Yale Center for British Art – closed for renovations (2024)
City: New Haven
The Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) is temporarily closed to implement the next phase of conservation of its iconic modernist building, designed by Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974). The project will focus on exterior improvements, including the replacement of the museum’s roof and skylights, as well as significant upgrades to the gallery lighting system. The YCBA will reopen in 2025 with a reconceived installation of its collection.
The Yale Center for British Art houses the largest collection of British art outside the UK. It holds over 2,000 paintings, 250 sculptures, 20,000 drawings and watercolors, and 40,000 prints. Visitors explore centuries of British artistic achievement from the Elizabethan era to the present day.
Renowned painters like J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable, Joshua Reynolds, and George Stubbs contribute to the collection. Sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Alfred Gilbert feature prominently. The drawings and watercolors collection includes works by William Blake, John Singer Sargent, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Sir Edwin Landseer. The print collection spans British printmaking from the Renaissance to the present day. Rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials, including works by William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf, also enrich the collection. The center also showcases modern and contemporary British art.
Renowned architect Louis Kahn designed the center, which is considered one of his masterpieces and a landmark of modern architecture. The center offers free admission to all visitors, reflecting its commitment to accessibility, and inclusivity. It aims to promote the appreciation and study of British art and culture in an inspiring environment.
Image credit: Long Gallery, fourth floor, Yale Center for British Art, photograph by Richard Caspole
1080 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
203-432-2800
