RBSA

John Salt Hon. RBSA 1937 - 2021 - Paintings
2024-08-13 - 2024-08-26 | Gallery 1
This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see the remarkable work of the Birmingham born and trained artist John Salt in the UK.
After settling in the USA in 1967, Salt became one of the pioneers of the Photorealist movement. Fascinated by American cars as prime symbols of consumer culture, his exquisitely detailed paintings created with brush, air brush, and stencils examine the flip side of the American Dream.
Old Cadillacs and Pontiacs, relics of the 1960s, are parked up deserted side streets on the edge of town while images of shabby trailer homes on the margins of the Interstate represent life at the bottom of the social ladder. Bathed in bright sunlight, they are poignant reminders of the transitory glamour of the culture of built-in obsolescence, but also reveal the artist’s deep affection for the American urban and rural landscape.
In contrast, the show also includes examples of the artist’s early works from his student days in Birmingham which afford a unique insight into his development as a painter.
Exhibition ends: Sunday 25 August 4.00pm
Featured image: John Salt, Three Toned Trailer, 1975

Faces & Figures - Portraits from the RBSA Collection 1785 - 2023
2024-07-25 - 2024-08-26 | Gallery 2
This exhibition of selected works from the RBSA Collection looks at changing approaches to the representation of the face and figure over 200 years.
The exhibition offers some fascinating insights into the cultural life of Birmingham with fine drawings, paintings and sculpture from the Georgian period to the present. There is something for all tastes, including an exquisite watercolour Self-Portrait (1830) by F.T. Lines, and the first showing of a gift of portrait sketches by Edward Samuel Harper of fellow RBSA members – the men who dominated the visual arts in this city during the early 20th century.
In contrast are the expressive drawing, Stark Encounter (1940) by the surrealist Emmy Bridgwater, Jain McKay’s startling face and tattooed torso of Stuart and the Snake (2016), and the swirling kaleidoscope of Skateboarder (1991) by C. Anthony Sawbridge. Striking a more sombre and topical note is the patient’s eye view of the masked and gowned Surgeon Redeployed for Ambulance COVID Transfer (2021) by Andrew Shorthouse. Unmissable are the haunting Girl with Flowers (1950) by Gilbert Mason and the intense, award winning Self-Portrait (1937) by Robert Ball, a local child prodigy who was left to his own devices at Birmingham School of Art to develop his talent without tuition.
The sculpture section includes one of the treasures of the RBSA, the famous bust of the painter David Cox (1860) by Peter Hollins, who shows his sitter in the unlikely but conventional garb of a Roman toga, and the Art Deco inspired Head of a Man (1950) by “Birmingham’s Michaelangelo” William Bloye, whose statues, reliefs and pub signs adorn every corner of the city. The massive wooden Head (2000) by John Alexander Williams has the commanding presence of a totemic idol while, on a smaller scale, there is something serene and timeless in the female figures by John Bridgeman and Joan Woolard.
Private View: Thursday 25 July 6.00 – 8.00pm
Exhibition ends: Sunday 25 August 4.00pm
Featured image: Anthony Sawbridge, Skateboarder, 1991

RBSA Summer Show
2024-06-13 - 2024-07-21 | All Floors
Following in an RBSA tradition that dates back to 1814, the RBSA Summer Show is an open call exhibition that welcomes submissions from artists working in any media. However, unlike that first exhibition which was only open to artists from within a 30-mile radius of the city, today the RBSA receives entries from artists based all around the world.
Artists are given the opportunity to showcase their work in Birmingham’s foremost contemporary art gallery and, for those exhibiting at the RBSA Gallery for the first time, it can signify the beginning of their journey with one of the oldest art societies in the country.
The RBSA Summer Show takes place over all three floors of the Gallery, making it our largest open call exhibition of the year. With almost 250 artworks on display, the Summer Show is a celebration of a wide variety of media and techniques showcasing work by artists of enormous talent.
This year’s exhibition was selected by:

Simon Conolly RBSA
Ed Isaacs RBSA
John Scott Martin PPRBSA
Joan Sharma RBSA

Selection of work was based on quality and interest.
The exhibition was opened by Michael Harrison, the President of the Royal Society of British Artists.
The following prizes were awarded:

First prize £500
Second prize £250
Seven highly commended certificates

Prizes generously donated by Clive Beardsmore, Friend of the RBSA.
See our blog for details of the prize winners.
Private View: Wednesday 12 June 6.00 – 8.00pm
Artists’ Talk: Saturdays 15 and 22 July 2.00 – 3.00pm
Featured image: Colin Kerrigan, Poised

Nature and Nurture
2024-05-28 - 2024-06-09 | Gallery 1
This exhibition showcases work by the late sculptor Tom Millard RBSA and practising artist Melanie Keevil.
Tom gained his inspiration from the natural world in all its forms and changing seasons. His journey around the Southwest coastline, especially the juxtaposition and interplay between the land and sea particularly fascinated him. He was also inspired by the landscape of the Midlands, including the ever-changing beauty of the Malvern Hills and the decaying landscape of old kilns, locks and Victorian waterways. Tom was also a teacher of all ages and he met ceramicist Melanie Keevil when, as a young mum, she volunteered to help with groups of nursery children. Melanie’s sculpture and wall art is also inspired by urban and rural landscapes.
Tom and Melanie’s shared passions of nature and nurture, the human form, and its relationship to the natural world, which subsequently led to the first of their joint exhibitions in 2010. Two further collaborative exhibitions followed, with Tom and Melanie’s artistic relationship continuing through to the end of his life. Tom Millard was a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists for over 20 years and sadly passed away in November 2023.
Join us on Saturday 1 June when Melanie and Tom’s widow Cheryl, will be in the Gallery to speak about the work in the show.
Private View: Saturday 1 June 3.00 – 4.00pm
Featured image: Tom Millard, Sightings and Melanie Keevil, Barcelona

RBSA Portrait Prize
2024-05-07 - 2024-06-09 | Gallery 2
The art of portraiture dates back at least 5,000 years to ancient Egypt and, up until the invention of photography, was the only way to capture a person’s likeness. Throughout history, portraits have been used as a tool for demonstrating the sitter’s status and importance, as well as to assert dominance over subjects and enemies. However, portraiture and, in particular, self-portraiture, is not always representational but instead may employ abstraction or symbolism to reveal more than just the physical appearance of the subject.
The RBSA Portrait Prize exhibition gives artists working in any medium the opportunity to exhibit their work and win prizes. This year, the RBSA was delighted to extend the scope of the exhibition to include photography and digital artwork.
This year’s exhibition was selected by:

John Devane, RBSA Honorary Professor of Painting; Professor of Painting, Centre of Arts, Memories and Communications, Coventry University
Marta Kochanek, multi-award winning photography artist
Professor Jennifer Powell, Director of The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

The following prizes will be awarded:

First prize £1000 sponsored by GMC
Second prize £500 sponsored by Galliard Apsley Partnership
Third prize £250 sponsored by Judd Medical
Student prize £250 sponsored by RBSA Member
Up to six highly commended certificates will also be awarded

Private View: Tuesday 7 May 6.00 – 8.00pm
Artists’ Talk: Saturday 18 May 2.00 – 3.00pm
Featured image: Stephen Carse, Hoarding Issues

Enamel Matters
2024-05-07 - 2024-05-26 | Gallery 1
Enamel Matters is a showcase of work by members of the British Society of Enamellers. The exhibition seeks to promote and celebrate the work of BSE members who work in vitreous enamel.
A variety of both traditional and contemporary techniques are evident in both the jewellery and unique objects on display.
The British Society of Enamellers has a broad membership, encompassing different levels of expertise from enamel students to professional level enamellers.
The aim of the British Society of Enamellers is to promote the highest standards of contemporary design and workmanship in all aspects of this exciting medium.
Meet the Maker: Saturday 18 May from 1.30pm
Featured image: Charlotte Smith, In the Pink Brooch

RBSA Candidates Exhibition
2024-04-11 - 2024-04-28 | Galleries 1 & 2
As a member organisation, the RBSA is always seeking to induct new artists into the Society. To facilitate this, the Gallery hosts the RBSA Candidates Exhibition every April.
Artists can apply to become an RBSA Associate or, for those who have been an Associate for three or more years, there is the option to apply for full RBSA Membership.
On display are six works from each candidate, all representing their current artistic practice. Throughout the exhibition, existing Members and Associates will be voting on who they would like to see join the RBSA; the be successful, candidates must receive 50% +1 of the votes.
Representing the future of the RBSA Membership, the exhibition features both traditional and contemporary work resulting in an exciting and diverse show.
Candidate artists for Associate membership are:
ANDI
Guy Chapman
Adam De Ville
Jacqui Dodds
Paul Gittins
Nicholas Moore
Patrick O’Donohue
Lindsay Pritchard
Michael Pritchard
Gabriel Rivero Romano
Rita Rodner
Philip Singleton
Jonnie Turpie
Candidate artists for full Membership are:
Saranjit Birdi ARBSA
Kate Egawa ARBSA
Eric Gaskell ARBSA
Glenn Ibbitson ARBSA
Fred Jones ARBSA
Michael Riddle ARBSA
Elena Thomas ARBSA
Charles Weston ARBSA
Featured image: Candidates 2024

RBSA Print Prize
2024-02-29 - 2024-04-07 | Gallery 2
The RBSA Print Prize is a biennale exhibition, which celebrates all forms of print making and supports artists from across the UK and further afield. With a significant number of print works held in the RBSA Collection, print making is firmly intertwined with the history of the RBSA and many current Members and Associates work primarily in this media.
With both contemporary and traditional techniques and approaches on display, including screen printing, linocut, monoprint, etching, woodcut, lithography, and dry point, the exhibition is a wonderfully diverse show championing a medium that is often overshadowed by others.
This year’s exhibition was selected by:

Ros Ford – painter and printmaker, member of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, London, RWA Academician
Jenny Mason-Gunning – specialist printmaker at Ironbridge Printmakers
Laura J. Onions – lecturer in Fine Art at Wolverhampton School of Art, specialising in printmaking

The following prizes will be awarded:

First prize £1000 sponsored by GMC
Second prize £500 sponsored by GMC
Third prize £250 sponsored by Judd Medical
Student prize £250 donated by an RBSA Member
Editorial prize from Printmaking Today
Up to six highly commended certificates will also be awarded

Private View: Thursday 29 February 6.00 – 8.00pm
Artists’ Talk: Saturday 9 March 2.00 – 3.00pm
Featured image: Luke Reidy, Sunrise
Purchase your copy of the catalogue via our online shop.

Drawing on the RBSA Collection - Dry Media Works 1822-2022
2024-02-29 - 2024-04-07 | Gallery 1
Drawing with dry media is as old as mankind. Ochre and charcoal dust were blown through straws onto cave walls by the first artists. In more recent times, the dry media of pencil, pastel, and charcoal were favoured by travelling artists as ideal for drawing with minimum of fuss on site in sketchbooks or portfolios. Drawing was the means through which European artists recorded, prepared, studied, and imagined, and it was often a prelude to painting or engraving. Dry media were also central to art training and versatile both en plein air and in the studio.
Fine drawings are valued not just for their subtle qualities, but also or the insights they offer into the artist’s creative imagination. Works shown cover the whole range of expression from the bold and strident Hippopotamus Amphibius by David Walton RBSA, to the delicately drawn Dovecote in pastel by James Jelley RBSA.
The pencil has been used in the UK since the late 16th century when pure graphite deposits were discovered in Cumbria, corresponding with the establishment of paper mills in England able to satisfy the increasing demand from artists. Good examples of Victorian pencil drawing are seen in the exquisite landscapes of the Lines family who developed a trademark style of lively, accurate observational drawing. Pastels, made of coloured pigment bound with gum, give the artist the whole range of colours available to the watercolourist and oil painter. Two contrasting examples are the magical Wild Beauty of Clee by Claire Spencer RBSA, and the radiant, Vitalism 2 by Janette Summerfield RBSA.
Private View: Thursday 29 February 6.00 – 8.00pm
Artists in Conversation: Saturday 23 March 2.00 – 3.00pm
Featured image: Ann Wilkinson RBSA, Sliced Oranges c.1998

The Black Country 1970s - 90s: Photographs by Phil Loach
2024-02-13 - 2024-02-24 | Gallery 2
Phil Loach (1949-2023), was born in Dudley and studied art and photography at Stourbridge College of Art and Leicester Polytechnic.
He became a press cameraman and worked for three newspaper groups, holding the post of chief photographer at two of them. During his 50-year career, he photographed a wide range of people and occasions in the West Midlands and beyond.
In addition to his press work, Phil created a large private archive of documentary photographs. His personal pictures, represented in this exhibition, reflect an incisive view of places, situations, and events, particularly in his home region of the Black Country. They demonstrate a rare observational candour and Phil’s ability to see the unusual, and sometimes bizarre, aspects of everyday life within urban and industrial landscapes.
Private View: Tuesday 13 February 6.00 – 8.00pm
Featured image: Phil Loach, Canal Girls

RBSA Friends Exhibition 2024
2024-01-11 - 2024-02-10 | Galleries 1 & 2
The annual RBSA Friends Exhibition gives artists starting their membership journey with the RBSA the opportunity to exhibit work in the Gallery.
With the Friends scheme having been in existence since the 1900s, the RBSA was one of the first art societies to offer subscribers the opportunity to exhibit in a dedicated exhibition and the number of submissions has grown year on year. A significant number of Friends progress up the RBSA membership ladder to become Associates and, later, full Members, and many have also helped shape the future of the Society by becoming Council members.
The number of Friends currently stands at approximately 250 meaning that an enormously diverse range of artistic practices are represented in the exhibition. The work on display also demonstrates the wealth of talent within the Friends community.
Anyone can sign up as an RBSA Friend and we welcome artists and art lovers as well as those who simply want to keep up to date with news from the Gallery into the scheme. Full details of how to join can be found here.
This year’s exhibition will be held across both floors of the Gallery meaning that more works than ever before will be exhibited.
Private View: Thursday 11 January 6.00 – 8.00pm
Meet the Artists: Saturday 20 January 2.00 – 3.00pm
Featured image: Andrew McNeile Jones, There Were Times

RBSA Annual Exhibition 2023
2023-11-16 - 2024-01-06 | All Floors
Taking place over all three floors of the Gallery, the RBSA Annual Exhibition can be traced back throughout the 200 year history of the RBSA.
All Members and Associates of the Society are given the opportunity to exhibit which results in an enormously diverse exhibition celebrating the variety of artistic practices associated with the RBSA.
Artworks include paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography and many more, exploring a variety of contemporary and traditional approaches.
With over 150 pieces on display, there is plenty to see as well as artists’ talks throughout the show.
The fully illustrated catalogue of the exhibition is available from the Gallery Shop.
Open Day and Private View: Thursday 16 November 6.00 – 8.00pm
Meet the Artists’: Every Saturday throughout the exhibition
Featured image: Chris Tkacz RBSA, The Distance Between Blues
