The Barber Institute of Fine Arts comes to The Courtauld Gallery - the highlights

This morning, I ascended the impressive staircase to the third floor of The Courtauld Gallery, where exceptional paintings from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, are on display from 23 May 2025 to 22 February 2026.

The staircase at the Courtauld

This impressive staircase was conceived as a symbolic ‘journey to enlightenment”.

The exhibition features a selection of 18 masterpieces spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century, including works by Bellini, Rubens, Gainsborough, Turner, Rossetti, Whistler, Degas, and Monet.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was founded as a university gallery in 1932, the same year as The Courtauld Institute of Art and its collection. Both were intended to encourage the study and public appreciation of art. Today, the Barber and The Courtauld Gallery are home to two of the finest collections of European art in the country.

I had the pleasure of receiving a warm and gracious welcome from Dr. Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen, Head of the Courtauld Gallery, and Professor Jennifer Powell, Director of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham. Additionally, the Head of the Art History Department at the gallery shared insights into some of the highlight paintings featured in the exhibition, enriching the experience with scholarly perspectives.

A few works that I found especially compelling:

Dante Gabriel Rossetti THE BLUE BOWER 1865     

What is fascinating about this painting is uses Pre-Raphaelite techniques and features exotic elements, like a Japanese koto and tiles inspired by Chinese and Islamic designs, to create a hymn to beauty and sensuality.

 Jan Gossaert HERCULES AND DEIANIRA 1517

Jan Gossaert travelled to Italy from the Low Countries in 1508, becoming one of the first Northern artists of the Renaissance to draw directly from antiquity. Upon his return, he created innovative, classically influenced works such as this one. The mythological figures depicted are the Greek hero Hercules and his wife, Deianira.

Max Pechstein STILL LIFE IN GREY 1913

An unusual combination of objects including a cauliflower, a blue and white Chinese jar and a carved wooden stool from Cameroon (then a German colony).

Vigee-Lebrun, Elisabeth Louise; Countess Golovine around 1800

Vigée Lebrun met and befriended Varvara Nikolaevna Golovina in Russia in the late 1790s during the artist’s exile from revolutionary France. She described Golovina as a charming woman wo was a talented musician and artist, and a lover of literature. Vigée Le Brun was a pioneering portrait painter who achieved significant acclaim in late 18th-century France. Her exceptional talent and innovative approach to portraiture established her as one of the most influential artists of her time.

Once the Council Room for the Royal Academy

Descending to the second floor, I paused to visit Room 7. Settling onto one of the provided benches, I gazed upward, captivated by the intricate patterns of the ornate ceiling. This room, once a Council Room for the Royal Academy, features an exquisite ceiling that enhances the viewing experience of the artworks below. It's a perfect spot to appreciate both the art and the architecture of The Courtauld. 

I'm glad I visited the gallery shop beneath the atmospheric vaulted space before I left. It's a treasure trove of exclusive art-inspired gifts, from stylish homewares and fashion to limited-edition prints and handcrafted jewellery all sourced from independent creators.

Book your visit here

This display is included in the Permanent Collection or Permanent Collection + Exhibition ticket.

23 May 2025 – 22 Feb 2026

Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3

The Courtauld Gallery is open daily from 10.00 – 18.00, last entry 17.15

Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN