Yale Center of British Art

 I visited the Yale Center of British Art, which opened recently after being closed for two years for a major conservation program.  Much of the permanent collection was donated by Paul Mellon, a wealthy Yale graduate.  The building was designed by the internationally acclaimed American architect Louis I. Kahn. 

The building opened in 1977, shortly after Kahn's death.  The interior offers interesting contrasts of natural materials such as white oak, concrete, travertine marble and Belgian linen.

It has the biggest collection of British art outside the United Kingdom.

There is currently a special exhibition of works by J.M.W. Turner through July 27.

‘Dort, or Dordrecht: the Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed’ (1818) is one of the featured works.

The Long Hall on the top floor shows tightly packed works from the permanent collection.   There are no labels beside the works.  At each end of the hall there are catalogs to borrow, but I found it hard to match the works on the wall with the catalog descriptions.

I looked at William Hogarth's self-portrait for a while.  If I strip way the wig, he looks like a regular guy, the kind of person who might be a friend or whom you might stand next to at a baseball game.

Next to Hogarth's self-portrait is his portrait of William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, later fourth Duke of Devonshire.  While Hogarth looks so normal, Cavendish looks like a cartoon of a foppish narcissist who is a product of upper class in-breeding.

One of the most powerful works in the collection is this mid-18th century Bust of a Man by Francis Harwood.  Coming from a time when most Africans in Europe and America were enslaved, this bust shows a strong and dignified man.