Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) first opened in 1885. It is housed in a Grade II* listed city centre landmark building. There are over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography. The art gallery is famous for its Pre-Raphaelite paintings, which are part of the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world. You can also see art and objects spanning seven centuries of European and World history and culture. This includes Greeks & Romans and Ancient Egypt. Recently Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has also become home to the Staffordshire Hoard. There is a temporary Hoard gallery where objects can be seen on display. A permanent gallery will be developed. The Birmingham History collections feature prominently in the new 'Birmingham: its people, its history' gallery, which opened in Autumn 2012. The collections have been Designated as outstanding by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and have local, regional, national and international importance.
Birmingham Museums is now responsible for governing and managing the museum sites and collections owned by Birmingham City Council, including Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collections Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank and Weoley Castle. The new independent organisation is focused on sustaining and developing key partnerships within the city and beyond, in order to deliver high quality, audience focussed museum services, and meet the needs of Birmingham communities as well as its wider audiences.
