Gas Hall to reopen for homecoming exhibition

Birmingham-born Edward Burne-Jones painted The Wizard

Historic artwork is set to go on display for the first time in more than five years.

Birmingham's Gas Hall, closed for maintenance for several years , will open in February for Victorian Radicals.

The collection toured the United States while Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum closed.

“We’re excited to celebrate the homecoming of Birmingham's Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts collections," said Victoria Osborne, curator of fine art at Birmingham Museums Trust.

Victorian Radicals exhibits artwork from three generations of progressive artists who influenced art well into the 20th century, according to the trust.

It includes more than 160 works from artists such as Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddall.

A portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti by William Holman Hunt

The collection allows visitors to explore the story of the Pre-Raphaelites - a group of British artists formed in opposition to the Royal Academy’s promotion of painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance, Raphael.

Birmingham Museums Trust said the collection also celebrates Birmingham’s historic importance as a centre for arts and crafts.

During its tour across the United States, the exhibition raised Birmingham and its collection's profile by reaching around 168,000 visitors, the trust said.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has been partially or fully closed since March 2020.

While the Gas Hall will open for Victorian Radicals, maintenance will continue in some other areas of the Museum.

Despite this, the Birmingham Museums Trust said several gallery spaces within the main Museum are set to re-open ahead of summer 2024.

“Birmingham has missed its radicals, and it has missed its museum too," said co-CEOs of Birmingham Museums Trust, Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah.