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This week's been spent in the company of some fabulous women!
On Wednesday I met up with my friend Lynn, caught a train to Birmingham's New Street Station and then caught a bus up to the leafy suburb of Edgbaston, home to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
The gorgeous Grade 1 listed Art Deco building, designed by Robert Atkinson in the 1930s and opened by Queen Mary in 1939, was the first building in the UK to be purpose-built for the study of art history.
The Barber Institute is currently hosting a free exhibition called Scent & the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites, exploring the genres' relationship with fragrance which started on 11 October and runs until 26 January 2025.
Founded by Lady Martha Barber in 1932, The Barber Institute was bequeathed to the University of Birmingham for "the study and encouragement of art and music" in memory of her husband William Henry Barber, a wealthy property developer.
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| Lady Barber by James Shannon |
According to the catalogue: The paintings of the pre-Raphaelite movement are rich in references to scent. Linked with concepts of hedonism, beauty, and synaesthesia, fragrance is an often forgotten aspect of these famously sensual works. Ideas of aroma and smell also intersected with the most heated issues of Victorian society, including sanitation, urban morality, immigration, race, mental health, faith and the rise in women's independence.
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| John William Waterhouse, The Shrine, 1895 |
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| Evelyn De Morgan, Medea, 1889 |
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| Simeon Solomon, A Saint of the Eastern Church (formerly A Greek Acolyte), 1867 |
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| Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, The Lover's World, 1905 |
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| John Everett Millais, The Blind Girl, 1856 |
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| Frederick Augustus Sandys, Gentle Spring,1865 |
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| John Frederick Lewis, Lilium Auratum, 1871 |
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| John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, Thoughts of the Past, 1859 |
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| Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Proserpine, 1882 |
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| John William Waterhouse, Psyche Opening the Golden Box, 1903 |
Scent is a compact exhibition with an optional scent experience with floral and incense aromas to accompany the artworks. There's only eleven paintings on display which means we could spend ages admiring every tiny detail rather than being overwhelmed by beauty.
The Barber is home to one of the finest small European art collections in the UK and has works by Sandro Botticelli, Thomas Gainsborough, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Gwen John & Käthe Kollwitz amongst many others.
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Hot Jesus is actually Anthony van Dyck’s Ecce Homo painted between 1621 and 1627.
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Here's Lynn looking fabulous and here's me & a toilet selfie (classy to the last!)
We caught the bus back into town, enjoyed a chicken shawarma wrap (Lynn) and a cheese & tomato panini (me) accompanied by chilled glasses of Pinot for a bargain £7.15 in the buzzing Wetherspoons' London & Northwestern within New Street station, before catching our train back to Walsall.
Two days later and I was back in Birmingham, meeting up with Nikki in our usual spot, outside M&S Food in New Street Station.
Although he was from Wolverhampton, there was a large tribute to Liam Payne from One Direction, who'd died last week.
Nikki and I's destination was Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery which had reopened on Thursday after being partially shut for four years. We headed straight to the Edwardian Tearooms when we went utterly mad and shared a slice of lemon drizzle cake with our pot of tea.
It was good to see my old friend, the mural depicting Corporation Street, Birmingham, March 1914 by Joseph Southall. A copy of it hung on the wall at home when I was a child.
The people of Walsall own a large amount of Jacob Epstein's work, bequeathed to us by his widow, Kitty Garman, born up the road in Wednesbury. The gorgeous Lucifer (above) was gifted by the artist to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1947 and has weakened many a museum visitor's knees over the decades (mine included!)
Stunningly beautiful art by Edward Burne-Jones, a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and a famous son of the city.
The much-missed Benji. RIP.
An instantly recognisable Grayson Perry ceramic.
And an equally recognisable Nikki!
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery opened to the public in November 1885.
After a wander around town, taking in Pigeon Park along the way, we headed to the Indian Brewery at Snow Hill for Chaart Attack and pints of IPA.
The Indian Brewery is opening a second venue in Mary Ann Street on 15th November, offering real ale and pizza...we'll be there!
Despite Shefali Oza (the BBC Midlands weather woman) promising us sunshine, Friday was damp and misty, the Post Office tower was barely visible ut at least it wasn't cold.
Time to strike a pose before catching our respective trains home.
Thanks for two top days out, Lynn & Nikki! Let's do it again very soon.
(And thanks to Nikki for the blog title suggestion!)
The first building that was ever build with intention of being used to study art history is stunning. I love discovering things like this with your blog Vix!
ReplyDeleteYour outfit was fabulous...and your friends look very stylish too.
I loved the photos you shared with us...the paintings and the sculptures. The Lucifer statue is so full of details, and makes the fallen angel look very credible in his arrogance and beauty.
So wonderful that you were able to see Scent & the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. I love the poster for the exhibition (and the painting they used for the poster.) I always found that painting incredibly moving, with the two sisters beggars, one blind, but both happy and enjoying the warmth of the sun on their face. That's the kind of painting that has magical power. Despite the seriousness of the theme, it transmits such feeling of hope and optimism to me.
How amazing is art by Edward Burne-Jones!!!! He's the first person that comes to my mind when I think of the Pre-Raphaelite painters.
I do love a fascinating fact myself, Ivana! I'm hopeless at creating art but absolutely love art history and it was wonderful to see so many of the students of Birmingham University still taking advantage of the facilities.
DeleteLucifer is sensational, isn't he? It's been years since I shared the works of art that Epstein's widow Kitty left to the people of Walsall, I ought to put that right very soon. There's a sculpture of a cat I adore!
It was so interesting to consider scent looking at those paintings, spot incense burners in the background of several of the pieces and imagine the smell of the individual flowers portrayed in the paintings. There was a interactive option you could press which released blasts of scent, too! xxx
I bet the scent added so much to experience. The smell of the flowers mixed with the visuals of flowers. It's interesting how the senses can relate to one another.
DeleteI remember once when a primary teacher played music to us and instructed us to draw what we listened to...and it resulted in interesting paintings.
Thank you for replying and sharing the extra information.
I'd love to see that cat sculpture.
Oh what lovely trips out you had. You girls all look fabulous. What wonderful art work, there are some tremendous places to visit in your locale. What a lovely photo of Benjamin Zephania. My sons and I had the pleasure of meeting him when he came to our library many years ago and read some of his poetry. The boys as they were then loved the poem " I don't like broccoli" spoken in his mellow voice and with great rhythm. He was charming, so sad he has gone. A lovely post thank you. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteHello Sue! I had two fantastic days with two fantastic women. I loved Benjamin, how lucky you were to meet him and to hear him reading his poetry. I highly recommend his autobiography if you haven't already read it. Such a loss. xxx
DeleteAH, what a beautiful place and so many gorgeous paintings! I love the lady with the harp/dulcimer/zither/whatever it is, who you wished was with her counterparts!!! You could totally dress as her!
ReplyDeleteYour dresses and outfits are stunning and well suited to the environment- all of you!
I really need to try a Chaat Attack!
I really must come to Birmingham one day!x
I could spend hours gazing at the Pre-Raphaelites! They are just so dreamy. Elaine's just posted a link in her comment, that instrument is a Japanese instruments called a koto, apparently the real thing is much shorter by Rossetti was using his artistic license so it fitted in the frame better!
DeleteIf you ever decide to come to Brum, I'll be your guide! xxx
I didn't even think of a koto! Now I look at it, of course it is! They can be pretty long!
DeleteHa, may take you up on that! Kx
I'd never heard of a koto before I read Elaine's link! x
DeleteI'm LoveT. :)
ReplyDeleteThe exhibition in the Barber Institute had an interesting topic. I would also like to see the exhibition in Vienna.
Your friend Nikki looks like a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress and blonde hair
I can't see it clearly, but I think you're wearing your new hat? Anyway, looks great.
Hello Love T! Isn't Scent an interesting topic? You always associate painting with vision, not smell but considering the scents of the flowers, shrubs, herbs and incense burners portrayed in the art work made me see those familiar pictures in a new light.
DeleteI am wearing my new hat and yes, Nikki looks like a vision of Autumnal beauty in her saffron dress! xxx
I love your out and about posts Vix, and you grace the galleries beautifully. The Barber institute was always a favourite to visit when I was up at the NEC. My wanders were often accompanied by music from the adjacent concert hall. The scent made me think of those precious glass vials for scented oils I saw in the archaeological museum of Kissamos last week. Yes! We finally returned to Greece after a lapse of 32 years (S was last seen on Crete in 1972 hitching having left the Austin A40 he’d driven down to Athens with his mates at his classics master’s house in Athens!). We were staying in a 10 room hotel and taverna with open air yoga studio on Molos beach on the edge of Kissamos, about 40 km northwest of Chania, The sea was rough but warm and I swam, well mostly body surfed as the waves were 2m high, every day and we had some fabulous away days including catching the bus to Chania to explore the pretty Venetian port, walking the Sirikari gorge - an 8km trek through the 2500m high White mountains with the scent of wild cyclamen and mountain thyme filling the air accompanied by Stelios who really knew his botany, a tour down to the south of Crete to have a day swimming and snorkelling in the sleepy lagoon (at this time of year) of Elafonisi with its pink sand. On the way back we stopped to explore the huge cathedral-like limestone caves and the monastery with the golden steps. As well as the fantastic archaeological museum Kissamos has an archaeological trail exploring the ruins of the Greco-Romano town before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 365 AD. Huge Cretan pithoi casually standing amidst the Roman baths, wonderful mosaic floors - just mind blowing. We also stumbled upon an archaeological dig being filmed by an Italian film crew who were uncovering 5.7 million year old hominem biped footprints in the sand just outside Kissamos, knocking into a cocked hat the previous earliest biped footprints found in in Tanzania 3.6 millIon years ago. It was a wonderful holiday made all the better by spending it in the company of 12 like-minded yogis as we practised yoga morning and evening every day and we’re already booked to return at the end of April as S who has Parkinson’s Disease benefited so much from everything we did. Yassou to you Vix and Jon. (PS son T has been climbing in the Kashmiri mountains - getting up to 5250m - and then had a week at Kerala chilling with surfing and yoga and has just flown into Hanoi - he is living his best life and only able to take four months off to travel the world while paying rent in London thanks to the success of his Vinted business - long live secondhand clothing traders!) Sarah x
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, it's lovely to hear from you! I'm thrilled that you and S have returned to Greece after such a long absence. Driving to Athens in 1972 sounds like the stuff of a British Indie film!
DeleteI love Chania and hope to return there before too long. I don't remember passing Kissamos on our bus journeys to Rethymno, Panormos or Heraklion. I was enthralled by the cyclamen in Corfu when we were there a few weeks ago and the mountain thyme is the essence of Greece, isn't it? I'm very envious of you stumbling across that dig, what timing! I'm delighted that your holiday with likeminded people has done you both the world of good.
Your son has got his head screwed on, working for himself and having the freedom to travel and see the world. You must be so proud. xxx
PS We met a lovely lady from Petworth at Beautiful Days festival, she's invited us to go and stay with her over the Winter.
I think our Glasgow School of Art might have predated your Barber Institute, both beautiful art nouveau and art deco buildings nevertheless. Would love to visit the exhibition with all of those wonderous paintings. What a gift. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery looks wonderful too, especially Lucifer. What a fascinating statue. So much to interpret about it (including the obvious!). Thanks for sharing your culture vulture days out! Loved reading about everything.xxx
ReplyDeleteHello! Hope you're feeling better! I think the Barber was the first place purpose built for the study of art history as opposed to the study of art - I had to read the paragraph on the website a couple of times. It's a fabulous place, just the right size, it's easy to get overwhelmed when there's so much on display - The Ashmolean springs to mind!
DeleteLucifer is astonishing, isn't he? I'm glad he's back in the public eye after being locked away for so long, I've missed him! xxx
Yes I was reading up on him! Interesting that he's been to Edinburgh during his lifetime! Imagine Lawrence of Arabia's brother buying him!Just starting to feel a bit human again!
DeleteHe's had an interesting life. I'd happily give him space if he wanted a trip to Walsall! I'm glad you're starting to feel better. x
DeleteWhat a beautiful post, the art, the buildings, that amazing staircase and Lucifer thrown in for good measure, although unusually I prefer 'Hot Jesus'. What a great couple of days for you, and you and your friends looked amazing and did the art and places you visited proud.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to photograph some of the finer details too, it's lovely when you have the time and ability to really focus on such beautiful paintings in a gallery isn't it.
Thanks, Sue! Hot Jesus is rather eye catching although it's Lucifer that steals my heart! I'm so lucky living so close to Brum and all the treasures it contains. xxx
DeleteGoodness, there's a lot to look at here! Gorgeous artwork. xxx
ReplyDeleteI know, it was hard not to get carried away with photographing everything! xxx
DeleteHow absolutely glorious - we were hoping to come back to see the Victorian Radicals exhibition again but couldn't make it work (boo!) - having said that, I see that the exhibition has been extended into January so maybe ..... Lovely to see Fan in her Blue Bower (fab transcript of an Online Talk about the painting here https://barber.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1.-Rossetti-and-The-Blue-Bower-transcript-for-12.05.pdf) and of course you two delightful stunners!
ReplyDeleteElaine Anon
Hello Elaine! Scent is right up your street. I was thrilled with the poster, a bargain at a fiver! The Barber Institute is just around the corner from the Arts & Crafts mansion, Winterbourne House which has an excellent cafe so you could easily do both on the same trip. That link to The Blue Bower was very helpful. xxx
DeleteThis post is interesting too (well it is to me lol) from Kirsty Stonell Walker linking Blue Bower to Monna Vanna https://fannycornforth.blogspot.com/2016/02/is-fanny-cornforth-model-for-monna-vanna.html Scent sounds really interesting - the paintings are full of symbolism ripe for a fresh interpretation. This is a lovely link to some of the jewellery that you see in Rossetti's work https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/jewelry-in-rossettis-paintings/ I love the pearl spirals in the hair and the heart-shaped brooch.
DeleteFunnily enough I photographed some close-ups of Fanny's jewellery in The Blue Bower, I loved the brooch. I'm off to read those links, thanks, Elaine! xxx
DeleteYou'll lke this then lol
Deletehttps://fannycornforth.blogspot.com/2016/02/fanny-cornforth-style-edition.html
Oh, I do! Thanks, pal! xxx
DeleteI love all the paintings, maybe not Jesus, but would love any of the ladies. Looks like you had lovely days out.
ReplyDeleteHello Julie! I think I'd prefer one of the ladies on my wall, too! xxx
DeleteWhat a lot of culture and history crammed into this post, I will have to read it again to take it all in! The little blind girl is a picture that I feel drawn to when seen in media, seeing it close up must be wonderful. The Lucifer statue is quite spectacular, I would love to see and touch it. Scent is such a powerful thing, and I think in days gone by its power was understood and valued more than the present day as we are now distracted by the visual rather than sensory aspects (advertising/celebrity wearer) when buying. Despite reaching my mid 60s I have yet to find a perfume that I could call mine! I remember once finding a pale pink floral silk scarf, it was scented with the most beautiful l perfume, who knows what! but if I ever smell it again I will know - that's the one for me lol. Your outfits as always were lovely and your friends, too, not afraid of colour and pattern mixing, any of you! Betty
ReplyDeleteHello Betty! I couldn't contain myself, I had to photograph everything! Its wonderful t get up close to those paintings, the attention to detail is astonishing and it doesn't matter how often I see them there's always something new to spot.
DeleteI think you're right about how life is always about the visual these days. It was a clever idea to make the exhibition interactive and to be able to smell Springtime and church-y aromas.
The only perfume I wear is Karma from Lush (I buy the little jars of sold parfum which last absolutely ages), I find most conventional perfume cloying and over sweet, I hare it when I'm passing through Duty Free at the airport and the assistants try and spray me! I wonder what that scent was on the pink scarf and if you'll ever discover it! xxx
I think it was probably tuberose as its distinctive, you can catch a whiff of it in some heavy perfumes, - like you I don't like synthetic scent and it doesn't last long on me. I haven't tried Lush, will take a look. Betty x
DeleteI think you might like Karma. The little pot was £10 the last time I bought it, it's a subtle scent and always gets admired. X
DeleteBeautiful ladies looking at beautiful art!
ReplyDeleteAwww, thank you! xxx
DeleteI've just been editing some of my Birmingham photos [am so behind!].....I know that you curse the weather, but you do live in an amazing part of the country. We loved it. Arilx
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing Brum through your eyes and you inspired me to visit The Coffin Works. It's a daunting task editing all those photos, isn't it? One day I'd love to meet you in Birmingham! xxx
DeleteWhat a lovely burst of culture and art appreciation. Both places looked wonderful and the exhibitions, too. I must make it to Birmingham soon. (My ex sister-in-law spends quite a lot of time with her mum who is now who is almost immobile so isn't always around when I want to visit Brum; one day we'll time it right!) Who was the artist in the Scent exhibition with the beautiful redhead clutching her own hair? I loved that. And as for Lucifer; I just had to take a second look... I loved the dress you wore to first exhibition; is it new?
ReplyDeletexxx
Thank you! Birmingham's such an amazing city, its changed so much in the last ten years or so and it's well worth a trip.
DeleteThe red head portrait is by John Spencer Stanhope, or at least I think that's the one you're referring to. I tried to add a small collage of the finer details of each painting below the actual painting but Blogger wasn't playing nicely. Lucifer is gorgeous, isn't he?
The dress I wore on my first visit was one I bought from Anokhi in Mumbai back in February 2020 ad the blouse is vintage Anokhi, so not new but a new way of wearing it! xxx
I love following along on your outings with your girlfriends, Vix! How cool that you only had a limited number of paintings in the aroma exhibit - it's so overwhelming when there are massive numbers of artworks, it's just too much. I laughed at Hot Jesus, and that Lucifer statue is stunning. Wonderful! So good to see you and your lovely pals, always looking the best-dressed in town!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheila! I had two fab days out. The compact Scent exhibition was perfect, I could really enjoy all the art on display and not become overwhelmed.
DeleteHot Jesus is a looker but I'd take Lucifer every time! xxx
Thank you for taking us along on your trip! The tearoom is gorgeous and so is Lucifer. Laugh. The Indian Brewery looks loads of fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted you could join us! Xxx
Deletethank you for taking us along on your tearoom visit! I am here from NC in US and just browsing how beautiful your clothes are and envying you tearooms! It was a sweet visit to get away from our recent natural hurricane disaster as I have hoped for years to see your beautiful clothes and spots in England. Thank you for brightening the day, Terry
DeleteHello Terry! It's lovely to hear from you and thanks so much for your kind words. I hope the hurricane hasn't wreaked too much damage. xxx
DeleteI read a review of the Scent exhibition and wonderted if you would be going! I shall add the re-openned art gallery to the list for when I next meet my friends Alex & Charlotte in Birmingham.
ReplyDeleteThe Edwardian Tea Rooms & the gift shop are worth the visit alone! xxx
DeleteLate, but still commenting!. Both exhibitions look fantastic, I have a weakness for pre-raphaelites too, and that scent themed exhibition is so evocative!. But my favourite thing is that Edwardian Tea Room!, so gorgeous! followed closely by your delightfully appropriate outfits! Nikki's mustard dress & long vest are fabulous!, your massive sleeves jacket is a favourite of mine!
ReplyDeletebesos
Always lovely to hear from you, better late than never! xxx
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