Curations

20th Century Spotlight: Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham

David Saywell, Head of Digital Assets

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham is one of the finest small European collections in the United Kingdom. Its 20th Century Collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints, a selection of which are presented below. Lady Barber, founder and wife of Sir Henry Barber, solicitor and property developer, is represented by two artworks, one of which is by Nestor Cambier, a Belgian artist now largely forgotten, but who painted 25 portraits of Lady Barber, her husband and Culham Court, an 18th-century estate in Oxfordshire.

Artists featured in this Curation: Jean Arp (1886–1966), Frank Helmuth Auerbach (1931–2024), George Bellows (1882–1925), Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947), Nestor Cambier (1879–1957), André Derain (1880–1954), Otto Dix (1891–1969), Naum Gabo (1890–1977), Tess Jaray (b.1937), Gwen John (1876–1939), and 9 more
19 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase

  • Jean Arp (1886–1966)

    Homme vu par une fleur (Man Seen by a Flower) 1958
    Jean Arp (1886–1966)
    Bronze
    H 6.3 x W 12.4 x D 11 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Homme vu par une fleur (Man Seen by a Flower)
    © DACS 2025. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Frank Helmuth Auerbach (b.1931)

    Primrose Hill – Winter 1981–1982
    Frank Helmuth Auerbach (1931–2024)
    Oil on board
    H 121.9 x W 152.4 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Primrose Hill – Winter
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • George Bellows (1882–1925)

    Nude, Miss Bentham 1906
    George Bellows (1882–1925)
    Oil on canvas
    H 182.9 x W 91.4 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Nude, Miss Bentham
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947)

    The Dolls' Dinner Party c.1903
    Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947)
    Oil on canvas
    H 37.4 x W 45.5 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    The Dolls' Dinner Party
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Nestor Cambier (1879–1957)

    Lady Barber in Her Rock Garden 1916
    Nestor Cambier (1879–1957)
    Oil on millboard
    H 43.5 x W 28.5 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Lady Barber in Her Rock Garden
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • André Derain (1880–1954)

    Bartolomeo Savona 1906
    André Derain (1880–1954)
    Oil on canvas
    H 45.7 x W 35.4 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Bartolomeo Savona
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Otto Dix (1891–1969)

    Chalk Cliffs in the Sun (Kreidefelsen in der Sonne) 1916
    Otto Dix (1891–1969)
    Black chalk on beige paper
    H 28.4 x W 20.8 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Chalk Cliffs in the Sun (Kreidefelsen in der Sonne)
    © DACS 2025. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Naum Gabo (1890–1977)

    Linear Construction in Space No. 1 1942–1943
    Naum Gabo (1890–1977)
    Perspex with nylon monofilament
    H 21 x W 21 x D 7 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Linear Construction in Space No. 1
    © Nina & Graham Williams / Tate Images. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Tess Jaray (b.1937)

    Study for 'Villandry' 1966
    Tess Jaray (b.1937)
    Graphite on paper
    H 24.6 x W 25.9 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Study for 'Villandry'
    © the artist. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Gwen John (1876–1939)

    Mère Poussepin (1653–1744) c.1915–1920
    Gwen John (1876–1939)
    Oil on canvas
    H 60.5 x W 45.3 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Mère Poussepin (1653–1744)
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945)

    Woman with Dead Child 1903
    Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945)
    Etching on paper
    H 42.5 x W 49 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Woman with Dead Child
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Fernand Léger (1881–1955)

    Composition with Fruit 1938
    Fernand Léger (1881–1955)
    Oil on canvas
    H 92 x W 65 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Composition with Fruit
    © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)

    A Portrait of the Artist's Wife, 'Froanna' 1940
    Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
    Coloured chalks over graphite on blue paper
    H 48.3 x W 31 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    A Portrait of the Artist's Wife, 'Froanna'
    © by kind permission of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust (a registered charity) / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • René Magritte (1898–1967)

    The Flavour of Tears 1948
    René Magritte (1898–1967)
    Oil on canvas
    H 59.4 x W 49.5 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    The Flavour of Tears
    © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Hermann Max Pechstein (1881–1955)

    Still Life in Grey 1913
    Hermann Max Pechstein (1881–1955)
    Oil on canvas
    H 100.3 x W 74.6 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Still Life in Grey
    © Pechstein Hamburg/Toekendorf/DACS 2025. Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Odilon Redon (1840–1916)

    The Crucifixion 1904
    Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
    Oil on canvas
    H 46 x W 27 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    The Crucifixion
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923)

    Lady Barber in a Landscape
    James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923)
    Oil on canvas
    H 181 x W 112.5 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Lady Barber in a Landscape
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Walter Richard Sickert (1860–1942)

    The Eldorado, Paris c.1906
    Walter Richard Sickert (1860–1942)
    Oil on canvas
    H 48.2 x W 59 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    The Eldorado, Paris
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

  • Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940)

    Madame Vuillard Arranging Her Hair 1900
    Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940)
    Oil on millboard
    H 49.5 x W 35.5 cm
    The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
    Madame Vuillard Arranging Her Hair
    Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 19
  • Cupola Green
    Tess Jaray (b.1937)
  • Linear Construction
    Naum Gabo (1890–1977)
  • Nude in the Bath (Nu dans la baignoire)
    Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947)
  • The Crowd
    Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
  • Charlotte Cuhrt
    Hermann Max Pechstein (1881–1955)
  • The Stairs
    James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923)
  • Profile of a Woman with a Vase of Flowers (Profile de femme avec vase de fleurs)
    Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
  • Man with a Newspaper (L'Homme au journal)
    René Magritte (1898–1967)
  • Still Life with a Beer Mug (Nature morte à la chope)
    Fernand Léger (1881–1955)
  • Blackfriars Bridge, London
    André Derain (1880–1954)
  • View all 19
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