A View From The Cheap Seats: The Barber Institute of Fine Art

I must firstly say a big thank you to Mr Andrew Davies, Press & Marketing Officer at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts for granting me access to the Gallery before it opened to the general public in order to take my photographs. I was shown around the Gallery by a nice Security Guard called Pete who told me a little about the history of the Barber Institute and how they came about their collection.

A brief history of the Institute reads like a modern day local boy done good. William Henry was a highly successful solicitor and developer. This enabled him to retire at an early age (mid thirties). Along with his Wife, Dame Martha Constance Hattie Barber, they drew up plans to contribute to the City of Birmingham in the form of the Institute. Henry, as he was always known, died before the plans came into being and it was left to his Widow to ensure the completion the plan. She too was to die shortly after the Institute was founded in 1932. The terms of the Barber Will was that their entire collection and fortune was bequeathed to the Trustees to ensure the building was complete and the art collection expanded.

Fast forward 80 years and you have a beautiful intimate gallery set in the heart of a thriving University. The collection is not only a lovely way for members of the public to appreciate art it also forms an important part of the University's Art courses. This is a reason why the collection spans a great time period, this gives all the students studing the subject of Art the chance to see works up close and to learn from them, a wonderful legacy from the Barber's.

For more information about the Institute please see the Official Website

Now, onto the paintings themselves. As you will see for yourself below, they house some lovely paintings. I have included a photo of the accompanying painting description so, if you wish, you can research the painting further. Some of the photos may have slight glare/reflection and for that I am sorry.