Yale Center for British Art
Yale Center for British Art
4.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
As a COVID-19 precaution, the Yale Center for British Art is closed until further notice. We are committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our visitors and staff. Note that all March and April tours are canceled, and many upcoming programs are canceled or postponed. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your support and understanding. Please continue to check britishart.yale.edu for updates. Posted: March 13, 2020
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
589 within 5 kms
Attractions
145 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
367 reviews
Excellent
266
Very good
83
Average
14
Poor
3
Terrible
1
MidwestKathM
Detroit, MI1,086 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Our first visit to the Yale campus, we were disappointed that the Yale Center for British Art is closed for exterior renovations, which are sorely needed. Thankfully they put together an exhibit of British art featuring JMW Turner and John Constable and installed it in the Yale U Gallery of Art, so we didn't go away disappointed. Thank you for that!! Slated to reopen in 2024.
Written 14 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
twomartinilunch
Middlebury, VT544 contributions
Jan 2020
Enjoy the art while you move through a marvelous Louis Kahn-designed building. And be sure to stop at Atticus on the ground floor for a bite to eat and coffee before or after your time there. And of course, visit the museum gift shop! Thank you, Paul Mellon and a special thank you to Louis Kahn. The gift of art and architecture is amazing.
Written 31 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James3086
London, UK14 contributions
Jul 2019
Worth the trip to New Haven even if you aren't going to visit Yale.
The collection is phenomenal. I particularly enjoyed the Constables.
Also, the gift shop has a great collection of British items.
The collection is phenomenal. I particularly enjoyed the Constables.
Also, the gift shop has a great collection of British items.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark
21 contributions
Jan 2020
First off, the building is a fantastic architectural masterpiece by Louis Kahn--for some, that is sufficient reason to visit in and of itself. The galleries are spacious and built around a large open center--which is itself a gorgeous, wood-paneled gallery. Natural light is masterfully directed, especially to a large, beautiful Turner piece--it's worth a visit just to check it out: whoever curated that particular piece deserves a hearty handshake. Featuring exclusively British art (as the name might suggest) it is packed with art that will delight both the novice and pro. Their relatively new "big gallery" is a long room with art from floor to ceiling that mixes art from all eras and genres and is divided into topics (military, equestrian, nautical, etc)--it is jaw-dropping and in my estimation the way art should always be displayed. You could just visit the "big gallery" and go away satisfied. Of course, like the Yale Art Gallery across the street, there's never an admission charge--which makes it one of the great amenities of living in or visiting New Haven. Also, conveniently, there is reasonably priced pay parking behind the museum which is handy, since downtown is often packed and parking can be difficult. Easy access to restaurants, the Yale Center for British Art is a mandatory stop if you're in New Haven. Walk a block West to Book Trader for a tasty sandwich and the best bookstore in town.
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
silverpyro
Chicago, IL18 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
**Currently closed for renovation until July 2016!!**
The YCBA is an amazing (and free!) piece of New Haven treasure. Designed by Louis Kahn (who also designed the Art Gallery across the street), the building itself is unassuming from the outside but a piece of art itself on the inside -- there is a glorious amount of natural light. Like the Art Gallery, whether you have an hour or a day, you'll enjoy this beautiful museum.
The YCBA is an amazing (and free!) piece of New Haven treasure. Designed by Louis Kahn (who also designed the Art Gallery across the street), the building itself is unassuming from the outside but a piece of art itself on the inside -- there is a glorious amount of natural light. Like the Art Gallery, whether you have an hour or a day, you'll enjoy this beautiful museum.
Written 30 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Len M
North Haven, CT77 contributions
Nov 2014 • Family
This is definitely the best British art collection outside of England. Each floor is crammed with some of the finest works of British art by all the big name painters and artisans from every period. Rooms are big, spacious and airy. There are several spots to sit to ponder and admire the displays and exhibits. Right across the street from the famous Yale University Art Gallery. Parking is a nightmare as are the one way streets all around so use the parking garages. Take advantage of the parking and visit both galleries. There are great little cafes all over the area and a terrific bookstore. Walk across the street and go under the walk overpass with the large brass Roman Numeral clock on it. Once out from under look left at the famous SKULL and BONES fraternity house. A few steps further is the world famous Harkness Tower and the courtyard on the right has the patriot Nathan Hales statue and classroom. What a great and interesting area all within a couple of hundred feet of each other. Bring a camara.
Written 23 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IndiaDaSilva
Monroe, CT203 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
The museum is free. It has a collection of British paints and some artifacts. The building itself is a piece of art. Louis Kahn is the architect.
Written 17 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SunE45
Paris, France110 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
Some great contemporary pieces, video installations and helpful staff. A very stimulating curation. Excellent addition to this town.
Written 9 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nataliia Z
Odesa, Ukraine153 contributions
May 2019 • Solo
I like this museum. Good works. All the best British artists. But I most of all prefer Canaletto - not British artist but views of old London.
Written 5 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kzsull01
Windsor, CT348 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
My husband and I visited the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday, February 16th, 2019. This museum was excellent, having the largest collection of British Art outside the United Kingdom. It had quite an impressive and beautifully curated collection of objects. This museum was very enjoyable, interesting and educational, especially the amazing special exhibit on the 3rd floor. Each different type of art on display had a very nice overview describing the art as well as such aspects as its historical, cultural, political, social, economic, scientific and religious impact, depending on what was applicable.
We spent over an hour and a half at the museum and were not able to spend as much time as we would have liked to have spent, due to lack of time. It would probably take over two hours to see the entire museum and to be able to absorb and appreciate all it had to offer.
This museum was definitely worth the visit with a very nice added bonus of free admission and free membership. The only drawback of this museum was that it does not offer free parking and you may have to pay to park depending upon where you park and when you come. We parked at the metered parking on York Street. Parking was also available in a lot at 161 York Street, which is behind the museum, and in a garage at 150 York Street. Both the parking lot and garage were $2 an hour Monday through Saturday. Metered parking was $1.50 per hour Monday through Saturday and free on Sundays.
Special Exhibits:
At the time of our visit there were multiple concurrent special exhibits on both the 2nd and 3rd floors of the museum, which made our visit quite interesting.
The special exhibit, ‘William Hunter (1718 – 1783) and the Anatomy of the Modern Museum’ was on the 3rd floor, spanning multiple galleries/rooms, and was quite impressive. This exhibit included many items from the remarkably intact museum of William Hunter in Glasgow, Scotland. Every item in Hunter’s museum, including an ancient coin collection and old master paintings, was collected to provide a material basis for interpreting the natural world and the history of civilization.
The exhibit provided very interesting background information about the museum, which was one of the first museums to benefit the public where teaching and research was facilitated through the study of objects, and the understanding of the use of objects in the communication of knowledge. By acquiring important works of art, Hunter saw painting as a means of recording natural phenomena, which included studying numerous animals that were brought to Britain, which was nicely depicted in the exhibit, in particular with a moose and a zebra.
Hunter’s teachings relied on first hand observation and revolutionized the teaching of Anatomy. Works of art by contemporary artists were included in the exhibit, provided the opportunity to reflect on the complicated social and ethical dimensions of the history of dissection, in which Hunter sought to improve human lives through his research.
The exhibit, which illustrated the emergence of the modern museum and a collection of objects to be used as a source of knowledge and instruction, included rare books, manuscripts, old master paintings, coins, medals, minerals, fossils and other natural history specimens (including anatomical and zoological), Oceanic Ethnographic artifacts, shells, insects and much, much more. This exhibit was very nicely done with all objects well curated and preserved and was definitely worth seeing.
The ‘Victorian Idyll’, special exhibit, on the 2nd floor, illustrated artwork from a like-minded group of artists described as being ‘idyllic’. The exhibit included very distinctive and beautiful Victorian book and periodical illustrations painted in watercolor or in oil on canvas or as etchings on woven paper by multiple artists. The artists included Frederick Walker, George John Pinwell and John William North, Robert Walker Macbeth and Hubert Herkomer. The exhibit included detailed background information about each artist and specifics about the type of art that each of them painted along with beautiful samples of their artwork. We particularly liked the pastoral and woodland scenes. This exhibit was quite interesting and nicely done.
The ‘Instruction and Delight: Children’s Games from the Ellen and Arthur Liman Collection’ special exhibit illustrated games designed for educational reasons to teach children history, geography, arithmetic and science or for entertainment. The Liman games included in the exhibit were well preserved and intact, helping to reconstruct the experiences of their original owners. The games followed the course of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the British Empire in conjunction with changing attitudes towards children and education. This exhibit provided a very interesting perspective towards children’s games and education, showing that ‘learning might be made a play and recreation to children’.
The ‘Before the Deluge – Apocalyptic Foodscapes from John Martin to John Goto, 1789 to Now’ reflected on the origin of our present fears about what it means to live in a time ‘Before the Deluge’ . The exhibit showed the concept of deluge represented by British artists changing over time based on political, social and scientific revolution. Objects within the exhibit reflected the diverse ways in which artists have responded to accounts of biblical, mythological, fictional and real floods and the differing social, religious and political ends in which the deluge theme has been applied over time. This exhibit provided quite interesting and diverse perspectives on this topic.
Permanent Exhibits:
The ‘Britain in the World’ exhibit on the 2nd and 4th floors was broken up chronologically illustrating different themes from various time periods, from the Elizabethan period to the present day. The 4th floor had artwork from 1550 – 1860, which included ‘Becoming Great Britain (1530 – 1688)’; ‘A Commercial Society (1688 – 1750)’; ‘Rule Britannia (1750–1775)’; ‘Art and the Market (1775–1800)’; ‘Revolution and Reaction (1800 -1830)’ and ‘A New Age (1830 – 1860)’ among other themes. The 2nd floor had art from 1860 to the present, which included ‘Shrinking Horizons/New Perspectives (1860–now)’. which included themes related to ‘Going Modern’, ‘End of the Empire’ and postmodern Britain.
Each different time period and theme of artwork was separated into multiple galleries with a nice overview describing it including such aspects as historical, cultural and political perspective and its impact on English life. It illustrated art in Britain with a focus on outside international influences, and the role art played in Britain’s history and culture. The galleries had a unique architectural design and structure with great natural lighting. The artwork included paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, all nicely curated and preserved. The artwork in the permanent collection was quite impressive.
We highly recommend this museum. It definitely has a lot to offer, much more than what I have mentioned here. I only provided some highlights in this write-up based on our experiences during our visits. We hope that you have the opportunity to visit it and enjoy it as much as we have.
We spent over an hour and a half at the museum and were not able to spend as much time as we would have liked to have spent, due to lack of time. It would probably take over two hours to see the entire museum and to be able to absorb and appreciate all it had to offer.
This museum was definitely worth the visit with a very nice added bonus of free admission and free membership. The only drawback of this museum was that it does not offer free parking and you may have to pay to park depending upon where you park and when you come. We parked at the metered parking on York Street. Parking was also available in a lot at 161 York Street, which is behind the museum, and in a garage at 150 York Street. Both the parking lot and garage were $2 an hour Monday through Saturday. Metered parking was $1.50 per hour Monday through Saturday and free on Sundays.
Special Exhibits:
At the time of our visit there were multiple concurrent special exhibits on both the 2nd and 3rd floors of the museum, which made our visit quite interesting.
The special exhibit, ‘William Hunter (1718 – 1783) and the Anatomy of the Modern Museum’ was on the 3rd floor, spanning multiple galleries/rooms, and was quite impressive. This exhibit included many items from the remarkably intact museum of William Hunter in Glasgow, Scotland. Every item in Hunter’s museum, including an ancient coin collection and old master paintings, was collected to provide a material basis for interpreting the natural world and the history of civilization.
The exhibit provided very interesting background information about the museum, which was one of the first museums to benefit the public where teaching and research was facilitated through the study of objects, and the understanding of the use of objects in the communication of knowledge. By acquiring important works of art, Hunter saw painting as a means of recording natural phenomena, which included studying numerous animals that were brought to Britain, which was nicely depicted in the exhibit, in particular with a moose and a zebra.
Hunter’s teachings relied on first hand observation and revolutionized the teaching of Anatomy. Works of art by contemporary artists were included in the exhibit, provided the opportunity to reflect on the complicated social and ethical dimensions of the history of dissection, in which Hunter sought to improve human lives through his research.
The exhibit, which illustrated the emergence of the modern museum and a collection of objects to be used as a source of knowledge and instruction, included rare books, manuscripts, old master paintings, coins, medals, minerals, fossils and other natural history specimens (including anatomical and zoological), Oceanic Ethnographic artifacts, shells, insects and much, much more. This exhibit was very nicely done with all objects well curated and preserved and was definitely worth seeing.
The ‘Victorian Idyll’, special exhibit, on the 2nd floor, illustrated artwork from a like-minded group of artists described as being ‘idyllic’. The exhibit included very distinctive and beautiful Victorian book and periodical illustrations painted in watercolor or in oil on canvas or as etchings on woven paper by multiple artists. The artists included Frederick Walker, George John Pinwell and John William North, Robert Walker Macbeth and Hubert Herkomer. The exhibit included detailed background information about each artist and specifics about the type of art that each of them painted along with beautiful samples of their artwork. We particularly liked the pastoral and woodland scenes. This exhibit was quite interesting and nicely done.
The ‘Instruction and Delight: Children’s Games from the Ellen and Arthur Liman Collection’ special exhibit illustrated games designed for educational reasons to teach children history, geography, arithmetic and science or for entertainment. The Liman games included in the exhibit were well preserved and intact, helping to reconstruct the experiences of their original owners. The games followed the course of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the British Empire in conjunction with changing attitudes towards children and education. This exhibit provided a very interesting perspective towards children’s games and education, showing that ‘learning might be made a play and recreation to children’.
The ‘Before the Deluge – Apocalyptic Foodscapes from John Martin to John Goto, 1789 to Now’ reflected on the origin of our present fears about what it means to live in a time ‘Before the Deluge’ . The exhibit showed the concept of deluge represented by British artists changing over time based on political, social and scientific revolution. Objects within the exhibit reflected the diverse ways in which artists have responded to accounts of biblical, mythological, fictional and real floods and the differing social, religious and political ends in which the deluge theme has been applied over time. This exhibit provided quite interesting and diverse perspectives on this topic.
Permanent Exhibits:
The ‘Britain in the World’ exhibit on the 2nd and 4th floors was broken up chronologically illustrating different themes from various time periods, from the Elizabethan period to the present day. The 4th floor had artwork from 1550 – 1860, which included ‘Becoming Great Britain (1530 – 1688)’; ‘A Commercial Society (1688 – 1750)’; ‘Rule Britannia (1750–1775)’; ‘Art and the Market (1775–1800)’; ‘Revolution and Reaction (1800 -1830)’ and ‘A New Age (1830 – 1860)’ among other themes. The 2nd floor had art from 1860 to the present, which included ‘Shrinking Horizons/New Perspectives (1860–now)’. which included themes related to ‘Going Modern’, ‘End of the Empire’ and postmodern Britain.
Each different time period and theme of artwork was separated into multiple galleries with a nice overview describing it including such aspects as historical, cultural and political perspective and its impact on English life. It illustrated art in Britain with a focus on outside international influences, and the role art played in Britain’s history and culture. The galleries had a unique architectural design and structure with great natural lighting. The artwork included paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, all nicely curated and preserved. The artwork in the permanent collection was quite impressive.
We highly recommend this museum. It definitely has a lot to offer, much more than what I have mentioned here. I only provided some highlights in this write-up based on our experiences during our visits. We hope that you have the opportunity to visit it and enjoy it as much as we have.
Written 19 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are photographs of paintings in the permanent collection allowed?
Written 28 April 2017
Yes, as long as you do not use flash. The traveling art, that which is on loan, is not allowed to be photographed.
Written 29 April 2017
Is this meusem kid friendly? I'm thinking of suggesting a school trip for my son's kindergarten class this year, but I want to make sure it's appropriate first. Thanks!
Written 9 August 2016
I do not think this museum is appropriate for little children.
Written 10 August 2016
Don't know. I go all the time when there is something I read about and want to see. Contact them for information.
Written 5 July 2015
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing