Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Chamberlain Square
Birmingham
Birmingham
B3 3DH
England

Website

E-mail

General Enquiries

bmag.enquiries@birmingham.gov.uk

Picture Library

picture.library@birmingham.gov.uk

Telephone

0121 303 2834

Fax

0121 303 1394

All information is drawn or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The exterior of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery showing the main entrance and the clock tower.

Founded in 1885, the collections cover fine art and applied arts, archaeology and ethnography, local and industrial history.

Venue Type:

Museum, Gallery

Opening hours

Mon-Thurs & Sat 10.00-17.00
Fri 10.30-17.00
Sun 12.30-17.00

Closed on December 25, 26 and January 1.

Admission charges

Entrance to the Museum & Art Gallery is FREE.
Some exhibitions charge an admission fee.

This museum has a Designated Collection of national importance.

There are over 500,000 objects in Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's collection. Our collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and drawings draws visitors from around the world. Our permanent displays include fine art from the Renaissance to the present, topographical views of Birmingham, metalwork, ceramics and glass, Egypt and the ancient world, world cultures, the history of Birmingham's Bull Ring, social history and wooden artefacts. If you want to see a particular object, check beforehand to find out if it is on display. You can also visit our stores, where you can see a wide range of objects including vintage cars and industrial objects - just check our website for dates of stores open days and tours.

Collection details

World Cultures, Weapons and War, Toys and Hobbies, Social History, Personalities, Music, Fine Art, Design, Decorative and Applied Art, Costume and Textiles, Coins and Medals, Archives, Archaeology

Key artists and exhibits

Designated Collection
Pre-Raphaelites
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
William Holman Hunt
John Everett Millais
Ford Madox Brown
Edward Burne Jones
Birmingham School
Arts and Crafts
Renaissance art
Baroque art
Victorian art
Modern art
Metalwork
Coins and medals
Chinese ceramics
Ceramics
Glass
Egypt
Sultanganj Buddha
World cultures
Ancient World
Archaeology
Birmingham history
Social history
Pinto collection of wooden objects

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Metropolis: reflections on the modern city

23 March — 23 June 2013 *on now

Visions of the modern global city by some of the world's most exciting artists, Metropolis brings together stunning work by 25 contemporary artists of the highest international standing to Birmingham and includes digital projection, painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media installation.

Metropolis: Reflections on the modern city is a major showcase of international contemporary artwork jointly collected by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the New Art Gallery, Walsall and developed in partnership with Ikon Gallery, as part of the £1 million Art Fund International initiative. Now shown together for the first time, these works represent an ambitious and nationally-significant new collection for Birmingham, Walsall and the West Midlands.

Suitable for

Admission

Free

Staffordshire Hoard

15 July 2012 — 31 December 2014 *on now

The Staffordshire Hoard is in Gallery 16. This unique Anglo-Saxon collection is still in the process of being conserved and in this gallery you can see objects pre-conservation and objects that have newly been conserved.

The Hoard is made up of over 1,500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

This exhibition tells the story of the Hoard find and the history of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

As well as seeing the Hoard objects you can also use the interactives to take a closer look at some of the star items that are not currently on display.

There is also the opportunity to handle two replica Saxon swords.

Conservation of the Hoard is taking place at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. Due to conservation work, research work and occasional photography and filming days we cannot guarantee which objects will be on display in the gallery. If you would like to check before your visit please phone: 0121 303 1966 or email: bmag_enquiries@birmingham.gov.uk

Admission

The Staffordshire Hoard exhibition is in Gallery 16.

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Face to face resources

Culture Club

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/2004/general/extras/cultureClub.pdf

Join Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's club for children and families which encourages you to enjoy the exhibitions, take part in lively events and join in with exciting activities. Members receive a regular newsletter about events, a passport to record museum visits and information about competitions, amongst other things.

How to obtain

It is free to join Culture Club. Fill in the online form and post it off. Call Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on 0121 3032834 for more information about the gallery's events.

Digital and online resources

Egyptian Mummy

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/egyptmummy.htm

Greek Pot Painter

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/greecepot.htm

Learning about Landscapes

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/landscape.htm

Have you ever noticed that artists use special tricks to make their pictures look like they are going back into the distance? Explore some of their tricks or have a go at creating your own landscapes.

Lost Luggage

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/lostluggage/train.htm

Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource

http://www.preraphaelites.org

Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery received funding from JISC to digitise the Pre-Raphaelite collection and make it accessible online for the education community. The resulting Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource provides full record information and allows users to examine images in great detail. You can browse the online collection, make simple searches or interrogate the collection data using filtering tools. The ability to filter the collection in this way should be particularly useful for study and research. You can also interact with the online collection by creating your own personal collections of images and by discussing the works with the online community.