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Pastel Portrait is New Acquisition for the Barber Institute
A stunning 18th-century pastel portrait by the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera has been unveiled at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts– the first major acquisition to be made under the directorship of Professor Ann Sumner. The purchase comes after a successful £525,000 fundraising campaign.
Portrait of Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne, painted in about 1731/32 is only the third major work by a woman artist to enter the Barber collection – alongside paintings by the late 18th-century French portraitist, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, and the early 20th-century British artist, Gwen John. More…
Facelift for Statue of King George on Horseback
The monumental bronze equestrian statue of King George I that stands in front of the Barber Institute, at the East Gate and next to Edgbaston Park Road, has just undergone a major cleaning and conservation programme. Scaffolding towers were erected on either side for a week, and the sculpture and its sandstone plinth have now been jet-washed. More…
Concert Hall Refurbishment: Summer 2008
The Barber Concert Hall will close at the end of the summer term for Phase 1 of a long-awaited and much-needed refurbishment. The work will begin immediately after the end of term and be finished by the autumn. The seats will be reupholstered, the ceiling repaired and redecorated and the floor resanded and resealed; in addition, the back wall of the stage will be clothed in a new curtain, for which funding has kindly been donated by the Friends of the Barber Institute. If you would like to support the refurbishment project by making a personal donation, please contact David King in the University’s Development office on 0121 414 6220 or D.J.King@bham.ac.uk.
Colin Timms, Peyton and Barber Professor of Music
Top Award for the Barber’s Education Team
The education team at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts has been presented with a prestigious national award recognizing the quality of its activities.
The University of Birmingham-based gallery has been given the Sandford Award for Heritage Education — and the award has now been presented to Education Officer Brian Scholes during a visit by Sandford Award Chief Executive Gareth Fitzpatrick in March.
The commendation places the Barber alongside top national institutions including Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London and Dulwich Picture Gallery, as well as regional museums such as Aston Hall, Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter that also hold the award.