in the area

THE BARBER INSTITUTE

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TS. www.barber.org.uk

Miss Clara and the Celebrity Beast in Art, 1500 – 1860 Until 27 February 2022. Praised by Rachel Cooke in the Observer as ‘just about perfect’, this five-star rated exhibition tells the story of the animal behind one of the Barber’s best-loved masterpieces, a bronze sculpture entitled ‘A Rhinoceros, called Miss Clara’. Imported into Europe from India by a Dutch sea captain in 1741, ‘Miss Clara’ was toured around Europe in a carriage pulled by eight horses, visiting more than 60 cities - from Amsterdam to Venice, Paris to Prague, and Vienna to London, where she eventually died in 1759. Achieving considerable celebrity wherever she went, she was viewed by kings and courtiers - and indeed anyone who could afford to pay the entrance fee, and inspired paintings and prints, sculpture, ceramics, clocks – and even a hairstyle. This unique exhibition throws the spotlight onto the art and merchandise inspired by her, and by other celebrity animals, including elephants Hanno, Hansken and Jumbo, and Obaysch, who in the 1850s became the first hippopotamus seen in Europe since Roman times.

The First Dictators: Politics, Propaganda and the Collapse of the Roman Republic Until 26 June 2022. ‘The First Dictators’ explores how coins were used for propaganda purposes during the dying days of the Roman Republic in the first century BCE. Taking a deep-dive into the images on the currency, the exhibition features super-enlarged diagrams to explore how depictions of real and mythological characters, animals and objects were used for political ends. Three important flash points – the dictatorship of Sulla; the First Triumvirate and the dictatorship of Caesar; and the Second Triumvirate and the dictatorship of Octavian, which finally shifted the Republic into the Empire – are the focus of the exhibition. However, it also considers how several commonlyused images – and even the personalities of several of the Roman dictators themselves – were adopted and exploited by more recent states and politicians on their own coins and medals. The exhibition also includes an overview of the development of Roman bronze, base metal and silver coins from their earliest appearance until 105 BCE, and explains how coins were made.

Masterpieces on Loan Until 20 March & 3 April 2022. Three spectacular and very different paintings are on display at the Barber for the first time in a series of swaps with other top UK galleries. ‘Mares and Foals in a River Landscape’ by the eminent English animal painter George Stubbs (1724 – 1806) portrays a group of glossy racehorses in a lyrical evocation of the English countryside, while ‘The Capella Nuova outside the Porta di Chiara’ is a gem-like small study from a series of views of Naples painted in about 1782 by Thomas Jones (1742 – 1803), only really appreciated since the early 20th century for his plein-air views. Both have been lent in exchange for Barber paintings borrowed for Tate Britain’s exhibition, ‘Hogarth and Europe’, and are on display until 20 March. Also on display is ‘Portrait of Rosamund Sargent, née Chambers’, 1749, by prolific Scottish portraitist Allan Ramsay (1713-84). This sumptuous painting is on loan to the Barber in exchange for Rossetti’s tour de force, ‘The Blue Bower’, which has just returned to the Barber following its loan to the exhibition ‘Rossetti’s Portraits’ at the Holburne Museum, Bath. It is on display until 3 April.

Highlights from Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery Until 2024. A trio of internationally significant masterpieces have been lent by Birmingham Museums Trust to the Barber for a twoyear period – where they now hang among the Barber’s own worldclass collection. The iconic Pre-Raphaelite masterpiece ‘The Last of England’, painted in 1855 by Ford Madox Brown, the monumental ‘Erminia and the Shepherd’, painted around 1620 by leading Bolognese painter Guercino and ‘The Man of Sorrows’, a tiny panel by the Flemish painter Petrus Christus from around 1450, have been lent to the Barber while Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is closed.

Beyond Representation: Re-defining Perception in the 20th Century Until 22 May 2022. International artists of the 20th century constructed new perceptions of the world during a time of intense and turbulent change – from huge technological and scientific advancements, to political revolutions and two world wars. These seismic shifts, coinciding with the rise in popularity of photography,

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The Barber Institute - Miss Clara and the Celebrity Beast in Art, 1500 - 1860

called into question the purpose of art, while the invention of the X-ray and renewed interest in the concept of a fourth dimension opened up new possibilities for portraying the world. Artists began to move beyond, or reject outright, traditional illusionistic representation as no longer sufficient for expressing the modern experience, sparking experiments in form, space and perspective. This display features drawings prints and sculpture from the Barber collection by pioneering artists of the period as diverse as Christopher Nevinson, Kurt Schwitters, Max Beckman, Max Ernst, Naum Gabo and Tess Jaray.

The Founding of the Barber Institute 11 February - 12 June 2022. This year, the Barber celebrates the 90th anniversary of its foundation - an arts centre ahead of its time. This display of photographs and archive material explores the story behind establishment of this unique ‘…Institute for the study and encouragement of Art and Music’– by Lady Barber, and the building of Birmingham’s finest Art Deco building - now Grade-1 listed.

BIRMINGHAM BACH CHOIR

www.birmingham.bachchoir.com

For Those We Loved Saturday 2 April, 7pm at St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham. Conductor: Paul Spicer, Organist: Martyn Rawles, Baritone: Ed Ballard, Trumpeter: Matthew Hampton. A concert to remember of beautiful music by Vaughan Williams, Holst, Parry and Spicer (Premiere). Tickets from £14; students £6. Available online: www. birmingham.bachchoir.com or from THSH Box Office. Lux Aeterna: A Summer Concert of British music and Bach! Saturday 25 June at St Paul’s, Jewellery Quarter and Saturday 2 July at Malvern Priory, Malvern. Conductor: Paul Spicer, Organist: Martyn Rawles. Including music by Bach, Britten, Finzi, Gibbons, Joubert and MacMillan. Tickets & details online: www.birmingham.bachchoir.com.

HERBERT ART GALLERY & MUSEUM

Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP. theherbert.org

Daniel Lismore - Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Already Taken 18th February - 26th June 2022. Coventry City of Culture Trust and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum are delighted to present ‘Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken’ by the Coventry born artist, designer and activist Daniel Lismore. This exhibition in his hometown is the first time that his work has gone on display in the UK.

The exhibition features a major installation ‘An Army of My Life’, which takes inspiration from the Terracotta Army, and features 50 3D sculptures, each of which are modelled on the artist and including a cast of his face, manifestations of Lismore’s life living as sculpture. The life-size (6’4”) sculptures are fashioned in Lismore’s elaborate and extravagant ensembles, expressions of body adornment and conceptual thinking. They combine haute couture with items from his personal collection of nearly 7,000 unique curiosities, including charity-shop finds, yards of vintage fabrics and found objects.

The exhibition will examine social, historical and cultural themes

Daniel Lismore - Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Already Taken - The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

central to Lismore’s work and life living as sculpture. He has been a noted advocate of sustainable fashion, which sits at the heart of his artistic practice, a design philosophy that espouses creative re-use, upcycling of materials and reduction of impact on the environment. His relationships with creative communities around the world also inform his work and activism. Lismore has been called ‘England’s most eccentric dresser’ by Vogue, exhibited around the world, and has designed costumes for the English National Opera. He was Creative Director of luxury label Sorapol where he dressed Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Naomi Campbell, Cara Delevingne, Adam Ant and Boy George amongst others. Many of the pieces designed for his celebrity clientele will be on display in Coventry. A specially made publication for the UK premiere of the exhibition, and Coventry UK City of Culture, will explore, excavate and celebrate Daniel’s unique journey from being raised in Coventry through to international fame. This will feature previously unseen private archive & materials including photos, found objects, ephemera, artworks & sketchbooks, personal materials documenting his journey from schooldays through adolescence - a tapestry of his journey from childhood to his true self living as sculpture.

‘Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken’ was first presented in 2016, co-curated by Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Atlanta USA and exhibited at SCAD FASH: Museum of Fashion and Film. Since its original presentation, the exhibition has been presented in Basel Miami 2016, Iceland 2018, Naples 2019 and Poland in November 2019. For this homecoming exhibition, many of the work will be enhanced and expanded, with previously unseen works on display.

IKON

1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS. www.ikon-gallery.org

Carlo Crivelli - Shadows on the Sky 23 February - 29 May 2022. In October 2019 Ikon won the inaugural £150,000 Ampersand Foundation Award, which will enable the gallery to realise its dream of staging an exhibition of works by the 15th century Italian Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli. It will include a number of works from European collections, including some never lent before. Jonathan Watkins, Ikon Director: ‘An exhibition of work by the 15th century painter Carlo Crivelli is not only a dream come true for Ikon, but also something that I have always really wanted to do. Since being an undergraduate I have been fascinated by Crivelli, at once very ‘traditional’ in a northern Italian style but pointing towards a postmodern art historical future unlike any other pre-modern artist. Arguably, Carlo Crivelli was as radical as Magritte.’. For more information see page 17.

Britta Marakatt-Labba - Under the Vast Sky 23 February - 29 May 2022. Ikon presents the first UK exhibition by renowned Sámi (Swedish) artist Britta Marakatt-Labba. The exhibition strikes a balance between iconic embroidered pieces and more recent and new works, including epic panoramas chronicling the history, culture and cosmology of the Sámi, the indigenous population of the northernmost parts of Scandinavia. These will be combined with works inspired by the vernacular, the domestic, the intimacy of daily

life; works engaging in the contested and urgent issues of our time – climate catastrophe, contemporary terrorism linked to Nazism, and more. The exhibition is co-curated by Jan-Erik Lundström, a curator, critic and historian of contemporary art, and former director of the Sámi Center for Contemporary Art, Karasjok, Norway.

MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE - MAC

Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH. macbirmingham.co.uk

Maryam Wahid: Zaibunnisa 5 February – 18 April 2022. This is Maryam Wahid’s first major photographic exhibition in her home city of Birmingham. Zaibunnisa, meaning ‘the beauty of women’ refers to Wahid’s mother’s birth name prior to emigrating from Pakistan to the UK in 1982 for an arranged marriage. The photographs tell the story of Wahid and her mother’s journey to Lahore in 2019, Wahid’s firstever trip to Pakistan and her mother’s first visit in twenty years.

Epiphania Visuals: When Speech is Forced Down, Art Must Speak 5 February – 3 April 2022. This group exhibition presents the work of artists and activists from Bangladesh. Themes explore gender identities including asexuality, gender and sexual diversity, and queer experiences through art, film, painting, and craft.

Little Earthquake: Nevertheless, We Persisted 5 February – 3 April 2022. Inspired by and featuring cards, letters and messages of support sent to Anderton Park School, Sparkhill from across the globe during the 2019 protests around LGBTQIA+ inclusive teaching. This exhibition showcases the gentle, eloquent force of the handwritten note as a powerful form of activism. Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1DU. www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk

British Art Show 9 Hayward Gallery Touring’s ‘British Art Show 9’ will be on display at Wolverhampton Art Gallery until 10 April 2022. The show launched in Aberdeen in Summer 2021 and Wolverhampton will be the first city in England to host ‘BAS9’, before it tours to Manchester and finally to Plymouth. ‘British Art Show’ is the largest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK, giving people in cities across the country the opportunity to engage with work by the most exciting artists in Britain. Audiences in Wolverhampton will be able to experience the exhibition, which will take place across two main venues: Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Art. Following Wolverhampton, the exhibition will tour to Manchester and Plymouth. The ‘British Art Show’ is widely recognised as a significant marker of recent developments in contemporary art in Britain, and ‘British Art Show 9’ will be no exception. A huge range of works by over 40 artists will be presented, engaging with many of the most urgent issues of our times, including the environmental crisis, identity and belonging, conflict resolution and healing. The exhibition is curated by internationally respected curators Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar and is produced by Hayward Gallery Touring, in collaboration with curators at each of the host cities. Hosting ‘British Art Show 9’ represents a huge milestone in the cultural life of Wolverhampton.

J.S. BACH ST JOHN PASSION

15th April 2022, 3:00pm, Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire Ticket prices from: £34.72 | £31.36 | £28 Box office number: 01684 892277

Bach’s most dramatic setting of the Passion text is brought to life by Armonico Consort and one of the world’s greatest tenors, Ian Bostridge. Experience Bach’s exquisitely Ian Bostridge beautiful arias, intertwined with moments of dramatic choral intensity in this often fast-paced retelling of the Passion story. The St John Passion is perhaps the finest musical setting of the Passion of Christ and will be performed both in the tranquil intimacy of St Mary’s Church Warwick, and in its traditional Good Friday afternoon setting at Malvern Theatres. CORONATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II

22nd June 2022 7:30pm, Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire Ticket prices from: £27.44 | £25.20 | £22.96 | £20.72 Box office number: 01684 892277

www.armonico.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1103159

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BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE To commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of the world’s longest reigning Monarch, Armonico Consort will recreate the highlights of the Coronation Service of Queen Elizabeth II in this unique concert performance. Armonico Consort’s five-star Choir and Orchestra will revive one of the most epic days of the 20th Century.

Programme will include: Parry I Was Glad Handel Zadok the Priest Walton Coronation Te Deum Vaughan Williams Old Hundreth, movements from Mass in G. www.armonico.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1103159

“Pure Pleasure” THE GUARDIAN

I I I I I

THE TIMES

I I I I I

THE INDEPENDENT

I I I I I

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE