An outdoor exhibition titled 'Pop Goes Brum!' will be held in Birmingham's Snow Hill Square from 9 to 30 June 2025, celebrating the life and work of Peter Phillips, a pioneering British pop artist who died in June 2025. Curated by art historian Ruth Millington and developed in partnership with Birmingham School of Art, the free exhibition aims to showcase Phillips' 'pioneering achievements' and his deep connection to Birmingham, where he was born in 1939 and trained at Moseley School of Art and Birmingham School of Art. Phillips, who ranked alongside David Hockney, Pauline Boty, Peter Blake, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein, was a key figure in the international pop art movement and helped launch British pop art with a 1961 exhibition.
This exhibition matters because Phillips had become one of Birmingham's 'most overlooked creative figures,' despite his significant contributions to pop art and his lifelong influence from the city's industrial iconography. By honoring his legacy and reconnecting Birmingham with a cultural trailblazer, the exhibition addresses a historical oversight and provides public access to his work, while also featuring contemporary works by local art students. It underscores the importance of recognizing artists who may have been marginalized by their home cities despite international acclaim.