Collections Research

Explore select works from our collection through the scholarship of art historians, curators, staff, and students affiliated with the museum. These texts generate new appreciation for objects in the collection by analyzing artistic processes, expanding historical context, and interrogating traditional curatorial practices, among other approaches.

Naming Marcus

Victoria Hepburn discusses the retitling of Sir Joshua Reynold's portrait of Charles Stanhope to include the identity of the child now known to be Marcus Richard Fitzroy Thomas.

Whose View? The Limitations of Labels

While describing two distinct, but similar paintings by William Hodges, Manon Gaudet poses important questions about object labels and how they can impact viewers’ understanding and learning.

Printmaking with Precision

Charlotte Lefland discusses Bridget Riley's intricate printmaking process.

New light on the group portrait of Elihu Yale, his family, and an enslaved child

The Elihu Yale Portrait Research team analyzes, questions, and provides historical context for an eighteenth-century painting on display, and explains why it was replaced by Titus Kaphar’s "Enough About You" (2016) from October 2020 through May 2021.

Top image
Museum curator and students in Long Gallery, photo by Stephanie Anestis, 2019