Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Encyclopedia
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham
, England
.
Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art
, ceramic
s, metalwork, jewellery
, archaeology
, ethnography
, local history
and industrial history
.
In 1829 the Birmingham Society of Artists created a private exhibition building in New Street, Birmingham
while the historical precedent for public education around that time produced the Factory Act 1833, the first instance of Government funding for education.
The Museums Act 1845
“[empowered] boroughs with a population of 10,000 or more to raise a 1/2d for the establishment of museums.” In 1864 the first public exhibition room, was opened when the Society and other donors presented 64 pictures as well as the Sultanganj Buddha
to Birmingham Council and these were housed in the Free Library building but, due to lack of space, the pictures had to move to Aston Hall
. Joseph Nettlefold donated twenty-five pictures by David Cox
to Birmingham Art Gallery on the condition it opened on Sundays.
In June 1880, local artist Allen Edward Everitt
accepted the post of honorary curator of the Free Art Gallery, a municipal institution which was the forerunner of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Jesse Collings
, Mayor of Birmingham 1878-79, was responsible for free libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery. A £10,000 (2010: £) gift by Sir Richard and George Tangye
started a new drive for an art gallery and, in 1885, following other donations and £40,000 from the council, the Prince of Wales officially opened the new gallery. The Museum and Art Gallery occupied an extended part of the Council House
above the new offices of the municipal Gas Department (which in effect subsidised the venture thus circumventing the Public Libraries Act 1850
which limited the use of public funds on the arts).The building was designed by Yeoville Thomason
.
Until 1946, when Property Taxes
were voted towards acquisitions, the museum relied on the generosity of private individuals. John Feeney
provided £50,000 to provide a further gallery.
Seven galleries had to be rebuilt after being bombed in 1940. Immediately after World War II
"Mighty Mary" Woodall was appointed keeper of art under director, Trenchard Cox. Woodall and Cox, through their links to the London art world, were able to attract exhibitions, much publicity and donations to the gallery. In 1956 Woodall replaced Cox when the latter became Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
.
In 1951 the Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham was incorporated into BM&AG. In 2001 the Science Museum closed with some exhibits being transferred to Thinktank, Birmingham
science museum, which is operated by the independent Thinktank Trust.
The main entrance is located in Chamberlain Square
below the clock tower known locally as, “Big Brum
”. The entrance hall memorial reads 'By the gains of Industry we promote Art'.
The Extension Block has entrances via the Gas Hall (Edmund Street
) and Great Charles Street. Waterhall (the old gas department) has its own entrance on Edmund Street.
In October 2010 the Waterhall closed as a BM&AG gallery as a result of a £1.5m cut to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's budget in 2010-11. The last BM&AG exhibition that took place in the Waterhall was the Steve McCurry Retrospective that ran from June 26th to 17th October 2010. The Waterhall is now available for venue hire. It was booked by the Art of Ideas for The Witching Hour exhibition November 11th to November 14th 2010. This is the last time the Waterhall was used as an exhibition space.
BM&AG is managed by Birmingham City Council
.
and the largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones
in the world. Notable painters in oil include the following:
English School
Paintings from the Dutch School
include a painting each from Jan van Goyen and Willem van de Velde the Younger
.
Flemish School
French School
Impressionists
German School
Italian School
Spanish School
, artefacts from Ancient India and Central Asia, Ancient Cyprus
and Ancient Egypt
. There is material from Classical Greece
, the Roman Empire
and Latin America
. There is also mediaeval
material.
In respect of local and industrial history, the tower of the Birmingham HP Sauce
factory was a famous landmark alongside the Aston Expressway which was demolished in the summer of 2007. The giant logo from the top of the tower is now in the collection of the Museum.
The Museum of Science and Industry, on Newhall Street
from 1951–1997, has now closed. Many exhibits were moved to Thinktank
, Birmingham science museum, which is operated by the independent Thinktank Trust.
The Museums Collections Centre in Nechells has brought together 80 per cent of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s stored collections under one roof. The 1.5 hectares (3.7 acre) site, close to Duddeston Station, holds hundreds of thousands of objects. At the moment the Museums Collection Centre is only open to the public on open days or by appointment.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s, metalwork, jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
, local history
Local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context and it often concentrates on the local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history...
and industrial history
Industrial history
Industry in the sense of professional manufacturing has existed for millennia, since the first cities rose.-Cottage industry:A cottage industry is an industry – primarily manufacturing – which includes many producers, working from their homes, typically part time...
.
History
New Street, Birmingham
New Street is a street in central Birmingham, England . It is one of the city's principal thoroughfares and shopping streets. Named after it is Birmingham New Street Station, although that does not have an entrance on New Street except through the Pallasades Shopping Centre.-History:New Street is...
while the historical precedent for public education around that time produced the Factory Act 1833, the first instance of Government funding for education.
The Museums Act 1845
Museums Act 1845
The Museums Act 1845 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which gave the town councils of larger municipal boroughs the power to establish museums.-Historical background:...
“[empowered] boroughs with a population of 10,000 or more to raise a 1/2d for the establishment of museums.” In 1864 the first public exhibition room, was opened when the Society and other donors presented 64 pictures as well as the Sultanganj Buddha
Sultanganj Buddha
The Sultanganj Buddha is the largest complete bronze figure of its kind in the world. The statue is dated by archaeologists at between 500 to 700 AD. It is 2.3m high and 1m wide, weighs over 500kg and was made using the lost wax technique...
to Birmingham Council and these were housed in the Free Library building but, due to lack of space, the pictures had to move to Aston Hall
Aston Hall
Aston Hall is a municipally owned Jacobean-style mansion in Aston, Birmingham, England. Washington Irving used it as the model for Bracebridge Hall in his stories in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon.-History:...
. Joseph Nettlefold donated twenty-five pictures by David Cox
David Cox
David Cox may refer to:*David Cox , former member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Kingston*David Cox , English landscape painter*Sir David Cox , English statistician...
to Birmingham Art Gallery on the condition it opened on Sundays.
In June 1880, local artist Allen Edward Everitt
Allen Edward Everitt
Allen Edward Everitt was an English architectural artist and illustrator. He was a leading artist in the Birmingham area between 1850 and 1880, and his work is a valuable historical record of local buildings of that period....
accepted the post of honorary curator of the Free Art Gallery, a municipal institution which was the forerunner of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings was Mayor of Birmingham, England, a Liberal member of Parliament, but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform.-Background:...
, Mayor of Birmingham 1878-79, was responsible for free libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery. A £10,000 (2010: £) gift by Sir Richard and George Tangye
Richard Tangye
Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye was a British manufacturer of engines and other heavy equipment.-Biography:...
started a new drive for an art gallery and, in 1885, following other donations and £40,000 from the council, the Prince of Wales officially opened the new gallery. The Museum and Art Gallery occupied an extended part of the Council House
Council House, Birmingham
Birmingham City Council House in Birmingham, England is the home of Birmingham City Council. It provides office accommodation for both employed council officers, including the Chief Executive, and elected council members, plus the council chamber, Lord Mayor's Suite, committee rooms and a large and...
above the new offices of the municipal Gas Department (which in effect subsidised the venture thus circumventing the Public Libraries Act 1850
Public Libraries Act 1850
The Public Libraries Act 1850 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries...
which limited the use of public funds on the arts).The building was designed by Yeoville Thomason
Yeoville Thomason
H. R. Yeoville Thomason was an architect in Birmingham, England. He was born in Edinburgh to a Birmingham family. Thomason set up his own practice in Birmingham 1853-1854....
.
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
were voted towards acquisitions, the museum relied on the generosity of private individuals. John Feeney
John Feeney (newspaper proprietor)
John Feeney , newspaper proprietor and philanthropist, was one of a proprietor of the Birmingham Post, in partnership with John Jaffray in succession to his father John Frederick Feeney....
provided £50,000 to provide a further gallery.
Seven galleries had to be rebuilt after being bombed in 1940. Immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
"Mighty Mary" Woodall was appointed keeper of art under director, Trenchard Cox. Woodall and Cox, through their links to the London art world, were able to attract exhibitions, much publicity and donations to the gallery. In 1956 Woodall replaced Cox when the latter became Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
The Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum is the head of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, a post currently held by Mark Jones. He is responsible for that institution's general administration and reports its accounts to the British Government...
.
In 1951 the Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham was incorporated into BM&AG. In 2001 the Science Museum closed with some exhibits being transferred to Thinktank, Birmingham
Thinktank, Birmingham
Thinktank is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it succeeded and has several exhibits from the City's Museum of Science and Industry. It is part of the Millennium Point complex.-Building:...
science museum, which is operated by the independent Thinktank Trust.
Chamberlain Square
Chamberlain Square or Chamberlain Place is a public square in central Birmingham, England , named after Joseph Chamberlain.Its features include:*Birmingham Central Library*Paradise Forum...
below the clock tower known locally as, “Big Brum
Big Brum
Big Brum is the local name for the clock tower on the Council House, Birmingham, England. The clock tower is sufficiently important in the public consciousness of Birmingham people that it has a name. Brum is the local term for the town, the people and the dialect. The name refers to the clock and...
”. The entrance hall memorial reads 'By the gains of Industry we promote Art'.
The Extension Block has entrances via the Gas Hall (Edmund Street
Edmund Street
__notoc__Edmund Street is a street located in Birmingham, England.Edmund Street is one of a series of roads on the old Colmore Estate which originally stretched from Temple Row in the city centre, around St Phillip's Cathedral, to the northern end of Newhall Street. Originally the estate surrounded...
) and Great Charles Street. Waterhall (the old gas department) has its own entrance on Edmund Street.
In October 2010 the Waterhall closed as a BM&AG gallery as a result of a £1.5m cut to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's budget in 2010-11. The last BM&AG exhibition that took place in the Waterhall was the Steve McCurry Retrospective that ran from June 26th to 17th October 2010. The Waterhall is now available for venue hire. It was booked by the Art of Ideas for The Witching Hour exhibition November 11th to November 14th 2010. This is the last time the Waterhall was used as an exhibition space.
BM&AG is managed by Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
.
Paintings
The Art Gallery is most noted for its extensive collections of paintings ranging from the 14th to the 21st century. They include works by the Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodPre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
and the largest collection of works by Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
in the world. Notable painters in oil include the following:
English School
- Constable, JohnJohn ConstableJohn Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
- 2 paintings; - Cox, DavidDavid Cox (artist)- David Cox Junior :David Cox had a son of the same name who followed his calling as a watercolour painter. He was born in Dulwich, but educated in Hereford. He exhibited in London from 1827, although today he is known mainly through association with his father. He died in Streatham on 4 December...
- 11 paintings; - Gainsborough, ThomasThomas GainsboroughThomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
- 3 paintings; - Hogarth, WilliamWilliam HogarthWilliam Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
- 2 paintings; - Landseer, Sir EdwinEdwin Henry LandseerSir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags...
- 1 painting; - Lely, PeterPeter LelySir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
- 2 painting; - Turner, J M W - 1 painting;
- Bacon, FrancisFrancis BaconFrancis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
- 1 painting; - Spencer, StanleyStanley SpencerSir Stanley Spencer was an English painter. Much of his work depicts Biblical scenes, from miracles to Crucifixion, happening not in the Holy Land but in the small Thames-side village where he was born and spent most of his life...
- 3 paintings; - Lanyon, PeterPeter LanyonPeter Lanyon was a Cornish painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. He also made constructions, pottery and collage....
- 1 painting; - Heron, PatrickPatrick HeronPatrick Heron , was an English painter, writer and designer, based in St. Ives, Cornwall.- Early life :...
- 1 painting; - Jones, AllenAllen JonesAllen Jones is the name of:*Allen T Jones ceo*Allen Jones , Continental Congress delegate*Allen Jones , British pop artist...
- 1 painting;
Paintings from the Dutch School
Dutch School (painting)
The Dutch School were painters in the Netherlands from the early Renaissance to the Baroque. It includes Early Netherlandish and Dutch Renaissance artists active in the northern Low Countries and, later, Dutch Golden Age painting in the United Provinces.Many painters, sculptors and architects of...
include a painting each from Jan van Goyen and Willem van de Velde the Younger
Willem van de Velde the Younger
Willem van de Velde the Younger was a Dutch marine painter.-Biography:Willem van de Velde was baptised on 18 December 1633 in Leiden, Holland, Dutch Republic....
.
Flemish School
- Christus, PetrusPetrus ChristusPetrus Christus was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Bruges from 1444.-Life:Christus was born in Baarle, near Antwerp and Breda. Long considered a student of and successor to Jan van Eyck, his paintings have sometimes been confused with those of Van Eyck. At the death of Van Eyck in 1441,...
- 1 painting; - Rubens, Peter Paul - 1 painting;
French School
- Dufrénoy, GeorgesGeorges DufrénoyGeorges Dufrénoy was a French post-Impressionist painter associated with Fauvism.-Biography:He was born in Thiais, France. His family lived at 2 Place des Vosges in Paris in a historic 17th century building in which he lived all his life...
- 1 painting; - Dughet, GaspardGaspard DughetGaspard Dughet , also known as Gaspard Poussin, was a French painter born in Rome.A pupil of Nicolas Poussin, Gaspard Dughet was the brother of Poussin's wife...
- 1 painting; - Gellée, ClaudeClaude LorrainClaude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English Claude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English (also Claude Gellée, his real name, or in French Claude Gellée, , dit le Lorrain) Claude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English (also Claude Gellée, his real name, or in French...
- 2 painting;
Impressionists
- Degas, EdgarEdgar DegasEdgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
- 1 painting; - Pissarro, CamilleCamille PissarroCamille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
- 1 painting; - Renoir, Pierre Auguste - 1 painting;
German School
- Zoffany, JohanJohann ZoffanyJohan Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England...
- 1 painting;
Italian School
- Batoni, PompeoPompeo BatoniPompeo Girolamo Batoni was an Italian painter whose style incorporated elements of the French Rococo, Bolognese classicism, and nascent Neoclassicism.-Biography:He was born in Lucca, the son of a goldsmith, Paolino Batoni...
- 1 painting; - Bellini, GiovanniGiovanni BelliniGiovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
- 1 painting; - Botticelli, SandroSandro BotticelliAlessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance...
- 1 painting; - CanalettoCanalettoGiovanni Antonio Canal better known as Canaletto , was a Venetian painter famous for his landscapes, or vedute, of Venice. He was also an important printmaker in etching.- Early career :...
, (Giovanni Antonio Canal) - 2 paintings; - Crespi, GiuseppeGiuseppe CrespiGiuseppe Maria Crespi , nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo , was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. His eclectic output includes religious paintings and portraits, but he is now most famous for his genre paintings.-Biography:Crespi was born in Bologna to Girolamo Crespi and Isabella Cospi...
- 1 painting; - Dolci, CarloCarlo DolciCarlo Dolci was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions.-Biography:...
- 1 painting; - il Garofalo, Benvenuto TisioBenvenuto Tisi (il Garofalo)Benvenuto Tisi was a Late-Renaissance-Mannerist Italian painter of the School of Ferrara. Garofalo's career began attached to the court of the Duke d'Este...
- 1 painting; - Gentileschi, OrazioOrazio GentileschiOrazio Lomi Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter, one of more important painters influenced by Caravaggio...
- 1 painting; - Guardi, FrancescoFrancesco GuardiFrancesco Lazzaro Guardi was a Venetian painter of veduta, a member of the Venetian School. He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of painting....
- 1 painting; - Guercino, (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) - 1 painting;
- Martini, SimoneSimone MartiniSimone Martini was an Italian painter born in Siena.He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style....
- 1 painting; - Reni, GuidoGuido ReniGuido Reni was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Bologna into a family of musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that...
- 1 painting; - Rosa, SalvatorSalvator RosaSalvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
- 1 painting; - Schiavone, AndreaAndrea SchiavoneAndrea Meldolla , also known as Andrea Schiavone or Andrea Lo Schiavone was an Italian Renaissance painter and etcher, born in present-day Croatia, active mainly in the city of Venice.-Biography:...
- 1 painting; - Strozzi, BernardoBernardo StrozziBernardo Strozzi was a prominent and prolific Italian Baroque painter born and active mainly in Genoa, and also active in Venice.-Biography:Strozzi was born in Genoa. He was probably not related to the other Strozzi family....
- 1 painting;
Spanish School
- Murillo, Bartolomé-EstebanBartolomé Estéban MurilloBartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
- 1 painting.
Antiquities
The collection of antiquities includes coins from ancient times through to the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, artefacts from Ancient India and Central Asia, Ancient Cyprus
Ancient history of Cyprus
The ancient history of Cyprus, also known as Classical Antiquity, dates from the 8th century BC to the Middle Ages. The earliest written records relating to Cyprus date to the Middle Bronze Age , see Alasiya.-Assyrian Period:...
and Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. There is material from Classical Greece
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
, the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. There is also mediaeval
Medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art history in Europe, and at times the Middle East and North Africa...
material.
In respect of local and industrial history, the tower of the Birmingham HP Sauce
HP Sauce
HP Sauce is a popular brown sauce originally produced by HP Foods in the UK, now produced by H.J. Heinz in the Netherlands.It is the best-known brand of brown sauce in the United Kingdom and Canada as well as the best selling, with 71% of the UK market....
factory was a famous landmark alongside the Aston Expressway which was demolished in the summer of 2007. The giant logo from the top of the tower is now in the collection of the Museum.
Community museums
BM&AG also has many branch museums (some closed in the Winter) in historic buildings:- Aston HallAston HallAston Hall is a municipally owned Jacobean-style mansion in Aston, Birmingham, England. Washington Irving used it as the model for Bracebridge Hall in his stories in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon.-History:...
, in AstonAstonAston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
, built 1618 - 1635 - Blakesley HallBlakesley HallBlakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. It is one of the oldest buildings in Birmingham and is a typical example of Tudor architecture with the use of darkened timber and wattle-and-daub infill, with an external lime render which is painted white...
, in YardleyYardley, BirminghamYardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
, a Tudor house - Museum of the Jewellery QuarterMuseum of the Jewellery QuarterThe Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is a museum at 75-79 Vyse Street in Hockley, Birmingham, England. It is a Community Museum, that is branch museum, of the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery...
, HockleyHockley, BirminghamHockley is a central inner-city district in the city of Birmingham, England. It lies about one mile north-west of the city centre, and is served by the Jewellery Quarter station...
(open all year) - Sarehole MillSarehole MillSarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham City Council. It is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.Built in 1542 on...
, in Hall GreenHall GreenNot to be confused with Hall Green, Wolverhampton or Hall Green, SandwellHall Green is an area and ward in south Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
, a water mill - Soho HouseSoho HouseSoho House , Matthew Boulton's home in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, is now a museum , celebrating his life, his partnership with James Watt and his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham. It was designed by Samuel Wyatt and work on the current building began in 1789...
, in HandsworthHandsworth, West MidlandsHandsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, home of Matthew BoultonMatthew BoultonMatthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
with exhibitions on the Lunar SocietyLunar SocietyThe Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,... - Weoley CastleWeoley Castle-External links:****** - Educational teaching sessions and resources at Weoley Castle* - fun and games for children based on Weoley Castle...
(ruins), in Weoley Castle
The Museum of Science and Industry, on Newhall Street
Newhall Street
Newhall Street is a street located in Birmingham, England.Newhall Street stretches from Colmore Row in the city centre by St Phillip's Cathedral in a north-westerly direction towards the Jewellery Quarter. Originally the road was the driveway to New Hall occupied by the Colmore family...
from 1951–1997, has now closed. Many exhibits were moved to Thinktank
Thinktank, Birmingham
Thinktank is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it succeeded and has several exhibits from the City's Museum of Science and Industry. It is part of the Millennium Point complex.-Building:...
, Birmingham science museum, which is operated by the independent Thinktank Trust.
The Museums Collections Centre in Nechells has brought together 80 per cent of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s stored collections under one roof. The 1.5 hectares (3.7 acre) site, close to Duddeston Station, holds hundreds of thousands of objects. At the moment the Museums Collection Centre is only open to the public on open days or by appointment.
Gallery
Further reading
- John Alfred Langford. The Birmingham Free Libraries, the Shakespere Memorial Library, and the Art Gallery (Hall & English, 1871).
External links
- BM&AG website
- Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource Over 2,000 Pre-Raphaelite images
- BM&AG collection online
- Selection of BM&AG's Pinto Collection of Treen
- Paintings from the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on VADS