The Conservation department is tasked with caring for the collection through environmental monitoring, pest management, treatment of objects, and providing technical analysis that supports the Yale Center for British Art’s research and exhibition programs.
Workspaces
There are two conservation studios within the museum, one dedicated to the care of works on paper and one to paintings. A conservation imaging room is used for technical documentation, including X-radiography, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and infrared imaging. Additional studio space and analytical laboratories are located at the Collection Studies Center at Yale’s West Campus.
Engagement
Beyond collections care, the department contributes to Yale’s educational mission by engaging with the university’s staff, students, and faculty; the Yale Center for British Art’s visiting scholars; and the public through tours, lectures, classes, and workshops. Members of the department regularly publish their work, deliver conference papers, and endeavor to provide research opportunities and training for early-career conservation professionals.
Conserving “An Allegory of the Tudor Succession” — Phase 1
“An Allegory of the Tudor Succession”—one of the oldest objects in the Yale Center for British Art's collection and its only painted depiction of the Tudor monarchs—was removed from view for conservation work in February 2019.
Structural Treatment of “An Allegory of the Tudor Succession” — Phase 2
The complex construction of “An Allegory of the Tudor Succession” required YCBA conservators to collaborate closely with specialists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Contact the Conservation department at ycba.conservation@yale.edu | +1 203 436 8952.
