1111 Chapel Street New Haven, CT 06520

April 2004 YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY RESTORES LOUIS KAHN BUILDING TO ARCHITECTS ORIGINAL VISION: C R I T ICAL ELEMENT OF MASTER PLAN FOR THE YALE ARTS AR E A Building to reopen in 2006; exhibitions, educational programming continue in adjoining wing; traveling exhibitions will keep collection accessible The Yale University Art Gallery, the oldest and one of the most prestigious college museums in the Western Hemisphere, has begun the comprehensive restoration of its landmark main building, designed by American architect Louis I. Kahn and opened in 1953. The Gallery was Kahns first significant commission and is widely considered his first masterpiece. Designed while he was a visiting critic at the Yale School of Architecture, the buildingthe first of four art museums that he would designrepresented a dramatic point of departure for American museum architecture as a whole. Architect Louis I. Kahn looking up at his The Art Gallery restoration has been designed by signature tetrahedral ceiling in the Yale Art partners James Polshek, Richard Olcott, and Duncan Gallery in 1954. Photo: Lionel Freedman. Hazard of the New York City-based Polshek Partnership Architects. This work is part of the Universitys master plan for the Yale Arts Area, for which Mr. Hazard is also the lead architectural planner. While the buildingwhich houses diverse work from the Gallerys international collections, as well as temporary exhibitionsis closed for restoration, the Art Gallery continues to display its world-renowned collections of American paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts in their permanent home, in the Gallerys Gothic-style wing, designed in 1928 by Egerton Swartwout. Exhibitions and educational programming are also presented here, as well as in nearby buildings on the Yale campus. The Kahn building reopens in spring 2006. Restoration of the Swartwout building is scheduled to begin in 2008.

Yale University President Richard Levin comments, The arts have always been among the most vital and distinguished of Yale Universitys programs, enriching not only University life but also that of New Haven, the tri-state area, and the entire nation. The restoration of the Art Gallery will ensure that the Kahn buildingthe first of many great modern buildings on the Yale campusremains as close as possible to the architects original vision, and continues to provide the best possible environment for viewing the Gallerys superb collections. Art Gallery Director Jock Reynolds states, I know of no other university that has made the arts as central to its mission as Yale. One need only look at the collections of the Universitys museums, at its world-renowned repertory theater, and its vibrant, internationally celebrated music programs. The creation of the Yale Arts Area is the latest manifestation of this historic and ongoing commitmentwithout which the Art Gallery could not have undertaken this major restoration. During this period, the Gallery remains committed to making its collections accessible to its local, national, and international audiences. Louis Kahns design for the Gallery, with its generous and flexible space, technological sophistication, and natural light, is both beautiful and eminently functional. The Gallery is fortunate to be working with Polshek Partnership Architects, which brings to the project deep knowledge of and sensitivity to architecture, art, and design, and specifically to the work of the great Louis Kahn. Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery was founded in 1832, when patriot-artist John Trumbull donated more than 100 paintings to Yale College, which built the Trumbull Gallery, designed by the artist, to house them. Since then, the Gallerys collections have grown to number more than 100,000 objects from around the world, ranging in date from ancient times to the present day. Among these holdings are the celebrated collection of American paintings and decorative arts; outstanding collections of Greek and Roman art, including the artifacts excavated at the ancient Roman city of Dura-Europos; the Jarves, Griggs, and Rabinowitz Collections of early Italian paintings; European, Asian, and African art from diverse cultures; art of the ancient Americas; the Socit Anonyme Collection of early twentieth-century European and American art; and Impressionist, modern, and contemporary works. The Yale University Art Gallery is both a collecting and an educational institution. Its collecting activities strive to represent the highest artistic achievements in the history of art from many cultures and periods. Educational activities are not only directed at University faculty and students, but also aim to bring the larger community into the Art Gallery, where

they may participate in a range of programming based on the collections. In addition, Gallery collections provide an invaluable resource for the national and international world of artists, art enthusiasts, scholars, and museum professionals. Building And Restoration The Kahn building was the first modernist structure on the Yale campus, paving the way for a series of buildings designed by some of this countrys most gifted contemporary architects. Constructed of brick, concrete, glass, and steel, and presenting a windowless wall along its most public faade, the building was a radical break from the neo-Gothic buildings that characterize much of the campus, including the adjacent Swartwout building. Kahns design has been celebrated not only for its beauty, geometry, and light, but also for its structural and engineering innovations. Among these is the housing of electrical and ventilating systems in hollow concrete tetrahedrons that make up the ceiling, appearing to float overhead. When it opened, the Gallery included expansive, open spaces for the exhibition of art, as well as studio space for use by art and architecture students. However, as the collection grew, the museum divided the spaces into smaller, individual galleries, classrooms, offices, and workrooms, and the University moved its Schools of Art and Architecture to a new building. As a result, Kahns large, open spaces disappeared. Mr. Polshek, founding partner, Polshek Partnership Architects, states, I was a student of Louis Kahns in 1954 in the newly installed fourth-floor studios of the building. The opportunity to restore this early masterpiece to the architects original vision and to protect it for the future is extraordinary. Mr. Hazard, partner-in-charge of the restoration, adds, Overseeing the technical and aesthetic refurbishment of this great building is a challenging and fascinating task. It is a pleasure to work with the Gallery to devise innovative solutions to bringing this twentiethcentury landmark into the twenty-first century. The restoration both addresses structural issues and returns the building to Kahns initial conception, with capacious, uncluttered spaces for the display of artworks. This will be accomplished in part by removing the partitions that divided once-open space, using the original moveable pogo walls more effectively. In addition, where necessary, repairs are being made to the buildings windows and its interior and exterior walls, including the complete replacement of its three-storey glass curtain-wall. The roof, and the environmental, electrical, fire-protection, and security systems are also being repaired and upgraded.

The restoration of the Kahn building enhances one of the many great architectural experiences offered by the Yale campus. The Art Gallery is located across the street from the Yale Center for British Art, designed in 1974 and the last of Kahns buildings on which construction was begun during his lifetime. Together, the two museums stand in poignant dialogue, not only bracketing the great architects career, but also providing a profound aesthetic experience. That experience is enriched by the presence of the Art and Architecture building, designed by Paul Rudolph and also located opposite the Art Gallery. Completed in 1963, the Rudolph building deepens the picture of modern architecture provided by the two museums.

Kahn and Swartwout Buildings, Street Hall. Drawing Courtesy Polshek Partnership Architects LLP

Programming During Restoration The Art Gallerys American collections will continue to be on view until early 2008. Works in these collections range from an anonymous 1670 portrait of John Davenport, first minister to the New Haven Colony, and Trumbulls depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, created between 1786 and 1820 (during which time the artist would sketch individual faces and add them to his painting), to twentieth-century masterpieces by Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Joseph Stella, Arthur Dove, George Bellows, and Charles Sheeler. Almost every notable American artist working during this span of time is represented, providing a rich historical survey of American art. In addition, the Swartwout wing also houses temporary exhibitions. Selections from the Permanent Collection, a carefully chosen group of works usually displayed in the Kahn building, will be on view through June 2005. Drawn from the collections of African, ancient American, Asian, early European, and modern and contemporary art, the exhibition offers an overview of the Gallerys renowned holdings of art from around the world and through time.

Included are recognized masterpieces, such as Vincent van Goghs The Night Caf (1888), and Frans Halss De Heer Bodolphe and Mevrouw Bodolphe (both 1643), and works that are key to advancing the Gallerys teaching mission. Small thematic exhibitions are also installed in the Swartwout building. On view from February through August 2004 is Stagestruck in America: Artists, Entertainers, and Audiences, 19061956, comprising paintings and works on paper. This will be followed by Livable Modernism: Interior Decorating and Design During the Great Depression, opening in October 2004. The Gallery is planning a series of traveling exhibitions during restoration of the Kahn building so that aspects of the collections remain accessible. These include The Socit Anonyme: Modernism for America, a selection of works from the internationally renowned collection formed by Marcel Duchamp, Katherine Dreier, and Man Ray and donated to the Yale Art Gallery in 1941, as well as Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, drawn from the Gallerys extraordinary collection of American art. Both of these exhibitions include some of the Gallerys greatest treasures. From the Socit Anonyme, these include Wassily Kandinskys Improvisation No. 7 (Storm) (1910), Man Rays Lampshade (1921), and Marcel Duchamps Tu m (1918), providing an engaging survey of early modernism. The diverse works in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness many of them never before seen outside of Yaleilluminate the American experience from the settlements of the seventeenth century until the Worlds Columbian Exposition, in 1893. Other traveling exhibitions include a retrospective of aerial photographs by Emmet Gowin, an exploration of the Universitys active collecting of Chinese art, and a broad selection of the Gallerys master drawings. Complete information about the Yale University Art Gallerys traveling exhibition schedule will be announced in spring 2004. Universitys Master Plan For The Yale Arts Area The restoration of the Louis Kahn building is an important element of a master plan for the improvement and expansion of the buildings housing the Universitys rich and celebrated arts programs. The Yale Master Plan for the Yale Arts Area is intended to benefit not only the University community, but also the people of New Haven and visitors from across the nation and around the world. Previously completed aspects of the plan include the renovation of the former Jewish Community Center and the construction of a new building to house the Yale School of Art, formerly located in the Art and Architecture Building. The interior of the Art and Architecture

building itself has also undergone an ambitious renovation, which included the creation of an exhibition space on the ground floor that has become a major cultural resource both locally and nationally. In addition, in fall 2003 the Universitys renowned School of Music reopened its main concert venue, Sprague Memorial Hall, following a year of renovations. Future work on the Master Plan includes the conversion of the 1867 Street Hall to enlarge exhibition spaces, collection study, and classroom facilities. The History of Art Department, currently housed in this building, will be relocated to a new facility, being designed by architect Richard Meier. * * * *

Gallery Information The Yale University Art Gallery is located at 1111 Chapel Street, in New Haven, Connecticut. The Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closes at 5 p.m. in July and August); Sunday 1 to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays. The Gallery is open to the public, and admission is free. For additional information about the Yale University Art Gallery, the public should call 203-432-0600, or visit www.yale.edu/artgallery.

Press Information For additional press information about the Gallery and restoration of the Kahn building, please contact Jeanne Collins or Libby Mark at Jeanne Collins & Associates, LLC, New York City, 646-486-7050; info@jcollinsassociates.com.