Birmingham Art Museum

Pre-Raphaelites were like the hippies or beatniks of the Victorian Era. They formed in Birmingham in the mid-1800s and challenged the status quo of the art world at the time. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was highlighted here, as was Edward Burne-Jones. I’d like to learn more about those two. William Morris is probably the most famous artist who was part of their group, and his art was influenced by their ideas for decades to come. I found this fitting because Birmingham is not like other British cities. It sprung up almost entirely due to the Industrial Revolution so it doesn’t have the long history of other British cities. It saw overnight growth, incredible fortunes made, and a growing population of working poor. Its history feels more American.Read more