Education: Yale's Shrine to the Age of Reason

It was a feast fit for the spirit of Dr. Johnson. Beef Wellington and rich claret. Candles flickering on the tables and casting reflections on the dark mahogany paneling. Flowery remarks by Sir Peter Ramsbotham, British Ambassador to the U.S., and Kingman Brewster, president of Yale and the newly appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. James's. More than 800 distinguished guests, including the directors of London's Tate Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum plus multimillionaire Art Collector Paul Mellon.

The setting was University Commons, the massive undergraduate dining hall at Yale University. But the British ambience was decidedly fitting, for the occasion was the formal opening of the Yale Center for British Art, a four-story chest of art treasures donated by Mellon, 69, class of '29. The collection contains more than 1,700 paintings, 5,000 prints, 7,000 drawings and 20,000 rare books, and it is valued at close to $200 million. It ranges from the bejeweled, beribboned portraits of the Elizabethan period onward to the nobly blooded horses of George Stubbs. Its special strength lies in the richest period of British art, the years between the birth of Hogarth (1697) and the death of Turner (1851). Added to Yale's already strong holdings in 18th century British history and literature, the museum makes New Haven one of the most important centers for British studies outside of England. Yale, understandably, is cocky as an Eton dandy.

Stately Manor. The Mellon collection, which opens to the public this week, is housed in the last building designed by Architect Louis Kahn. It is a triumph. At the heart of the stainless-steel and glass structure lie two inner courtyards, paneled in striking blond oak and covered by plexidome skylights. The galleries are built around the courts, with internal windows that open onto them. Sunlight streams in everywhere. The details are starkly modern: exposed heating ducts, a huge, free-standing circular stairway. Yet the effect, thanks to Kahn's classical symmetry, is of a stately, updated manor house. As President Brewster observes, "It's rather remarkable that such a building could give you such a low-key, domesticated feeling."

On the top floor, roofed only by filtered skylights, is the center's permanent exhibit, featuring the gems of MelIon's collection. It begins with two commanding portraits: Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Sir Anthony Van Dyke's Mountjoy Blount, Earl of Newport. Indeed, the entire exhibit is heavily weighted with portraiture and landscapes. In one corner, the viewer can stare at the grayed elegance of a Gainsborough; in another, he is lulled by the peaceful countryside of a Constable. There is also a fine sampling of George Stubbs, including two huge works—both of lions variously attacking a horse and stag—that dominate one court. A large, dramatic Henry Fuseli painting, Dido on the Funeral Pyre—all swooning figures and swirling movement—anticipates the romantic period.