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The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

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The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Art gallery and concert hall at the University of Birmingham. Galleries closed for building project. Please note our concert hall and shop are currently closed.
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See major works by all these great artists here at the Barber, a Grade 1 listed Art Deco building on campus at the University of Birmingham. Alongside our fantastic permanent collection, concert hall and stunning coin gallery, we have a lively online programme including Tuesday Talk podcasts and Barber Home, where we collaborate with Birmingham-based artists and organisations. Please note the Barb

er is open from Tuesday 18 May. The Barber is free to visit and booking is essential; please check our website for booking details: http://barber.org.uk

For our fabulous family content, visit:
www.facebook.com/FamiliesFirstBarberInstitute. We're also home to the University's departments of History of Art and Music, as well as the Barber Fine Art Library.

27/05/2026

We’re saddened to learn that Tess Jaray, RA has passed away at the age of 88.

One of Britain’s most distinguished and influential painters and printmakers, Jaray’s work explored space, geometry and form with remarkable clarity.

Raised in rural Worcestershire, the artist had a deep connection with the West Midlands. In 2019, she created her solo show ‘FROM OUTSIDE’ with us. The exhibition presented six meditative yet monumental canvases, inspired by the elegant architecture of the Barber’s 1930s building.

We are proud to have three of Jaray’s works in our permanent collection so we can share her art with the public for generations to come.

Our thoughts are with her family and with everyone who knew her.

Image: ‘FROM OUTSIDE: Tess Jaray’, Installation view with ‘Glimpse’, 2017 (left), ‘Echo’, 2017 (central) and ‘Fez Green’, 2017 (right)

07/05/2026

We went back to basics last month with a shapes-themed Barber Art Challenge 🟨🔺🟣

But the imagination of artists can take something seemingly simple and transform it - and the proof is in these fabulous entries.

🏆Congratulations to our winner: Sam Weeks

👏And well done to our shortlisted artists:
Louise Southan
Ellie Spencer
Joanne Thornton
Shelagh Musgrave
Fatma Guler Gencer
Julie Kyi

✉️Do you want your work to be featured? Then get involved. Submit a jpeg or png of your Food and Drink themed art to [email protected] by 31 May.

16/04/2026

What can we say? She’s iconic.

🎂We’re celebrating the birthday of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (she'd be 271 today)

Born in 1755, Le Brun was one of the most accomplished artists of the 18th century and is best known as the portraitist of Marie Antoinette.

In 1783, she became one of only four women admitted to the French Academy of Art 😲

Her ‘Portrait of Countess Golovina’ usually at the Barber, is now on display at the Courtauld Gallery in London - a great opportunity to see her artistry in the flesh while we’re closed!

🗓️ Part of The Barber in London, on view at the Courtauld until 31 August 2026.

🖼️ Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Portrait of Countess Golovina, 1797/1800, oil on canvas.

📷 Image 2 © The Courtauld. Photo by David Bebber.

[ID: 1. Oil portrait of a brunette woman wearing red, with a twinkle in her eye as she looks directly at the viewer. 2. The same portrait hung on a grey/blue wall with The Barber In London written above.]

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13/04/2026

‘Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light’ - Madeleine L'Engle 🕯️

‘Light and dark’ was our theme for last month’s Barber Art Challenge, and it inspired an amazing range of creative approaches!

🏆Congratulations to Louise Griffin – our over-18 winner and Elliot S, our under-18 champion.

Shortlisted artists 👏
Mariem Iqbal
Joanne Thornton
Chris Hardy
Rose Chase
Stephen Nickless
Sarah Tomlinson
Kate Irving

10/04/2026

We’re delighted to announce we’ve been awarded a £150,000 grant from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

We are incredibly grateful for the grant. This generous support will help us carry out our building improvements work to make the Barber more accessible and welcoming to our audiences.

Images by Glancy Nicholls Architects, subject to change.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

07/04/2026

Summer family programme – now live!

You can now browse all our upcoming events from now until the end of July for kids under 12 years old. Head to our website to discover more.

🎨 Barber Family: Collaborate with contemporary artists on creative activities at the Exchange.
🕚 11am – 3pm.

Upcoming dates -
📅 Wednesday 1 April
📅 Saturday 18 April
📅 Wednesday 27 May

🎶 Barber Baby: Enjoy live musical performances for under-4s in the Bramall Music Building.
🕚 11am - 12noon

Upcoming dates -
📅 Thursday 21 May
📅 Thursday 18 June
📅 Thursday 23 July

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates 🐣

The most important holiday in the Christian calendar – the festival celebrates Jesus rising from the dead. 🐥🌱

One of the symbols of Easter in popular culture is, of course, the chick and egg. Representing the coming of spring, new life and new beginnings. In this artwork, specialist bird painter Melchior d’Hondecoeter depicts several chicks, watched over by the mother hen.

👀 Notice how each chick seems to have its own character and personality – from lively and outgoing to shy and nervous.

23/03/2026

This is John. He’s won lots of new art supplies after entering the Barber Art Challenge. This could be you – be more like John! 🎨

John Davenport, winner of February’s Barber Art Challenge, kindly sent us this brilliant image with his winning painting and prize! 🌧️

With over £75-worth of new art materials, all supplied by Cass Art, John can continue creating and experimenting with new media.

✉️ All you need to do to be in with a chance to win: submit a jpeg of your artwork on the next theme (light and dark) to [email protected] by the end of March!

[Image description: 1. A man sat at a table with a painting and art supplies. 2. A painting showing blurred figures through a rain-soaked window.]

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19/03/2026

Something small (but mighty) is underway here at the Barber…

We recently visited the Victoria and Albert Museum with our cohort of MA Art History and Curating students to explore their incredible collection of portrait miniatures.

These small, intricate, and important objects will be the focus of our summer online exhibition – our third annual collaboration with the V&A.

Watch this space! 👀

[Image descriptions: 1. Hands wearing purple gloves hold an oval miniature portrait of a blonde man. 2. A woman leans over a glass box containing several portrait miniatures. 3. A blonde woman holds a small circular portrait of a woman in gloved hands. 4. A group of people stand around a grey table viewing miniatures in glass boxes.]

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18/03/2026

We’ve been drawing with the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers of tomorrow 🩺

Research shows that life-drawing can help future healthcare professionals understand the human body and anatomy.

The act of drawing also helps alleviate stress and provides a mindful rest from studies.

🌈In our ‘Reframing Anatomy’ workshops we hope to foster open conversation around body representation in medicine through life drawing that centres diverse bodies and LGBTQ+ experiences.

This session was led by Danni Evans with the Barber team for students in the College of Medicine and Health at the University of Birmingham.

[Image descriptions: 1. A group of artists draw on clipboards in a semi-circle seating arrangement in a hospital style setting. 2. Life drawing sketches in a pile. 3. The hands of someone drawing a woman in yellow pencil.]

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Address

University Of Birmingham
Birmingham
B152TS

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441214147333

Website

http://www.barber.org.uk/

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