Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
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Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Chamberlain Square
Birmingham B3 3DH
Tel. 0121-303-2834
Fax. 0121-303-2891
web: www.bmag.org.uk
History
The collections (at the time about fifty oil paintings) of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery first went on display in 1865 in a room in the Central Library. It was not until 1885 that a dedicated museum and art gallery building was founded soon followed by energetic efforts to build up the collections. These efforts have continued over many years and Birmingham is now one of the largest local authority run museums in the country.
The Collections
The original impetus behind the founding of the museum was to provide examples of art and craft from around the 
world in order to provide inspiration and ideas for local tradesman, especially those working in the metalwork and jewellery industries. The Museum now has large collections of Archaeology, Ethnography, Numismatics, Social History, Fine and Applied Art, Science and Technology and Natural History.
The Egyptian Collection
The ancient Egyptian collection contains some 8,000 pieces which cover the whole span of Egyptian history from the Predynastic period to the Coptic era. The collection has been built up since 1885 from a variety of sources. Most important archaeologically is material which has come from scientific excavations, especially those at Saqqara, Buhen, Qasr Ibrim, Abydos and Esna. Some material has come from the collections of other museums during periods of rationalisation and there is a significant amount of material from private donations. Although the collection lacks large items of sculpture and other monumental stonework it contains a richness and diversity of smaller objects including good collections of Late Period bronzes, shabtis, predynastic material, amulets and stone vessels.
There is a dedicated gallery for ancient Egypt which contains a selection of the better and more interesting pieces from the collection and which illustrate all aspects of ancient Egyptian life, culture and beliefs.
Staff
The Museum employs over two hundred staff but there is only one qualified Egyptologist who has several other duties in addition to curating the Egyptian collection.
Recent Developments
The most significant recent development at Birmingham is the creation of a new off-site storage facility, The Museum Collections Centre, where the majority of the reserve collections, including those from Egypt, are now housed.
Opening Times
The Museum and Art Gallery is open from 1000-1700 Monday-Thursday and Saturday, 1030-1700 Friday and 1230-1700 Sunday. Admission is free.
