – and in particular the illustrations Bellows made as … Read more
19th-Century Portrait Photography The dawn of photography in the mid-19th century made portraiture accessible to a much wider public. This exhibition explores early photographic studio portraiture, including the popular carte-de-visite format. The exhibition discusses how photographic techniques, backdrops, props, costumes and poses enabled public figures – ranging from Oscar Wilde through Ellen Terry to Queen … Read more
Hannah Honeywill The intricately ornamented and gilded historic picture frames that surround so many of the paintings in the Barber’s galleries are the starting point for this new sculpture by Hannah Honeywill. An emerging London-based artist and recipient of prestigious Wellcome Trust Arts Award funding, Honeywill combines the exploration of the function and form of … Read more
Photographs by Attilio Fiumarella A painting by the great Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio, depicting the seven corporal acts of mercy of traditional Catholicism, is the inspiration for this outstanding series of 14 dramatic images. Like his predecessor, Birmingham-based photographer Fiumarella uses real people as his models – in this case, the homeless and prostitutes from … Read more
Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Venice, about 1460 Tempera on wood 44 x 22.9 cm Saint Jerome (died 419) was a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin. He also retired to the wilderness and lived the secluded of a hermit. According to legend, he removed a thorn from the paw of a lion who … Read more
The Entry of Bonaparte into Milan Paris, about 1822/4 Oil on canvas 44.4 x 60.3 cm Napoleon Bonaparte’s triumphal entry into Milan in May 1796 occurred during a military campaign which saw the rapid conquest of much of the Italian peninsular. Bellangé was commissioned to provide an illustration of the event for a biography following … Read more
Reclining Nymph (Venus and Cupid) Siena, about 1519 Oil on wood 71.7 x 13.8 cm This panel formed part of the decoration of the bedchamber of Francesco Petrucci of Siena and his wife Caterina Piccolomini. It was used as the headboard of the bed. The figure appears to be a water nymph, but she has … Read more
The Adoration of the Magi Bassano, near Venice, the end of the 1560s Oil on canvas 94.3 x 130 cm The three kings, or Magi, approach the infant Christ with their gifts. Despite their worldly wealth, they bow to Christ who is acclaimed as the King of Kings. The setting in a ruined classical building … Read more
The Angel of the Annunciation (top) The Nativity and the Annunciation to the Shepherds (centre) The Adoration of the Magi (bottom) Rimini, second quarter of the 14th century Tempera on wood 44.3 x 20.3 cm (including frame) This devotional panel, burnt by the heat of altar candles, formed the left wing of a pair. The … Read more
A Portrait of a Man Augsburg, Germany, about 1530/40 Oil on wood 59.8 x 50.2 cm The identity of this elderly man has been lost, though the ring on his right hand suggests that he may have been a humanist scholar. It probably originally formed a pair, with an image of his wife to the … Read more
By Michele White The windswept trees in the foreground of Monet’s painting, The Church at Varengeville, were the inspiration for Michele White’s new work. Hand-crafted in silver, each layer was carefully constructed to represent the church in the background, and trees in the foreground. The glorious autumn colours were created by pausing the process of … Read more
New Work by Recent Local Graduates New Art West Midlands is a brand-new collaborative venture in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Grand Union, Birmingham, and funded by the Arts Council for England. From a bicycle wrapped in wool, through poignant photography, to a witty and entertaining animation: the best critically-engaged work by … Read more
17th- 19th-century British Miniatures from UK Private Collections Small masterpieces of British portraiture from two celebrated UK private collections – including a tiny portrait mounted on a finger-ring, of 18th-century British actor impresario David Garrick – are displayed in this exhibition, some for the first time ever. The exhibits range in date from about 1600 … Read more
The Bath House Nuremberg, about 1496 Woodcut 388 X 282 MM Dürer depicts an open-air bath house of a kind that was popular in northern Europe around 1500. Male figures are shown at different ages and in varied and complex poses, created by a network of crisp lines that curve and trace the surface of … Read more
The European Landscapes of Thomas Fearnley The fjords, forests, mountains, torrents and glaciers of Scandinavia and Switzerland, the lakes and picturesque country buildings of Cumbria, and the sun-drenched plains, hillsides, rocks and sea-shores of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean… Landscapes featuring a breathtaking range of Europe’s varied and beautiful scenery feature in this dazzling exhibition- … Read more
The life and passions of Lady Barber Who was Lady Martha Constance Hattie Barber? And what inspired her generous bequest to the University of Birmingham? Find out in this exhibition focusing on Lady Barber’s life, that of her husband, Sir Henry, their house at Culham Court and its remarkable gardens and collections. A significant part … Read more
Robert Atkinson and the Building of the Barber Institute The Barber Institute is widely regarded as an Art Deco masterpiece. This display explores its gradually evolving concept and actual construction up to its opening in 1939. The story of its architecture – from gradually evolving concept through construction, overseen by the Barber’s first Director, Thomas … Read more
JACQUELINE LAWRENCE Lady Barber’s personal lace collection is the starting point for mixed-media textile artist Jacqueline Lawrence’s series of sensitively observed works. For hundreds of years, lace has provided a decorative aspect to things of practical use. This function- as well as lace’s intricate detail and imaginative design- have fascinated Lawrence, who has also sought … Read more