The architect Rick Mather is celebrated for renovations of British museums and galleries that amounted to re-founding them, because with subtlety, refinement and, above all, respect for their traditions and collections, he made historic spaces work as modern institutions. His great imaginative gift was to take a dark or enclosed space and let in light and air.

This is one of those good/bad exhibitions – good in so far as it tells us an interesting story about the foundation of an important institute of fine arts in Birmingham eighty years ago within the precincts of the university; bad in so far as a fair number of the works on display here – notably the paintings of Lady Barber herself - are of an indifferent quality. Not the lace and the tapestries though.

A much-loved British watercolourist paved the way with his daring, continental tendencies

Private collection

There are narratives in abstract art just as in figurative painting – and a show on Twombly and Poussin aims to prove it.

The restoration of Sir John Soane's Museum offers an enticing new view of one of the world's most sumptuous architectural treats, says Jay Merrick

Notebook

An artist so lacking in message he makes apple pie and picket fences look loaded

Stuck for interesting ways to welcome in the New Year? Well, to celebrate its bicentenary Dulwich Picture Gallery will unveil a borrowed masterpiece every month until the end of 2011.

The week in culture

A new exhibition of Rockwell's illustrations shows he was a skilled oil painter, but his relentless optimism soon starts to grate, says Adrian Hamilton

The first major exhibition of work by Italian Baroque painter and controversial political satirist Salvator Rosa (1615- 1673) in over 35-years is due to open next month at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Only one winner in this generation game