Post renovation, Yale Center for British Art enters a new era

As part of the conservation project, the museum’s 224 skylights were replaced, and a new lighting system was installed. How have these upgrades influenced the way that the art is presented in the YCBA’s galleries?

Martina Droth: Historically, our top floor galleries were divided into smaller “rooms” with moveable walls. During construction, the galleries were completely bare, and I saw the space differently when it was emptied of walls and art. We decided to open up the space, so that the architecture and Louis Kahn’s emphasis on light and vistas would become part of the experience of looking at art in the galleries. [The museum, which opened to the public in 1977, was the last building project by Kahn, the acclaimed architect and Yale faculty member from 1947 to 1957.]

Kahn was familiar with Paul Mellon’s collection. [In 1966, Mellon donated his collection of British art to Yale along with funds to build the YCBA and an endowment to support the museum’s operation.] I believe that the reason the paintings look right in these galleries is because he specifically designed the building with them in mind. One of the defining features of the fourth-floor galleries is the skylights overhead. As clouds pass over, you realize that you’re still connected to natural light and the outdoors. It adds a sense of dynamism to the experience of viewing our exceptional collections.

“William Blake: Burning Bright,” the current exhibition on the third floor, showcases the museum’s impressive collections of works by the famed artist, printmaker, and poet, including a selection of visually striking illustrations he made for a volume of the poems of 17th-century English poet Thomas Gray. How do you personally respond to those images?

Droth: We have about 900 works by Blake, including more than 100 of those illustrations. They are truly extraordinary. Blake’s imagery is dark and demonic but also humorous and strangely accessible. It’s clear that Blake was thinking about political turbulence and challenges facing the world in his time, which he represents through demons and monsters. Although made 200 years ago, the work feels modern and resonant today. Not everyone will read all the words in this exhibition — the print is rather small — but the illustrations are so evocative and engaging that I think everyone taking a close look will draw something meaningful away from these artworks.

A new installation in Entrance Court features works by the artist Hew Locke, the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the museum. Can you talk about Locke and your approach to exhibiting artwork in that space? 

Droth: Hew Locke is a brilliant and innovative artist whose work I have followed for the last 25 years. He recently became more widely known in the United States after he was commissioned to make sculptures for the Met’s façade in 2022. His major installation, “The Procession,” was shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston in 2024. And while these projects drew many people into Hew Locke’s practice, audiences are only beginning to appreciate the depth of his decades-long career. Hew makes a lot of his works in series based on themes, such as boats and statues, that he returns to regularly. 

Three of his big ghost ships will be suspended from the ceiling at eye level in the Entrance Court. For the reopening, we had installed a mirror wall by [the contemporary artist] Tracey Emin, which I thought was a great way to reinaugurate this space as one for visitors to engage with and enjoy. I want to welcome and invite people from the street into the building. I also want this part of the museum to feel visually dynamic and remind people that the historical conversations we present in the museum continue into the present. Hew is an artist whose work wrestles with the past, and who thinks deeply about the history of global migration and the intermingling of cultures.

What can visitors expect when they visit “Hew Locke: Passages,” which opens on October 2?

Droth: As Hew thinks about the history of migrations, he is thinking about all journeys, past and present, and how they shape our world. His boat sculptures were inspired by his own journeys between Britain and Guyana, and the sea as a means of transmission of cultures. He has also made extensive work around the role of public sculpture, asking what these historical statues standing in our urban spaces mean today. 

His series “The Ambassadors” is composed of four Black figures on horseback carrying messages to us from the future. They are equestrian riders, which appear to be part sculpture, part living being, their horses weighed down with baggage as if prepared for a long journey. I am thrilled that YCBA was able to acquire one of the figures and that the series will be prominently featured in the exhibition. 

Hew is critiquing public monuments, but he is also asking what a modern monumental landscape could look like. His work is colorful and sumptuous, and I think people will really enjoy engaging with it. One of the most brilliant elements to Hew’s work is that as it grapples and contends with such vital issues, it does so through forms and materials that are quite sumptuous and entrancing. We hope audiences will find much to engage with across the many facets of this artist’s practice. 

The YCBA has always valued its relationship with the New Haven community. What kinds of initiatives are underway to strengthen the YCBA’s bonds with its neighbors?

Droth: I’ve lived in New Haven for 16 years. My son is a student at Wilbur Cross High School. I firmly believe that it’s our responsibility as one of Yale’s prominent public spaces to champion the university’s mission to be a partner with the city. This is an imperative across the museum, with our education and public engagement departments leading this vital work. This fall, for instance, we have debuted Spanish-language family programs and museum tours to serve our Spanish-speaking community members, as well as installing wall labels and publishing brochures in English and Spanish. All of these initiatives are part of a holistic effort to break down previous barriers to entry between our museum and our community. 

What’s an example of the museum’s youth programming?

Droth: Public programming, and youth programming in particular, are essential elements of the museum’s mission. Conceived in collaboration with our curatorial and research departments, our public programs empower the YCBA’s role as a bridge between the university and the local community. 

One particular youth program that embodies this connection is The View From Here, which invites local teens to explore the history, materials, and practice of photography through the creation of their own works. Rather than a traditional film camera though, the classes are taught with smartphones and other personal digital devise, tools the students are already incredibly familiar with and that can serve as an entry point for them to connect meaningfully with the essential principles of photography — techniques of exposure, framing, compositions, light, and shadow. To help inform, contextualize and inspire the creation of their own works, the students also participate in workshops with faculty from the Yale School of Art, as well as with conservationists and scientists on campus. 

The months-long experience culminates with an exhibition of the students’ work. In recent years, this has taken place both on Yale West Campus and in the Schwarzman Center, as well as on our website.

The museum recently launched a book series that highlights individual artists represented in the collection. What’s the idea behind that project?

Droth: We asked ourselves how the museum could showcase the wonderful objects in our collections. It’s the same idea that motivated us to stage the Turner and Blake shows. Let’s introduce, or in some instance, reintroduce audiences to the museum’s incredible holdings. 

The initial book in the series provides readers an introduction to Turner through the works in our collection. It’s beautifully illustrated. We’ve done the same with Blake. Both books feature essays that reflect on a specific aspect of the artist’s work. The Turner book has an essay on Turner’s work as a printmaker. The Blake book has an essay on his use of color. The recently published third installment about the landscape artist John Constable includes a special essay on his cloud studies. We’re thrilled with the response to the publications thus far and are excited to continue to introduce new books in the series. 

Do you have a favorite object from the collection?

Droth: I could come up with a different answer each time I ponder this question. But the image that popped into my mind just now is the “Zebra” by George Stubbs. It’s such a fascinating work. People are drawn to zebras. This particular zebra is standing in the British woodlands. What is it doing there? Then you realize there is a complex history of this specific animal being transported by boat from South Africa to England. Suddenly, an entire chain of thought is set in motion as to what an animal like this represents, historically and now. You can tease out all these historical threads from there that are quite profound.