• Four newly refurbished galleries of over 60 Pre-Raphaelite paintings, sculptures and stained glass.

• Works on display include first oil painting by a female Pre-Raphaelite to enter the city’s collection.

• Also full public access to the Staffordshire Hoard for first time since 2020.

Over 60 works of art from Birmingham's world-class Pre-Raphaelite collection are back on public display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Saturday 25 October 2025.

Four newly refurbished galleries of paintings, sculptures and stained glass by artists such as Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Frederick Sandys are open free of charge to visitors as part of the museum’s continued phased reopening.

The opening of the Pre-Raphaelite galleries also means that visitors will once again have unrestricted access through to the Staffordshire Hoard during museum opening hours for the first time since 2020, rather than by guided viewings only.

Birmingham has the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and design in the world. Selected from this outstanding collection, the displays will introduce audiences to the Pre-Raphaelites and their circle, from their early works through to artists working in Birmingham at the turn of the 20th century.

Visitors will be able to see some of the collection’s most popular pieces, including Night with her Train of Stars by Edward Robert Hughes, which will be on public view for the first time in a decade. Hughes’ picture is a watercolour and is only on display for limited periods to protect it from damage by light.

Highlights include new acquisitions by female artists, including the first oil painting by a female Pre-Raphaelite to enter the city’s collection – Emma Sandys’ Young Woman with a Rose – and The Puritan Maiden Priscilla by Birmingham painter Kate Bunce, which is on show in the museum for the first time.

There will also be the chance to see important pictures on long-term loan from private collections, including paintings by Joanna Boyce Wells, Burne-Jones and Arthur Hughes.

Victoria Osborne, senior curator (art) at Birmingham Museums Trust, said:

“We’re delighted that visitors will once again be able to enjoy free access to works from Birmingham’s outstanding Pre-Raphaelite collection. We’re grateful to all the funders, donors and lenders who have generously supported us in developing the city’s collection and displays, including the Public Picture Gallery Fund, Birmingham and the family of Stephen J Meltzer who have made possible the new acquisitions by Emma Sandys and Kate Bunce.

“We’ll be developing these displays further over time, particularly through new research into the global links of Birmingham’s Victorian art and design collections, and there will be lots of opportunities for visitors to tell us what they think and what they want to see in the future.”

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

“We know that Birmingham has missed its Pre-Raphaelites and it’s very exciting to be at a point in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s phased reopening when we can welcome visitors through our doors to see these works of art back on public display.

“Whether you have known of the Pre-Raphaelites for years or you’re new to them, the display aims to shine a fresh light on the art, the artists, and why Birmingham has this collection.”

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is open Monday to Sunday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. General admission is free. Donations welcome.