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Founded by Lady Barber in 1932, the collection offers a brilliant survey of European painting from the thirteenth to twentieth centuries. It features outstanding paintings by such leading masters as Bellini, Rubens, Poussin, Canaletto, Magritte and Auerbach. There is a fine collection of works on paper to match, and groups of sculpture and decorative arts. The Barber building itself is a Grade I-listed Art Deco masterpiece, set amidst the University of Birmingham’s campus.


Art Unlocked is an online talk series by Art UK in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies. This Curation is based on a talk by Robert Wenley, Head of Collections and Deputy Director of The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, on 14th July 2021. You can find a recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY5lvkcRVkI

6 artworks
The Nativity
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

The Nativity c.1515–1520

Jan de Beer (c.1475–1528)

Oil on wood

H 137 x W 137 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

The Wrath of Ahasuerus
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

The Wrath of Ahasuerus c.1671–1673

Jan Steen (1625/1626–1679)

Oil on canvas

H 129 x W 167 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

The Marriage Feast at Cana
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

The Marriage Feast at Cana c.1672

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682)

Oil on canvas

H 179 x W 235 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Maria Marow Gideon and Her Brother, William
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Maria Marow Gideon and Her Brother, William 1786/1787

Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)

Oil on canvas

H 240 x W 148 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Portrait of an Old Woman
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Portrait of an Old Woman c.1800–1805

José Campeche y Jordán (1751–1809)

Oil on canvas

H 105 x W 85 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Carolus-Duran (1838–1917)
Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Carolus-Duran (1838–1917) begun 1876

Édouard Manet (1832–1883)

Oil on canvas

H 191.8 x W 172.7 cm

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts