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Photo: Mick Hutson/Redferns
If you've ever been to a concert or festival and seen a worn-out old T-shirt from a past tour and thought, "Oh my god, this belongs in a museum"... you might be right. In June 2025, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery opened a special exhibition celebrating the life and career of Ozzy Osbourne. Entitled "Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero," the exhibition has attracted around 450,000 visitors since its opening and is now on view until September.
«"We knew from previous events we'd held that something like this would attract a large audience," says Toby Whatley, director of collections and heritage at Birmingham Museums Trust. "But the level of interest has far exceeded our expectations. Older people might bring their grandchildren or children to share the experience. So you can't assume it's just old rockers; in August [2025], we had our busiest day in 10 years.".
The exhibition "Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero" originates from Sharon Osbourne's passionate collection of Ozzy memorabilia over the years. The exhibition covers Ozzy's solo career and his early years in Birmingham, even including several of his Grammy Awards.
«"Sharon was incredibly particular about preserving everything for her fans," explains Steve Hewlett of Central BID Birmingham, who worked directly with the Osborne family to organize the exhibition. "She has a huge collection in America, a huge collection in the UK; we had no idea how much she had amassed. We knew the Back to the Beginning concert was coming up, so we thought, 'Now's the perfect time.'".
The exhibition opened to the public for the first time on June 25, 2025, just weeks before Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's emotional farewell concert at Villa Park in the city. While ticket prices for "Back to the Beginning" could have been exorbitant, Osbourne's team decided from the outset that the exhibition should be open to everyone. To that end, the museum's website even offers visitors the opportunity to experience the exhibition digitally if they are unable to attend in person.
«"Sharon was very insistent from the very beginning that this exhibition should be free," says Steve. "She felt it was incredibly important that the 'Working Class Heroes' exhibition be accessible to everyone.".
The Working Class Hero exhibition marks a significant shift in Birmingham's recent commitment to preserving its musical heritage, encompassing everything from a Black Sabbath bridge to a giant mechanical bull named Ozzy, and even a (so far unsuccessful) attempt to rename the city's airport "Ozzy Osbourne Airport." Toby points out that the Museum of Birmingham has hosted similar exhibitions before, including "House of Metal" in 2019.
Ozzy Osbourne exhibit at the Home of Metal Museum | Photo: Katya Ogrin/Future
«"This project is very different from others in that it focuses on Ozzy, his career, and his accomplishments," explains Toby. "This made the exhibition a unique experience for visitors, as many of the pieces are being shown to the public for the first time. Sharon came to the opening and even burst into tears because she had never seen the pieces framed and presented properly before, rather than just piled up on warehouse shelves. It's all beautifully presented and feels important because This "It's really important.".
«"Birmingham hasn't exactly excelled at preserving its heritage over the years," admits Jez Collins, founder of the Birmingham Music Archive, an organization dedicated to documenting and promoting Birmingham's musical heritage. "Ozzy's a strange situation: he's been out of the city for decades, yet he's incredibly beloved here. Black Sabbath and Ozzy have always maintained their roots. It's a global phenomenon, but there's a real club vibe among the crowd that's easy to feel if you're a metal fan.".
With Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero extended until September 27, the question arises: "What happens next?"«
«"We know we could have put on an exhibition five times larger," says Steve. "We're very fortunate that Sharon allowed us to see part of this collection, but we also know it could be even bigger!"»
«"It's more than just an exhibition," Toby adds. "People come to us because they want to be a part of something, whether it's signing a book of condolences or simply taking part in a larger event.".
Sabbath may be Birmingham's favourites, but they're far from the only influential global band to emerge from the city.
«"It's amazing. It shows us there's a real demand for this kind of thing," Jez enthuses. "Sabbath is Sabbath, but there are probably a couple of other bands from Birmingham who deserve to be on the same level as them.".
A large-scale exhibition dedicated to "Napalm Death"? Who knows...
Exhibition "Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero"« open until September 27, 2026.