The Yale Center for British Art is designed by the internationally acclaimed American architect Louis I. Kahn. Located across the street from his first major commission, the Yale University Art Gallery (1953), the Yale Center is Kahn’s final work and was completed after his death in 1974. It was the first museum in the United States to incorporate retail shops in its design. The Center’s exterior of matte steel and reflective glass confers a monumental presence in downtown New Haven. The geometrical, four-floor interior is designed around two courtyards and is comprised of a restrained palette of natural materials (travertine marble, white oak, and Belgian linen). Kahn succeeded in creating intimate galleries where one can view objects in diffused natural light. He wanted to allow as much daylight as possible to enjoy the collection, with artificial illumination used only on dark days or in the evening. The building’s design, materials, and sky-lit rooms combine to provide an environment for the works of art that is simple and dignified. One of the twentieth century’s leading architects‚ Louis I. Kahn was born in Estonia and immigrated to the United States at the age of four. A gifted artist‚ he passed up a merit scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Art‚ determined instead to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Kahn taught at Yale University from 1947 to 1957. During that time‚ he was also resident architect at the American Academy in Rome. From there he traveled throughout Italy‚ Egypt‚ and Greece‚ recording historic architecture in drawings and sketches. This was a significant period in Kahn’s life‚ as he reconciled his belief in modernism with his admiration for enduring buildings of the past. After his tenure at Yale University‚ Kahn accepted a position at the University of Pennsylvania‚ where he became Dean of the School of Architecture. From the mid-1950s onward‚ Kahn’s reputation was firmly established. Honors and awards‚ plus important national and international commissions‚ including the Salk Institute (La Jolla‚ California)‚ the Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth‚ Texas)‚ and the National Assembly in Dacca (Bangladesh), distinguished his later years. Kahn’s architecture is notable for its simple geometric forms and the complex play between natural light and materials. Center receives prestigious AIA Twenty-five Year Award