Richard Long Installation Comes to YCBA Entrance Court
The Yale Center for British Art has commissioned a site-specific work by Richard Long for its Entrance Court, on view through July 2027.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Fine Art
The Yale Center for British Art announced a commission of Gravity, a site-specific installation by Richard Long for its Entrance Court. The work is on view from November 4, 2026, through July 11, 2027.
Why it matters
The commission is the first in a new series of contemporary art installations for the Entrance Court, which will bring two installations to the space each year. It also inaugurates a year of programming marking the museum's 50th anniversary in 2027.
The freestanding clay wall measures twenty-six feet wide by ten feet tall, and the Entrance Court will host two new installations each year under the initiative. The commission's cost and the amount of the Bukhman Foundation grant were not disclosed.
The players
Yale Center for British Art
The Yale Center for British Art is a museum in New Haven, Connecticut, known for its collection of British art and its Louis I. Kahn-designed building.
Richard Long
Richard Long is a British artist known for land and sculptural works that often use natural materials such as clay, stone, and wood.
Bukhman Foundation
The Bukhman Foundation is a philanthropic organization that funds the Entrance Court installation series at the Yale Center for British Art.
The details
Richard Long uses his hands to sweep clay across the surface of a freestanding wall, setting off a dialogue with the steel surfaces of the Louis I. Kahn-designed building. The Bukhman Foundation grant also supports interpretative materials and free youth, public, and community programs.
Timeline
November 4, 2026: Gravity opens for public viewing.
July 11, 2027: Gravity closes.
2027: The museum marks its 50th anniversary with a year of programming.
Legacy Context
Gravity is Richard Long's third collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art, following Quantock Wood Circle, installed in the museum's Library Court in 2022. The commission also echoes The Critical Eye/I, the museum's first contemporary art exhibition in 1984, which marked an earlier phase of the institution's engagement with living artists.
Visitors to the Yale Center for British Art can view Gravity in the Entrance Court from November 4, 2026, through July 11, 2027. The Bukhman Foundation grant also supports free youth, public, and community programs connected to the initiative.
The takeaway
The Entrance Court series signals a sustained commitment to commissioning contemporary art at the museum, with two new installations planned each year. Readers interested in the work can see it in person in New Haven before it closes in July 2027.
What happens next
Gravity remains on view through July 11, 2027, and the museum's 50th anniversary programming begins in 2027.
Further reading
For more on the museum's programming, browse Fine Art coverage in New Haven.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Artdaily.
