December 13, 2023
Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement
We are delighted that ‘Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement’ will be opening in the Gas Hall at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on 10 February 2024. The exhibition will be open from Wednesday until Sunday from 10am – 5pm. Members of the Friends will have FREE entry to the exhibition on presentation of their valid Membership card, but you must pre-book a timed ticket before arriving.
Please click here to read more and to pre-book your tickets.
About the exhibition: Three generations of British artists, designers and makers revolutionised the visual arts in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and his circle and the men and women of the Arts and Crafts movement transformed art and design.
Selected from the city of Birmingham’s outstanding collection, ‘Victorian Radicals’ presents vibrant paintings and exquisite drawings alongside jewellery, glass, textiles and metalwork to explore their radical vision for art and society.
Fresh from an award-winning tour of the US, ‘Victorian Radicals’ is the first comprehensive showing of the city’s Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts collections in Birmingham for over five years. Discover the story of the Pre-Raphaelites themselves and their influence on artists and makers well into the twentieth century – especially in Birmingham itself. Paintings made by artists including Kate Bunce, Joseph Southall and Arthur Gaskin combined the poetry and intensity of the Pre-Raphaelites’ work with a distinctive identity all their own.
This exhibition is organised by Birmingham Museums Trust and the American Federation of Arts. Supported by the Friends of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery.
Prices:
Adult: £11
Concession: £6
Child (up to 15): Free
Members of the Friends of Birmingham Museums: Free
PLEASE NOTE: The main museum and art gallery building will continue to be closed following maintenance work. ONLY the Gas Hall will open on 10 February 2024 for the ‘Victorian Radicals’ exhibition.
March 2023
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s closure
After its partial reopening for the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery closed for essential maintenance works on Sunday 13 November 2022 at 5pm. The closure has been – and will continue to be – very disappointing for many people, but the ongoing building work is vital and will ensure that the Museum can be continue to be enjoyed in full in the future.
In order to prepare for these infrastructure works, the museum objects had to be packed away and put safely into storage. This was a huge undertaking by the collections team to ensure 35,000 objects – 26,000 works on paper, 1,000 paintings, and 8,000 objects – were checked, packed and carefully moved.
The Staffordshire Hoard can be seen on display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Many other objects and artworks are on loan to other venues across the region and country. Click here to see the full list of loans.
Some of the stored objects can be seen at the Museum Collection Centre, the main store for Birmingham Museums, which holds around a million items. The Museum Collection Centre is open to the public once every two weeks for pre-booked tours.