August Events At Yale Centre for British Art Include Free Gallery_Talks And Film Screenings

NEW HAVEN — Ron King and his Circle Press have been making beautiful and creatively significant books for the past 35 years. Since 1967, when he formed the Press “to draw together a circle of like-minded people” to make books, Mr King has collaborated with over 100 artists, writers, and poets. The resulting works are made from an extraordinary range of materials – paper, wood, metal, stone, glass, and wax – that stretch the concept and definition of the book to its limits.

A retrospective exhibition, “Cooking The Books: Ron King and Circle Press,” selected entirely from the collections of Yale Centre for British Art (YCBA) by Elisabeth Fairman, curator of rare books and archives, is on view until September 8. The show traces the history of the Press from its beginnings. Related archival material, including drawings, prototypes, and cutting and creasing forms, will also be on display. The exhibition is made possible with assistance from the British Council.

YCBA has a number of special programs scheduled during August to enhance visitors’ enjoyment of “Cooking The Books.”

On Saturday, August 3, at 11 am, an introductory tour of YCBA and a survey of British painting will be offered, followed at noon by a gallery talk.

At 2 pm on August 3, a screening of 84 Charing Cross Road (1986, rated R), will of be offered. Screenings continue each Saturday, with Remains of the Day (1993, rated R) on August 10, The Lion in Winter (1968, rated PG) on August 17, and Shadowland (1993, rated PG) on August 24. All screenings begin at 2 pm. The August films are also a celebration of the career of actor Anthony Hopkins.

Yale Center for British Art is home to the most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. Its principal resource is the collection of British paintings, drawings, prints, rare books, and sculpture given to the University by the late Paul Mellon (Yale Class of 1929). The collection surveys the development of English art, life, and thought from the Elizabethan period to the present.

YCBA is at 1080 Chapel Street, on the corner of High Street, in the arts and entertainment district of New Haven. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Call 203-432-2800 or visit www.yale.edu/ycba.