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 Barber 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.

Early access to art can be transformative - but our schools are facing increasing barriers to accessing galleries and mu...
16/10/2026

Early access to art can be transformative - but our schools are facing increasing barriers to accessing galleries and museums.

We're thrilled to be one of just five cultural organisations selected nationally for the new Clore Schools Connect cohort – a 3-year grant programme to reach young people in schools facing financial or systemic barriers to engagement.

This means we will:
- Partner with 12 local schools
- Create a new specialist SEND role to embed inclusion and access
- Co-design our Key Stage 1-5 school programme with teachers
- Create a free teacher CPD programme
- Learn alongside brilliant peer organisations

Thank you to the Clore Duffield Foundation for their generous support and belief in our work.

Huge congratulations to our cohort partners: Historic Royal Palaces – Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Turner Contemporary.

We're inviting you to DRAW all over our hoardings ✏️That's right – this October half-term, we are joining the BIG DRAW, ...
06/10/2026

We're inviting you to DRAW all over our hoardings ✏️

That's right – this October half-term, we are joining the BIG DRAW, and inviting families to come and decorate the temporary barriers around our construction area.

🆓Free and drop-in
📅Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, 11am – 3pm
🎨For ages 4 – 10 and their grown-ups

So – express your inner Banksy and help us turn our hoardings into giant artworks!

[ID: Two children, one with ear defenders, paint and draw a large piece of paper outside accompanied by grown-ups.]

Hashtags: The Big Draw

Over 750,000 people have engaged with our collection while our building has been closed 😮With significant exhibitions at...
22/09/2026

Over 750,000 people have engaged with our collection while our building has been closed 😮

With significant exhibitions at The Courtauld in London and Charleston in Firle, plus a display at Compton Verney in Warwickshire and worldwide loans, our artworks have had a brilliant summer holiday.

We're proud to still be connecting people with inspiring objects while we undergo our transformation project ❤️

You can still catch 'Modern Masterpieces' at Compton Verney, until 1 November.

📷Photography:
Compton Verney images (C) Jamie Woodley
Courtauld images (C) The Courtauld Photo: David Bebber
Charleston images (C) Lee Robbins

Rummage through the Barber archive and look through never-before-seen pictures from our past. Then – collage, draw and a...
31/08/2026

Rummage through the Barber archive and look through never-before-seen pictures from our past. Then – collage, draw and assemble your own dream gallery space 💭💡

Who knows where your imagination will take you?

Join us at this family workshop for Birmingham Heritage Week

🎟️FREE
👶Perfect for ages 4–10 (and their grown-ups)
📍Where? The Exchange, Centenary Sq
📅 When? Saturday 12 September, 11am-3pm

There’s no need to book, just drop in.

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[IDs: 1. A little girl uses a glue stick while her adult helps. 2. Archival photographs scattered on a table. 3. An old negative showing the Barber Institute of Fine Arts building in sunshine.]

Do you know a potential Barber Baby? 👶Must be:- Adorable- Full of personality- Under 4 years old- Happy to wiggle/dance/...
26/08/2026

Do you know a potential Barber Baby? 👶

Must be:
- Adorable
- Full of personality
- Under 4 years old
- Happy to wiggle/dance/sleep/babble/cry to live music

We’re just kidding – all babies are welcome to join our monthly Barber Baby sessions and become an honorary Barber Baby!

🎵 Come along to listen to incredible live musical performances inspired by artworks from the Barber’s collection, all for free.

🔗Explore our autumn programme and book your space at barber.org.uk now.

No model? ❌ No problem! ✅ Women artists often relied on self-portraiture as they had limited access to professional (mal...
11/08/2026

No model? ❌ No problem! ✅

Women artists often relied on self-portraiture as they had limited access to professional (male) sitters during their careers.

While Anne Mee’s husband was supportive of her work, his approval came with some conditions.
Accounts from the time recorded that he ‘consented to let her paint ladies only who were never to be attended by gentlemen.’

This self-portrait displays the contradictory expectations placed upon women artists in the 18th century.

📍 Visit barber.org.uk now to view ‘Pocket-Sized Power: A Feminist History of Portrait Miniatures’ and learn more!

[Image descriptions: 1. A small oval frame with a watercolour painting of a blonde rosy-cheeked woman. 2. A close up of the same painting.]

🖼️Anne Mee, Self-Portrait of Anne Mee, ca. 1795, Image ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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🤯Is this the world’s longest collage?! Not quite – but it's still really, really long!Our team created this giant artwor...
05/08/2026

🤯Is this the world’s longest collage?! Not quite – but it's still really, really long!

Our team created this giant artwork outdoors at a family festival. We had contributions from people of all ages – each putting their unique stamp on the piece.

Today marks Playday 2026 – a campaign to create a more playful world where children can grow and thrive. This year’s theme is ‘Play Everywhere’ and we have taken that to heart – popping up all around our community while our building is closed.

We’ve loved talking and creating with so many of you this summer.

You may have spotted us at:
🌿Growing up Green, Sparkhill Park
🌊Neighbourhood Futures Festival, Edgbaston Reservoir
🐛CoCoMAD Festival, Cotteridge Park

Did you see us at any of these festivals? Say hello in the comments 👇

Hashtags:

[Image descriptions: 1. Three people unfurling a long artwork in a field. 2. A huge piece of paper with collage and drawings all over it. 3. A young child's hands drawing with crayon.]

It’s full steam ahead for our once-in-a-lifetime transformation now we’ve raised £14.8million!This incredible project wi...
24/07/2026

It’s full steam ahead for our once-in-a-lifetime transformation now we’ve raised £14.8million!

This incredible project will:
- Make our Grade-I listed building more accessible and welcoming
- Create a new Learning Wing including a Clore Studio space
- Enable improvements to our Art Deco concert hall and gallery spaces

A huge thank you to our supporters, who have made this all possible.

🔗Full story: https://barber.org.uk/transformation-14-8-million-fundraising-success/

University of Birmingham
Department for Culture, Media and Sport Wolfson Foundation

📱 Queen Elizabeth I understood the power of good angles, eye-catching outfits, and bold make-up. Her miniatures held gr...
17/07/2026

📱 Queen Elizabeth I understood the power of good angles, eye-catching outfits, and bold make-up.

Her miniatures held great meaning, often exchanged within her court as symbols of loyalty and favour.

👑 She appointed Nicolas Hilliard as her official painter in the late 1570s to create detailed portrait miniatures that, for Queen Elizabeth I, became powerful tools of image-making.

✨Through her iconic ‘mask of youth’ and lavish jewellery, she created an image of enduring beauty, authority and power that is still recognisable today!

📍 Visit https://power.barber.org.uk/ to learn more: Pocket-sized Power: A Feminist History of Portrait Miniatures.

[Image description: a small oval frame containing a detailed portrait of a queen in dramatic bejewelled historic dress]

Image: Nicholas Hilliard, Elizabeth I, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

These sketches show Rembrandt's skill in capturing a likeness in just a few marks.It was this talent that would make him...
15/07/2026

These sketches show Rembrandt's skill in capturing a likeness in just a few marks.

It was this talent that would make him one of the most famous and respected artists of all time.
Rembrandt was born in 1606, in the Netherlands. Alongside his paintings, the artist never stopped sketching. He drew people on the street, beggars and circus-workers, children and family members.

This sheet of studies seems to be a mix of fantasy head studies – perhaps to be used later in some larger piece – and more intimate sketches of a woman nursing her child. The man drawn in profile, bottom-left, is thought to be Rembrandt himself.

Most examples of sheets like these were cut apart by collectors. The Barber’s example is the most important and complete set by Rembrandt to survive.

Why not be inspired and create your own sheet of sketches?

[Image description: A piece of paper with several loose yet skilled sketches of faces and people in different positions.]

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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

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