Arts exhibition programme that will delight your senses in 2024!
Claudette Johnson: 22 June – 22 September 2024
Claudette Johnson is one of the foremost artists working in Britain today. Her primary subjects are Black women, including herself, and, more recently, Black men. Through these figures, Johnson employs a powerful style to explore the body; her work challenges perceptions of identity, sexuality and wider political and social constraints, particularly those affecting Black diasporic communities.
The exhibition will present several new works by the artist and will reveal the intimacy of Johnson’s work, through line drawings and sketches of contrasting scales.
Botanical Illustrations from the Victoria and Albert Museum: 22 June – 22 September 2024
As well as being inherently beautiful, depictions of flowers and fruits reflect the fascinating relationship between art and science, and the artistic challenge of reconciling these elements within a single image.
The summer 2024 exhibition will feature a group of stunning botanical illustrations from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A). These will be accompanied by historic printed herbals and other related material from the University of Birmingham’s own diverse collections, together representing more than 400 years of botanical imagery.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a rich programme of events that explore the complex history, production and use of these images.
Scent and the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites: 11 October 2024 – 26 January 2025
Scent is a key motif in paintings by the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic movements. Fragrance is visually suggested in images of daydreaming figures smelling flowers or burning incense, enhancing the sensory aura of ‘art for art’s sake’.
This landmark exhibition highlights the role of the olfactory sense and its significance for some of Britain’s best-loved art treasures. from collections across the United Kingdom. A wide-ranging programme of events exploring art and scent will accompany the exhibition.
Women in Power: Coins from the Barber Collection: 22 June 2024 – 26 January 2025
Spanning nearly 2,000 years and more than 2,500 miles, the Barber’s forthcoming coin exhibition explores historical women who have appeared on coins. From London to Ctesiphon (now Baghdad), and from representations of gender fluid deities from the 3rd century BC to Elizabeth II in 2022, the display focuses on the female rulers, potentates and icons whose stories have often been distorted or diminished over successive centuries and millennia.
Further information: Exhibitions 2024 - The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
(NB - Originally scheduled to open in April 2024, the Claudette Johnson exhibition will now open June 2024).