The Yale Center for British Art is currently undertaking an extensive building conservation project—the largest since the Center opened in 1977. During this time the Center is closed to the public, but when it reopens in spring 2016, visitors will enjoy a new reinstallation of the collection in refreshed galleries, an updated Lecture Hall, and newly reconfigured space on the fourth floor including the Long Gallery. Significant work is also taking place to upgrade the Center’s infrastructure, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and telecommunication systems, and to increase accessibilities.
“Refurbishing our galleries and seeing the collection in new ways is one of the most interesting elements of the project,” noted Deputy Director Constance Clement, who is overseeing conservation efforts for the Center. According to Clement, curators will reconfigure temporary (pogo) walls to change the way objects are displayed. The Long Gallery on the fourth floor will be returned to a dense display, with paintings hung from floor to ceiling, as it was originally envisioned by the first Director of the Center, Jules Prown, and developed by the architect, Louis I. Kahn (1901-1974). In addition, a former office at the end of the Long Gallery is being repurposed and fitted out in order to serve as a collections seminar room, where students and scholars can view and study original works of art.
http://britishart.yale.edu/featured-story/29/1349
