Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Barber Institute of Fine Arts
	University (Birmingham)
Website	www.barber.org.uk

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an

concert hall in Birmingham, England. It is situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham

.

The

Robert Atkinson in the 1930s and opened in 1939 by Queen Mary. The first building to be purpose-built for the study of art history in the United Kingdom, it was described by architectural historian Sir John Summerson as representing "better than almost any other building (except, perhaps the RIBA in Portland Place) the spirit of English architecture in the 1930s."^[2]

The layout of the museum is centred on a central concert hall which is surrounded by lecture halls, offices and libraries on the ground floor and art galleries on the first floor.

In the 2005

Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam Museum and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool).^[3]

Location and history

The institute is located 5 km southwest of the city centre at the East Gate of the university campus and has one of the outstanding collections of art assembled in Britain in the 20th century, including works by

baronetcy

for 'Political Services to Birmingham'.

He died three years later. Lady Barber decided to make a permanent contribution to the city in his memory. On 13 December 1932, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded, and was bequeathed to the university 'for the study and encouragement of art and music'. Lady Barber died four months later leaving all of her assets to the trustees of the institute. This money was used to acquire works of art for a collection and fund the construction of a new building. In order to ensure that only artworks of the highest quality were bought for the Barber Institute, its founding trust deed stipulated that all purchases should be 'of that standard of quality as required by the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection'.

The founding director (from 1935 to 1952) was Thomas Bodkin, who acquired the nucleus of the collection described by The Observer as "the last great art collection of the twentieth century".^[5] Bodkin's successor was Professor Ellis Waterhouse who served from 1952 to 1970. The current director of the Barber is Nicola Kalinsky, previously deputy director and chief curator of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. She joined the Barber in the midst of its 80th anniversary programme as it planned for a major redevelopment of its building.

The building was Grade II listed in 1981 and uprated to Grade I by Historic England in September 2020. The foyer floor, door surrounds and staircase are of travertine marble. The auditorium is panelled in Australian walnut.^[6]

On 2 October 2023, the institute temporarily closed for refurbishment; it plans to reopen in June 2024. ^[7]