Courtesy of Nick Mead

University President Maurie McInnis announced that Martina Droth will be the next Paul Mellon Director of the Yale Center for British Art, or YCBA. She will assume the role immediately. 

Droth, who is a familiar figure in the Yale community, was previously the deputy director and chief curator of the YCBA. Taking the place of Richard Brodhead ’68 GRD ’72, former dean of Yale College, Droth will assume her role as the art gallery prepares to open in March, following an extended closure for renovations. 

“[Droth] has deep understanding and rich experience of the YCBA’s many roles: as a cutting-edge research center defining the field; as a teaching center inspiring students; and as a cultural center enriching our community,” said Benjamin Polak, a member of the search and professor of economics. 

Since February 2023, the YCBA has closed its doors to undergo renovations for maintenance and to improve energy conservation. The gallery will reopen under Droth’s supervision with two exhibitions that Droth herself curated. 

The exhibitions, titled “Tracey Emin: I Loved You Until the Morning” and “Hew Locke: Passages,” will allow Yale and New Haven community members to engage with contemporary British art. 

Droth is a prolific figure in the study of British art, working not only at Yale but with institutions abroad. Her initiatives have included collaboration with the Tate Britain, Fitzwilliam Museum and Getty Museum. 

She has been affiliated with the Yale artistic community beyond the YCBA, including her time as part of Yale’s Committee for Art in Public Spaces. 

“This is great news for the arts community at Yale and in New Haven,” wrote Alan Plattus, chair of Yale’s Committee for Art in Public Spaces. “Martina is a consummate scholar and curator, a superb colleague, and a perceptive and creative advocate for the arts and arts institutions in both a historical and contemporary context.” 

She has also lectured as a member of Yale’s Art History Department and fostered the first exhibit with the Yale School of Architecture. Droth’s work with Yale’s artistic spaces spans over 16 years. 

Droth will permanently fill the position left empty when former director Courtney Martin went to work for the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. 

David Sadighian, a member of the director search advisory committee and assistant professor at the Yale School of Architecture, expressed his excitement over Droth’s “scholarly rigor and creative vision.”

“Martina’s knowledge of the YCBA collection is unrivaled,” wrote Sadighian in an email to the News. 

Another member of the search advisory committee, Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art, praised Droth’s curatorial work at the YCBA. He said that “Bill Brandt | Henry Moore” was a “masterly juxtaposition of photographs, drawings and sculpture.” 

This exhibition was the YCBA’s last exhibition before its closure and featured a combination of photographs and sculptures. It was accompanied by an illustrated book that was co-edited by Droth.

The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St.