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.
We’re delighted that Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has reopened its doors for the next phase of reopening. Nearly a dozen spaces, including the stunning Round Room, Industrial Gallery, Tearoom and Shop are now open. The new displays tell the social story of Birmingham and the city’s global impact.
Find out more about the displays:
The Round Room: One Fresh Take
The spectacular Round Room has showcased Birmingham’s art collection for almost 150 years. ‘One Fresh Take’ is a new display about how art can be a way to see the world differently.
Discover how artists from David Cox to Lubaina Himid, Bridget Riley to Cold War Steve, have brought their own fresh take to places that are meaningful to them.
Familiar Round Room favourites – Jacob Epstein’s bronze ‘Lucifer’ and the much-loved penguins ‘Dominicans in Feathers’ – are also back on display.
Industrial Gallery: Made in Birmingham
‘Made in Birmingham’ is an exciting new display in the historic Industrial Gallery. It explores some of the characteristics of Birmingham and what it means to be shaped by this city.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a passing visitor, everyone has an opinion on Birmingham. This display looks beyond the stereotypes to examine the real Birmingham – sometimes wonderful, sometimes frustrating, and with a tendency to knock everything down and start again.
‘Made in Birmingham’ is a snapshot of some of the people, places and things which have been made in this city from the 18th century to the present day and which make this city what it is.
It explores the complicated relationship that many people have to Birmingham, and the sense of welcome and home that the city and its inhabitants can provide. It looks at the city’s continual redevelopment and roadworks, as well as the nostalgia and memories associated with certain places in Birmingham. It also examines manufacturing in Birmingham, a city of makers which has produced everything from HP Sauce to Cadbury’s chocolate, buttons to bicycles, fancy metalwork to industrial metalwork.
Wild City
The Wild City displays include two new galleries dedicated to children and families, telling stories about nature in the city.
Wild City looks at wildlife and the natural environment in the past, present and future and Birmingham’s historic links to animals, encouraging children to look at and understand the nature we can see on our doorstep today, and children’s hopes for the future.
Key objects include the famous portrait of the Official Rat Catcher to the City of Birmingham by Arthur Charles Shorthouse (1870-1953), children’s artworks on the walls and a small soft play and coffee area.
Pixel Studio
The Pixel Studio is our new digital gallery and activity space.
This digital space will host screenings of digital work and immersive experiences created by artists and producers from across the region, as well as showcasing collaborations using the collections as an inspiration. The Pixel Studio will also host a range of digital activities, games and workshops.
There are currently two films on display: ‘The Tiny Spark’ and ‘Excerpt’. These are repeated throughout the day.
Benjamin Zephaniah
A small display celebrating the life and work of Birmingham-born poet, actor and activist, Benjamin Zephaniah, who died in 2023.
The display includes a photo of the poet taken by renowned Birmingham-based photographer Pogus Caesar, an extract from one of Zephaniah’s poems about the city, ‘The Big Bang’, and a new Blue Plaque commissioned by the Nubian Jak Community Trust, an organisation highlighting the work of Black and minority ethnic people in the UK.
Benjamin Zephaniah’s typewriter is also on display in the Made in Birmingham exhibit in the Industrial Gallery — he used this typewriter to write his first two books, ‘Pen Rhythm’ and ‘Dead Affair’.
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.
Did you know that Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is one of many museums in Birmingham?