Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Monet, Manet and Magritte; Renoir, Rubens, Rossetti and Rodin; Degas, Delacroix and Van Dyck – as well as Botticelli, Poussin, Turner, Gainsborough, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Bellows and Auerbach… You can see key works by all these – and many more – great artists in the galleries at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts for free. There’s also a stunning coin gallery and an exciting programme of exhibitions, concerts, lectures, gallery talks, workshops and family activities. The Barber was founded in 1932 by Dame Martha Constance Hattie Barber in memory of her husband, Sir William Henry Barber. Housed in a Grade II listed Art Deco building designed by Robert Atkinson, it was officially opened by Queen Mary in 1939. Featuring many of the greatest names in Western art, the Barber holds one of the most outstanding and internationally significant collections assembled in Britain during the 20th Century. As well as around 150 major paintings and some stunning pastels and watercolours, the Barber is also home to more than 800 drawings and prints, a fine collection of sculpture – including works by Degas and Roubiliac – decorative art and portrait miniatures. In addition, the Barber also has one of the finest collections of Roman, Byzantine and Medieval coins in the world. A haven of tranquility in a bustling metropolis, the Barber Institute is a must for anyone visiting Birmingham and the West Midlands. No wonder that it has been described as ‘one of the finest small art galleries in Europe’.

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