The 20th Century Collection Of YCBA

NEW HAVEN — Through April 30 and for the first time since its reopening in January 1999, Yale Center for British Art is presenting a comprehensive display of its holdings in 20th Century art.

The installation draws upon every curatorial department and features paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, artists’ books and documentary material.

The center’s collection ranges across the dominant movements in British art of the century, from the Camden Town Group through Vorticism, Surrealism, the Independent Group, Pop, and the School of London to the controversial “Young British Artists” of today. Among the major figures who emerge in strength are Gwen John and Ben Nicholson — both favorite artists of the museum’s founder, Paul Mellon.

Also on view are a number of recent gifts, including works on paper by Henry Moore, John McHale, Michael Rothenstein, Lucian Freud, and a painting by Carel Weight. The display has been selected and organized in consultation with Timothy Barringer, an assistant professor of the history of art at Yale, who is teaching a course in the spring semester on “British Art in the Twentieth Century.”

The Yale Center for British Art is home to the most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. Informal discussions of individual objects are held every Tuesday at 12:30 pm. Introductory tours of the permanent collection are scheduled each Saturday at 11 am.

The Center is at 1080 Chapel Street, on the corner of High, in the arts and theatre/downtown district of New Haven. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5. Admission is always free. For additional information call 203/432-2800.