Lockwood exhibition of 100 years of Birmingham to follow Ozzy show at BMAG

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has announced the exhibition that will follow its hugely popular Ozzy Osbourne display: a celebration of a father and son who painted Birmingham for almost a century.

Illustrating Birmingham: 100 Years Through The Eyes of the Lockwoods opens in the museum's Bridge Gallery on Tuesday 3 November.

Following Ozzy

The Bridge Gallery was home to Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero for 15 months, until the exhibition closed at the end of September. The display of treasures from the star's private collection, including his Grammy Awards and platinum discs, drew more than 800,000 people to the museum.

Two artists, one city

The new exhibition showcases the work of Frank and Arthur Lockwood, who painted Birmingham throughout their lives. Their work is a personal record of a changing city, from demolitions and new buildings to shopping centres and factories, spanning the 1920s right up to the 2010s.

Frank Taylor Lockwood was born in Yorkshire in 1895 and became a design studio leader at Cadbury's. A trained technical artist, he was an associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.

His son Arthur, born in Birmingham in 1934, followed in his footsteps. He trained as a graphic designer and worked for Penguin Books, but drew and painted the city throughout his life.

The exhibition, curated by the museum's visitor experience team, will include the pair's paintings, sketchbooks, designs and advertising materials.

"A city that has never stood still"

Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: "The work of Frank and Arthur Lockwood offers a fascinating window onto Birmingham across almost a century.

"Their paintings capture not only how the city's streets and buildings have changed, but the people who have made Birmingham what it is today.

"This exhibition reflects Birmingham as somewhere that is always changing and has never stood still.

"The city we see today won't be the same in 50 years' time. It also reminds us that everyone's experience of a place is different.

"We all have our own memories and perceptions that make the city our own."

A chance to remember

For many visitors, the Lockwoods' pictures are likely to bring back memories of streets, shops and landmarks that have since disappeared. For younger Brummies, they offer a glimpse of the city their parents and grandparents knew.

The Ozzy Osbourne exhibition opened before the star's final performance at Villa Park, and became one of the museum's most popular displays. The Lockwoods' quieter, more personal view of the city now has a hard act to follow, but one with deep roots in Birmingham.

Illustrating Birmingham opens on 3 November at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in the city centre.