Birmingham Colmore, the curators of Colmore Life, is set to honour pioneering Birmingham‑born Pop artist Peter Phillips with a vibrant, free‑to‑view outdoor exhibition in Snow Hill Square, running from 9–30 June.

Pop Goes Brum! will showcase striking artworks and photographs celebrating one of the city’s most overlooked creative figures.

Born in Bournville, Phillips studied at the Birmingham School of Art on Margaret Street before becoming a key figure in the international Pop art movement. His career placed him alongside iconic artists including David Hockney, Pauline Boty, Peter Blake, and later Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, cementing his position in the era’s bold, culturally charged art scene.

Pop Goes Brum! not only reflects Phillips’ pioneering artistic achievements but also celebrates his deep‑rooted connection to Birmingham. Although he lived and worked across London, New York, Zurich, and Australia’s Sunshine Coast, his distinct Brummie humour and fascination with industrial and automotive imagery remained central to his work until his passing in June 2025, at the age of 86.

Curated by art historian and author Ruth Millington, the exhibition will explore Phillips’ immense contribution to the Pop art movement; a movement defined by bold imagery inspired by consumer culture, mass media, music, advertising, celebrity and everyday life.

The exhibition will also feature contemporary works by current Birmingham School of Art students, creating a meaningful link to Phillips’ alma mater, where he both studied and later taught.

For updates, visit colmorelife.co.uk