Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery - History

History

In 1829 the Birmingham Society of Artists created a private exhibition building in New Street, Birmingham while the historical precedent for public education around that time produced the Factory Act 1833, the first instance of Government funding for education.

The Museums Act 1845 “ boroughs with a population of 10,000 or more to raise a 1/2d for the establishment of museums.” In 1864 the first public exhibition room, was opened when the Society and other donors presented 64 pictures as well as the Sultanganj Buddha to Birmingham Council and these were housed in the Free Library building but, due to lack of space, the pictures had to move to Aston Hall. Joseph Nettlefold donated twenty-five pictures by David Cox to Birmingham Art Gallery on the condition it opened on Sundays.

In June 1880, local artist Allen Edward Everitt accepted the post of honorary curator of the Free Art Gallery, a municipal institution which was the forerunner of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Jesse Collings, Mayor of Birmingham 1878-79, was responsible for free libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery. A £10,000 (2010: £800,000) gift by Sir Richard and George Tangye started a new drive for an art gallery and, in 1885, following other donations and £40,000 from the council, the Prince of Wales officially opened the new gallery. The Museum and Art Gallery occupied an extended part of the Council House above the new offices of the municipal Gas Department (which in effect subsidised the venture thus circumventing the Public Libraries Act 1850 which limited the use of public funds on the arts).The building was designed by Yeoville Thomason.

Until 1946, when Property Taxes were voted towards acquisitions, the museum relied on the generosity of private individuals. John Feeney provided £50,000 to provide a further gallery.

Seven galleries had to be rebuilt after being bombed in 1940. Immediately after World War II "Mighty Mary" Woodall was appointed keeper of art under director, Trenchard Cox. Woodall and Cox, through their links to the London art world, were able to attract exhibitions, much publicity and donations to the gallery. In 1956 Woodall replaced Cox when the latter became Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In 1951 the Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham was incorporated into BM&AG. In 2001 the Science Museum closed with some exhibits being transferred to Thinktank, Birmingham science museum, which is operated by the independent Thinktank Trust.

The main entrance is located in Chamberlain Square below the clock tower known locally as, “Big Brum”. The entrance hall memorial reads 'By the gains of Industry we promote Art'. The Extension Block has entrances via the Gas Hall (Edmund Street) and Great Charles Street. Waterhall (the old gas department) has its own entrance on Edmund Street.

In October 2010 the Waterhall closed as a BM&AG gallery as a result of a £1.5m cut to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's budget in 2010-11. The last BM&AG exhibition that took place in the Waterhall was the Steve McCurry Retrospective that ran from June 26 to 17 October 2010. The Waterhall is now available for venue hire. It was booked by the Art of Ideas for The Witching Hour exhibition 11–14 November 2010. This is the last time the Waterhall was used as an exhibition space.

BM&AG, formerly managed by Birmingham City Council, is now, with Thinktank, part of the Birmingham Museums Trust, headed by Professor Ann Sumner.