Yale Center for British Art, New Haven contains a comprehensive collection of British Art

The Yale Center for British Art is located in New Haven, Connecticut at the Yale University. The center has the most comprehensive collection of British Art outside of the United Kingdom and concentrates on work from the Elizabethan period.

The center started by a gift from Paul Mellon from his own art collection to the university in 1966 along with an endowment for operations of the Center. He also gifted the university with funds to build somewhere to house the art work. The exterior of the building is made of matte steel and reflective glass, the interior is made from travertine marble, white oak and Belgian linen.

There are almost 2,000 painting and 100 sculptures at the center, which has an emphasis that reflects Mellon's interest in art created between 1697 to 1851. Artists that are represented include Thomas Gainsborough Joseph Wright, Joshua Reynolds, Stanley Spencer and Ben Nicholson. Works from continental Europe and America are also included in the collection.

The sculptures are represented by artists such as Louis-Francois Roubiliac, Francis Chantrey, Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore. Emphasis has been placed on the acquisition of works by Young British Artists in more recent years, these include In and Out of Love by Damien Hirst.

There are around 20,000 drawings and watercolors at the center and around 30,000 prints that feature British sporting art and figure drawings. The center has a collection of around 30,000 rare books and manuscripts, which include maps, atlases, sports books and archival material about British artists.

Along with the art collections the center hoses a reference library, which is open to the public, photo archive, conservation laboratory and a study room and sponsors activities such as films, lectures, concerts and tours. The center is open year round and offers tours to meet any requirements of visitors such as self guided tours available from the information desk, performances and workshops, interactive concerts, craft activities and theatrical performances are available for the whole family throughout the year to learn about art and history in a new way. The center also holds summer programs during the summer school break.