Review of 2023

While I no longer hit the number of exhibitions I headed out to Pre-pandemic, I did get to see some quality shows throughout the year. After some careful consideration, here's my top ten of 2023. 1. Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum This had to win the top prize - I did everything right for this, starting … Continue reading Review of 2023

Mastering the Market at the Barber Institute

I don't often go to the first day of exhibitions, so it was lovely to have a free Saturday where I could jump on a local train and get off at Birmingham University and a quick stroll across campus for a small exhibition at the Barber Institute. I wrote about the Barber for Mainly Museums … Continue reading Mastering the Market at the Barber Institute

Isaac Blessing Jacob – Matthias Stom

Stom, Matthias; Isaac Blessing Jacob; The Barber Institute of Fine Arts; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/isaac-blessing-jacob-33030 Tucked away on the campus of The University of Birmingham lies The Barber Institute. Its Art Deco building houses a fine collection of art and sculpture, drawings and artefacts. As you walk through the peaceful galleries you are treated to a potted history … Continue reading Isaac Blessing Jacob – Matthias Stom

Matthias Stom-Making the Darkness Conscious

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The quotation from Carl Jung seems apt when discussing the work of this seventeenth century artist, for Matthias Stom is one of the masters of using chiaroscuro to reveal what would usually be hidden. The term, chiaroscuro is defined … Continue reading Matthias Stom-Making the Darkness Conscious

Monet’s Garden

A while ago I visited The Barber Institute in Birmingham to see their loan of one of Monet's Lily Pond paintings Monet and the Water Lily Pond…in Birmingham! This visit inspired me to take the pilgrimage to Giverny in order to see for myself what inspired such outpourings onto canvas of some of the most … Continue reading Monet’s Garden

Monet and the Water Lily Pond…in Birmingham!

When Monet came to Birmingham.

Picasso comes to Birmingham

Like Byron, Pablo Picasso seems to have been "mad, bad and dangerous to know". I heartily recommend Sue Roe's 'In Montmatre' for an insight into the early work of Picasso, Matisse et al. It was a delight to read and made going to see his 'Woman Sleeping in a Chair' from 1927 at The Barber … Continue reading Picasso comes to Birmingham