Father and son's century of Birmingham paintings go on show at BMAG

A new exhibition opening at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery this week tells the story of almost a century of change in the city, through the paintings and drawings of a father and son who never stopped recording it.

Illustrating Birmingham: 100 years through the eyes of the Lockwoods opens in the museum's Bridge Gallery on Tuesday 3 November. It brings together the work of Frank and Arthur Lockwood, who between them captured Birmingham from the 1920s through to the 2010s.

Two artists, one city

Frank Taylor Lockwood was born in Yorkshire in 1895 and trained as a technical artist. After serving in the First World War, he worked in Birmingham, including leading the design studio at Cadbury's. He became an important figure in the city's art scene as an associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.

His son, Arthur Lockwood, was born in Birmingham in 1934 and began painting alongside his father at an early age. He went on to train in graphic design and worked for Penguin Books, while continuing to draw and paint throughout his life.

A city being built and rebuilt

Together, the Lockwoods recorded Birmingham's streets and buildings and the people who lived and worked in them. Their paintings, sketchbooks, designs and advertising work form what the museum describes as a unique personal record of the city.

The pictures move from fields and farms to factories and shopping centres. Many show places that have since disappeared, while others capture the city in the middle of being demolished, redeveloped and built again. For anyone who has watched Birmingham's skyline change, from the post-war years to the cranes of today, there will be plenty to recognise and plenty to be surprised by.

Curated with Birmingham in mind

The exhibition has been curated by the museum's visitor experience team, drawing on the personal experience of people who live or work in Birmingham, as well as the team's knowledge of what audiences want to see.

It invites visitors to think about how Birmingham has changed, and continues to change, and how different people experience the city. Alongside the Lockwoods' work, visitors will find contemporary perspectives on what Birmingham means to the people who live and work here today.

A fitting home

The museum itself is part of the story. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has stood at the heart of the civic quarter for more than a century, surrounded by the Council House, the Town Hall and the newer buildings of Chamberlain Square, so it is a fitting place to look back at how the rest of the city has been reshaped around it.

The exhibition adds to a busy season at the museum, which has also opened a Christmas family attraction this autumn. With the half-term holiday just over and the festive season approaching, it offers a reason for residents to rediscover their own city's past, and for visitors to see a side of Birmingham that guidebooks rarely show.

Illustrating Birmingham: 100 years through the eyes of the Lockwoods opens in the Bridge Gallery at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Check the museum's website for opening times before visiting.