Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) first opened in 1885. It is housed in a Grade II* listed city centre landmark building. There are over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography.
Galleries to Visit
The art gallery at Birmingham Museum is famous for its Pre-Raphaelite paintings, which are part of the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world.
Discover the fascinating story of the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, in its own dedicated gallery.
The Birmingham History collections feature prominently in the ‘Birmingham: its people, its history’ gallery, which covers the majority of the 3rd floor.
You can also see art and objects spanning seven centuries of European and World history and culture. This includes Greeks & Romans and Ancient Egypt.
Exhibitions
In addition to the permanent galleries there is a diverse exhibition programme that offers a series of changing exhibitions throughout the year.
Find out about current and future exhibitions at the Museum and Art Gallery on the What’s On page.
Mini Museum
The new Mini Museum gallery at Birmingham Museum has been specially designed to provide an engaging place for children aged 5 and under to experience Birmingham Museums’ collections; see fantastic art works made by children, young people and artists; and help children love museums from a young age.
The Mini Museum includes fine art from the Museums’ collection, on the themes of childhood and animals, as well as taxidermy from the natural science collections. With dressing up clothes, interactives, a puppet theatre, and a soft seating/storytelling area with plenty of books, we hope that children will feel welcomed and inspired, and enjoy their time at the Museum.
Children from three local nurseries have helped us design stained glass art for the windows, and young apprentices from the Learnplay Foundation have designed a computer game for the space. We hope that all our young visitors will be inspired to have a great time whether relaxing in our soft reading space, gazing up at beautiful architecture or exploring and piecing together our ancient mummy.
Did you know that Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is one of many museums in Birmingham?