Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is set to debut several revamped gallery spaces in October as part of a phased reopening.
On 24 October, the museum‘s Round Room gallery, Industrial Gallery, Bridge Gallery and Edwardian Tearooms will reopen to the public in time for half-term week.
The Grade II-listed building has been undergoing a £5 million revamp, including essential work to the heating, electrics, lifts and roofing. The gallery spaces due to reopen have had flooring and roof restoration work.
The iconic Round Room will display new and familiar artworks, including Jacob Epstein’s bronze sculpture ‘Lucifer’.
The Industrial Gallery will reopen with a new ‘Made in Birmingham’ display, which celebrates the city of a thousand trades, its humour, and its creatives.
“We know this is news that a lot of people have been waiting for and we are so happy to be able to open more of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery,” said Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-CEOs at Birmingham Museums Trust.
“We can’t wait to welcome visitors again in time for October half term. It’s such an important institution for the people of Birmingham and we’ve made those people central to the new displays that you will all be able to see.”
Celebrating the city of a thousand trades
The museum’s Gas Hall reopened in February with the Victorian Radicals exhibition of famous Pre-Raphaelite art. This has been extended until at least Christmas 2024 due to visitor demand.
“When we reopened the museum with pop-up displays during the Commonwealth Games in 2022, visitors told us they loved the refresh and seeing and feeling the stories of all Birmingham people front and centre,” said Wajid and Mensah.
“We heard that, as well as the message that people wanted to see more of the collection, understand more about our history and needed more for families and children.”
Images courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust
