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Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Following years of planning, several years of building work and £20 million of transformation, the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum takes its place again in the cultural heart of Coventry. We look forward to welcoming you.

In opening our doors at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, the Lunt Roman Fort and the Priory Visitors' Centre, and welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the year, were bringing history and the arts to life.

We're delighted to offer you a huge range of exhibitions and events, and whether you're a first time visitor to Coventry, or returning to the Herbert, or a Coventry resident, within our eight permanent galleries and our world class exhibitions programme that features visits from the V&A, Hayward Galleries and the National Museums, Liverpool, you'll find something to surprise and delight you.

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Opening hours

Monday to Saturday 10.00am – 5.30pm
Sunday 12 noon – 5.00pm.

Go to The Herbert website (external site)

The Launch

About 300 people attended the official re-opening of the Herbert. The final phases of the spectacular £20 million transformation and extension of The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Jordan Well in the city centre have been completed.

The Herbert redevelopment project has been jointly funded by Coventry City Council, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Renaissance West Midlands, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Wolfson Foundation Fund, Advantage West Midlands and English Heritage.

An impressive new courtyard entrance has been created for the 1960s venue which overlooks Coventry Cathedral and University Square.

The major 6,600 sqm project, which was designed by award-winning architects Pringle Richards Sharratt, has led to the opening of state-of-the-art temporary and permanent History, Art, Elements, Discover Godiva and Peace and Reconciliation galleries.

There is also a studio for performances and events, the History Centre for the city’s archives and local history collections, and learning spaces.

Permanent Galleries

The History Centre

The brand new History centre is a treasure trove of information on the history of Coventry and its citizens from medieval times to the present.

The History Gallery

City of Spires 1450 to 1509

City of Industry 1837 to 1901

City of Dreams 1939 to present

Uncover the story of our city and its people from the medieval period to the present day through a staggering array of objects, photographs, film and history recordings.

Visual Arts

Old Masters

Discover some of the highlights of our traditional oil painting collection dating from the 1500s. The centrepiece is Giordiano's masterpiece, Bacchus and Ariadne.

Sculpture

The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum houses a fine range of sculptures, including works by great British artists of the 20th century, such as Barbara Hepworth and an early work by Jacob Epstein.

Art Since 1900

This gallery, which includes works by Lowry, Stanley Spencer, Paul Nash and Ben Nicholson, is devoted to works of art dating from 1900 onwards, including those representing the spirit of the Herbert's original British life and landscape collection.

Elements

Earth. Air. Fire. Water. This exhibition celebrates nature by encouraging the visitor to engage with natural objects and landscapes in highly creative and multi-sensory ways.

Discover Godiva

Explore the legend of Lady Godiva's famous naked ride through Coventry in their family-friendly gallery.

Peace & Reconciliation

Understand the city's wartime experiences and the links forged with other cities which grew out of the shared experience of war, and find out how Coventry's role in peace and reconciliation continues today.

What's in Store

The Herbert's collections include social and industrial history, archaeology, art and natural history. There are many thousands of items, far more than we can display in the galleries.

Connected

This part of the Herbert is based on the choices of a number of people who were asked to pick their favourite item from the collections and say why they chose it.

Temporary Exhibitions

Please check the Herbert website for listings of temporary exhibitions.

Herbert Media

Many of the films and interactive elements that visitors see and experience at the the Herbert are produced by Herbert Media. The production team uses its own state-of-the-art sound and video recording and editing studios to produce work not only for the Herbert but also other organisations around the Midlands. The same facilities are used as a valuable resource to train people to a professional standard on courses designed for everyone from beginners to experienced professionals.

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