The Barber in London: Highlights from a Remarkable Collection

Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Jockeys before the Race, Around 1878–79, Oil paint, essence (thinned oil paint), opaque watercolour and pastel on paper, 107 x 73 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

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

A selection of exceptional paintings from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, will go on view at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Gallery for an extended display, while the Barber undergoes a major refurbishment project.  The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded as a university gallery in 1932, the same year as the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and its collection. Both were intended to encourage the study and public appreciation of art. Today, the Barber and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ’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.

Become a Member today for exclusive Members’ events, priority booking and more.

23 May 2025 - 31 Aug 2026

10:00 – 18:00 (last entry 17:15)

20th Century Gallery  Â鶹ÊÓƵ Gallery  Somerset House 

Included with Gallery Entry
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Members go free

Introducing The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Curator Tour

Highlights

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.
Frans Hals (1581-1666), Portrait of a Man Holding a Skull, Around 1612, Oil paint on wood, 94 x 72.5 cm, The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Frans Hals (1581-1666), Portrait of a Man Holding a Skull, Around 1612, Oil paint on wood, 94 x 72.5 cm, The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Claude Monet (1840-1926), The Church at Varengeville, 1882, Oil paint on canvas, 65 x 81.3cm, The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), The Blue Bower, 1865, Oil paint on canvas, 84x 70.9 cm,The HenryBarber Trust, The BarberInstitute of Fine Arts,University of Birmingham
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), The Blue Bower, 1865, Oil paint on canvas, 84x 70.9 cm,The HenryBarber Trust, The BarberInstitute of Fine Arts,University of Birmingham
Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Jockeys before the Race, Around 1878–79, Oil paint, essence (thinned oil paint), opaque watercolour and pastel on paper, 107 x 73 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), The Sun Setting through Vapour, Around 1809, Oil paint on canvas, 69.2 x 101.6 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), Symphony in White No.III, Around 1865-67, Oil paint on canvas, 51.4 x 76.9 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Giovanni Bellini (around 1430 – 1516), St Jerome in the Wilderness, Around 1445–60, Egg tempera on wood, 44 x 29.9 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Giovanni Bellini (around 1430 – 1516), St Jerome in the Wilderness, Around 1445–60, Egg tempera on wood, 44 x 29.9 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Joshua Reynolds (1723 – 1792), Portrait of Maria Marow Gideon and her brother William, 1786/87, Oil paint on canvas, 240 x 148 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Joshua Reynolds (1723 – 1792), Portrait of Maria Marow Gideon and her brother William, 1786/87, Oil paint on canvas, 240 x 148 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Gallery Exhibitions

Seurat and the Sea

13 Feb - 17 May 2026

★★★★★ "Tremendous" - The Guardian; ★★★★★ "Pure joy" - The London Standard. Experience the first ever exhibition dedicated to the seascapes of the French artist Georges Seurat.

Citations