The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham
View the Old Masters at One of the Finest Small Galleries in Europe
Jun 19, 2009
The Baber Institute of Fine Arts, or “The Barber” as it is affectionately known, is part of the campus of the University of Birmingham, and offers lunchtime gallery talks, lectures, workshops, guided tours, concerts and travelling exhibitions. It is, consequently, a valuable community asset in the suburb of Edgbaston. The permanent collection at the Barber is small, but recognized as one of the finest small galleries in Europe. It was founded in 1932 by Lady Barber, in memory of her husband, and bequeathed to the university.
Organisation of the Barber Institute Collection
Room colours are used to distinguish the collection areas. Thus, the Green Gallery houses pre-1600 art, the Red Gallery art from 1600-1700, the Beige Gallery houses paintings from the 1700-1800s, and the Blue Gallery is given over to 19th Century and Modern Art. In addition, there is the Lady Barber Gallery, containing portraits of the benefactor, and changing exhibits, print rooms, and a coin gallery.
Highlights of the Collection
Visitors will be delighted to see Rubens’ “Landscape in Flanders.” It is one of the very few landscapes Rubens painted and depicts a scene near the castle of Het Steen he bought in 1635. Other fine paintings by renowned painters include “A Woman Seated in a Garden” by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, “Mademoiselle Malo” and “Jockeys Before the Race” by Degas, “Symphony in White” by Whistler, “The Pond at Montfoucault” by Camille Pissarro, and Francesco Guardi’s “A Regatta on the Grand Canal”, which is quite a small painting but full of movement and life in his freely-handled style. Bellini, Brueghel the Younger, Bassano, Frans Hals, Miel, Rossetti, Canaletto and Monet are also represented.
English Artists Represented
Of the English artists represented, William Turner’s “The Sun Rising Through Vapour” competes for attention with Gainsborough’s “The Harvest Wagon,” which is a variant of one he painted for the Prince of Wales, which now hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Canada.
Another extraordinary English painting is “Vesuvius in Eruption” by Joseph Wright of Derby. Wright was fascinated by the effect of light and used it to dramatic effect to have the molten lava glowing from amid the gloom of thick black clouds. According to notes offered by the Barber Institute, this is just one of 30 paintings Wright did on this subject. A second painting by Joseph Wright is on display in the Beige Gallery is “Castel Gandolfo With Lake Albano.”
Van Gogh and Millet
Vincent Van Gogh’s work is represented by “A Peasant Woman Digging.” The Barber Institute notes for the painting indicate that Van Gogh told his brother, “I have been watching those peasant figures here [Nuenen in the Netherlands] for more than a year and a half, especially their action, just to catch their character.”
It is believed that Van Gogh was influenced at this time by the studies of peasants by Millet, whose wonderful little painting “The Milkmaid” is also on display. In this painting, the milkmaid is silhouetted against a moonlit sky, which probably says much about the hard work and long hours involved.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am—5 pm and Sundays from 12 noon–5 pm. Admission is free. The building is at the East Gate of the University of Birmingham, off Edgbaston Road. Frequent trains run from New Street Station to University Station, which is a 10 minute walk from the Barber.
