• Illustrating Birmingham: 100 years through the eyes of the Lockwoods opens on Tuesday 3 November.

• Frank and Arthur Lockwood painted Birmingham from 1920s to 2010s.

• Exhibition captures a city in constant change.
  
   

A new exhibition of the work of father and son artists whose paintings and drawings document Birmingham and its people across nearly a century of change is opening at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Tuesday 3 November 2026.

Illustrating Birmingham: 100 years through the eyes of the Lockwoods reflects the changing face of Birmingham through the eyes of the two artists who captured the city from the 1920s through to the 2010s.

Frank and Arthur Lockwood painted Birmingham over a period of almost 100 years, recording its streets, buildings the people who lived and worked there.

Their work provides a personal record of a city in constant change, from demolition and redevelopment to the construction of new buildings, factories and shopping centres.

Frank Taylor Lockwood was born in Yorkshire in 1895 and trained as a technical artist. After serving in the First World War, he worked in Birmingham, including leading the design studio at Cadbury’s. He became an important figure in Birmingham’s art scene as an associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA).

His son, Arthur Lockwood, was born in Birmingham in 1934 and began painting with his father at an early age. He later trained in graphic design and worked for Penguin Books, while continuing to draw and paint throughout his life.

Together, their paintings, sketchbooks, designs, advertising material and other work form a unique personal record of Birmingham. From fields and farms to factories and shopping centres, many of the pieces depict places that have disappeared, while others show the city being built and rebuilt.

The exhibition has been curated by the museum’s visitor experience team and builds on the personal experience of people who live or work in Birmingham, as well as the team’s expertise in understanding audiences.

It invites visitors to think about how Birmingham has changed - and continues to change - and how different people experience the city.

It also offers visitors an opportunity to see the Lockwoods’ work alongside contemporary perspectives on what Birmingham means to the people who live and work here today.

Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said:

“The work of Frank and Arthur Lockwood offers a fascinating window onto Birmingham across almost a century. Their paintings capture not only how the city’s streets and buildings have changed, but the people who have made Birmingham what it is today.

“This exhibition reflects Birmingham as somewhere that is always changing and has never stood still. The city we see today won’t be the same in 50 years’ time. It also reminds us that everyone’s experience of a place is different. We all have our own memories and perceptions that make the city our own.”

Illustrating Birmingham: 100 years through the eyes of the Lockwoods will open in the Bridge Gallery at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Tuesday 3 November 2026.