On a sunny summer afternoon in New Haven, groups of kids sit on the floor of the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA or the Center) sketching or asking an instructor questions about a painting, while adults stroll through the galleries. That’s the scene at this welcoming, free Yale University museum, which reopened in March after a two-year, $16 million renovation of its 1970s building, a late-Modernist landmark by noted architect Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974). An inclusive new ongoing exhibition, In a New Light: Five Centuries of British Art, examines Britain through selections from the YCBA’s permanent collection of British art, the largest and most important outside the United Kingdom. The Center serves as a teaching center for students and a research center; it’s also committed to its role as a cultural center enriching the New Haven and wider community. To enhance the latter and draw in a broad audience, the reopened YCBA is offering expanded programs and events for all ages.
From Founding to Renovation
One man’s passion for British art led to the YCBA’s founding. Paul Mellon (1907–1999), an American philanthropist, dedicated art collector, and son of industrialist and financier Andrew W. Mellon, had spent summers and other time in England before he began collecting British art in 1936. A 1963 traveling exhibition of his expanding collection prompted a revival of interest in British art among scholars. The YCBA opened in 1977, with Mellon, a Yale graduate, generously providing the art collection, funding for a building, and an endowment. The four-story Center, one of Louis I. Kahn’s last commissions, has received architectural awards over the decades. The latest renovation utilized modern materials in projects such as replacing 224 acrylic skylights from the 1970s with efficient polycarbonate domes and changing to energy-efficient LED lighting. Refreshed interior finishes respect the original designs and provide an inspiring backdrop for the art and programs.
Visiting the YCBA
One of the YCBA’s pleasant surprises is the contrast between its austere exterior, including an entrance tucked away on a corner of Chapel Street, and its bright interior. Skylights and windows allow ample light into the welcome area and galleries, which have two interior courtyards. In addition, the concrete interior walls of the courtyards have openings so that visitors can see art hanging across the way. White oak and linen cover the walls, light-hued marble and wool carpeting enhance the floors, seating areas are comfortable, and the palette is soothingly neutral.
Filling one floor, In a New Light: Five Centuries of British Art moves in a mostly chronological way from the 16th century to the present, with works reflecting themes such as the rise and decline of Britain as a global colonial power and the growth of industrialization. The many portraits depict individuals and also reveal the changing social structure of different periods, and there are plenty of landscapes, whether of Britain or of places from India to the Caribbean. An introductory panel notes that Britain has long attracted artists, so that about half of the artists and sculptors on display were born outside Britain; other artists born in Britain left to paint distant lands. Each work includes a basic label, and some have expanded commentary. In their refreshed setting, the paintings, drawings, and sculptures are gorgeous, from historic works by Gainsborough, Constable, Turner, and others to those by modern and contemporary artists such as Gwen John and Cecily Brown. It’s a taste of a large, still-growing collection comprising some 2,000 paintings, 250 sculptures, and 60,000 drawings, watercolors, and prints.
Related to the In a New Light exhibition, the Long Gallery displays paintings grouped thematically and hung floor to ceiling in partitioned areas. It’s intriguing if a bit overwhelming, and booklets provide information about paintings of the dogs and horses so beloved by the British; views of elegant mansions; portraits of artists, enslavers, and abolitionists; paintings of India; and plenty more.
The Center’s wide-ranging changing exhibits provide depth on diverse artists and topics. On display through August 10 is Tracey Emin: I Loved You Until Morning, the first major North American exhibition of the work of Tracey Emin (b. 1963). From August 26 through November 30, William Blake: Burning Bright will focus on the art and poetry of William Blake (1757–1927), notably his innovative, illustrated hand-printed books such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Starting this fall (October 2, 2025 through January 11, 2026), Hew Locke: Passages is a retrospective displaying works in many media by Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke (b. 1959), whose art looks at post-colonial legacies. Also worth noting is the YCBA’s non-circulating Reference Library, open to the public, which has 40,000 books and 120 periodicals dedicated to British artists, art, and culture.
Reaching Out
Outreach extends beyond the Yale community and other colleges. During its closure for renovation, the YCBA continued collaborating with partners such as libraries, local nonprofits, and schools to connect with the community, and those initiatives continue today or have inspired new ones. Kids and families can enjoy art during a visit through special activity booklets, some focused on changing exhibits. Drop-in programs for kids can include artmaking, and there are storytelling programs. Plans call for some programs in other languages, such as Spanish. An afterschool teen program offers bus passes, snacks, and an artmaking activity. The View from Here, for 11th and 12th graders and some first-year college students, offers a way to access art through photography. Students apply for this program (about a dozen are selected), and there’s a public exhibition of their work. Other programs support lifelong learning for adults, such as concerts and a wide variety of exhibition-related talks and discussions, themed gallery tours, and Art in Context talks by experts from different disciplines. The YCBA also has a program called Exploring-art-ism for neurodivergent children and is currently working on initiatives to make the museum more accessible for neurodivergent people and people with disabilities.
The YCBA is a participant in the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 30 art museums and historic and cultural sites, including some that Side of Culture has covered.
Nearby and Worth a Look
Other Yale museums also demonstrate how university museums often provide excellent experiences for the public. Across the street from the YCBA, the sprawling Yale University Art Gallery (also free) is the country’s oldest university art museum, with a global collection of over 300,000 objects. Through September 14, 2025, the Gallery and YCBA are presenting the charming small Romney: Brilliant Contrasts in Georgian England, which uses paintings, drawings, and musical instruments to examine the artist’s interests and ambitions. A renowned natural history museum, the free Yale Peabody Museum completed a major renovation and expansion in 2024; it’s a must-see.
Side Dish
In the same building as the YCBA but not part of it, the longtime Atticus Bookstore Cafe combines an interesting bookstore and a cafe area with tables and an order counter. Besides grab-and-go picks such as salads and sandwiches like a tofu banh mi, there are fresh-made options. Breakfast is available all day, and coffee, pastries, and cookies are popular anytime. Visitors can also try New Haven’s famous pizza, like the coal-fired pies at the Wooster Street location of century-old Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Pepe’s seasonal fresh tomato pie and a white clam option are popular, and the Caesar salad is big enough to share.
Linda Cabasin is a travel editor and writer who covered the globe at Fodor’s before taking up the freelance life. She is a contributing editor at Fathom. Follow Linda on Instagram at @lcabasin.
Featured Photo: This view of part of In a New Light’s galleries shows the YCBA’s skylights and interior courtyard. Photo by Linda Cabasin
