The New Yale University Art Gallery

The Yale University Art Gallery—a free public museum—is the oldest and one of the most prestigious university art museums in America, and the third oldest such museum in the world. Its encyclopedic holding, which number more than 200,000 objects, range from ancient times to the present day and represent civilizations from around the globe. Until 2003, these collections were housed in two contiguous buildings, a landmark of early modernist architecture designed by Louis Kahn and the Old Yale Art Gallery, a distinguished neo-Gothic structure designed by Egerton Swartwout. Effective December 2012, following completion of its multilayer renovation and expansion, the gallery now also occupies the 1866 Street Hall.

The gallery is both a collecting and an educational institution, and all activities are aimed at providing the best possible resources and experience for University faculty, staff, and students; local and regional K–12 students and teachers; artists; researchers; and the general public.

In addition to the display of its collections, the gallery presents a regular schedule of temporary exhibitions, both on-site and traveling; produces a wide range of high-quality publications; and offers a rich array of programs, including lectures, symposia, and performances.

Furthermore, the gallery serves as one of the world’s preeminent training grounds for museum professionals, providing students with unprecedented access to its renowned collections, opportunities to make use of the resources of one of the world’s great universities, and the support of the Gallery’s curatorial and professional staff.

The conversation between Jock Reynolds, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale University Art Gallery, and Rail Publisher Phong Bui will be published next month, the May 2013 issue.