Walking through Birmingham's Pre-Raphaelite gallery to reach Joe Lycett's new exhibition forces a fresh perspective on the classics. In Ford Madox Brown's Work, a beer seller's patterned waistcoat suddenly resembles something from the Kings Heath comedian's own wardrobe. At Walton-on-the-Naze, checkered skirts and a luridly pink handbag catch the eye. The colours that a Times critic once called 'crude' in 1851 now seem prescient.
Martin from Hull and Other Wonders
The door slides open to reveal a bright pink woolly mammoth named Martin from Hull dominating the space. A dodo joins him, alongside a half-globe containing homemade Thunderbirds — a Blue Peter memory suggesting toilet rolls once held more hope than recycling bin fodder. A Creme Egg sits nearby; Lycett insists they are now extinct despite supermarket sightings. From across the room, Joseph Chamberlain declares 'Manchester is s**t'. Flat Eric peers from a Nokia phone that asks 'Snobs?'.
George Frederic Watts' portrait of Edward Burne-Jones now wears a Streets hat and asks 'Got any Rizla?'. Shakespeare is dubbed 'CONTENT CREATOR'. Morecambe and Wise appear in mother-and-son portraits by Lycett's mother Helen. Martin the mammoth keeps one eye on the door, plotting a Night at the Museum rampage.
Art for Everyone
The exhibition has drawn criticism for prioritising Birmingham stereotypes over treasures. Yet laughter and curiosity fill the room. Why is The Electric Cinema painting screening Lost in Translation? The details invite personal interpretation. Lycett's ability to lace humour with activism — on stage, at Kings Heath Pride, and now in the museum — feels inspiring. 'I did feel a little bit worried about what critics might think,' Lycett said, speaking like a man unsure his work belongs alongside the Pre-Raphaelites. But perhaps Edward Burne-Jones felt the same.
Joe Lycett, solo exhibitor at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Daub it in history — blue, pink and yellow.
Practical Information
Every Thing Must Go is free to visit from July 29, 2026 to February 21, 2027 at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH.
