A selection of exceptional paintings from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, will go on view at The Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Gallery for an extended display from May 2025, while the Barber undergoes a major refurbishment project. ÌýThe Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded as a university gallery in 1932, the same year as Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ and its collection. Both were intended to encourage the study and public appreciation of art. Today, the Barber and The Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Gallery are home to two of the finest collections of European art in the country.

Highlights from the collection at the Barber include important works such as Frans Hals’s Portrait of a Man Holding a SkullÌý(c. 1610-14), Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s Portrait of Countess GolovinaÌý(1797-1800), Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Blue BowerÌý(1865), and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Woman in a GardenÌý(1890). In addition, a handful of paintings with strong links to The Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµâ€™s own collection will be embedded in the permanent collection displays, among them Joshua Reynolds’s monumental double portrait Maria Marow Gideon and her brother WilliamÌý(1786-87).

This display is included in the Permanent Collection or Permanent Collection + Exhibition ticket.

23 May 2025 – 31 Aug 2026
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) Portrait of Countess Golovine, Around 1800, Oil paint on canvas, 83.5-66.7 cm, The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham.
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) Portrait of Countess Golovine, Around 1800, Oil paint on canvas, 83.5-66.7 cm, The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham.

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