Visit the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive to see diverse and innovative exhibitions as well as varied movie screenings. Discover everything from ancient Chinese paintings to contemporary art and works by Old Masters. Enjoy the museum’s rotating agenda of classic and international movies with artistic themes.
The museum’s collection of 25,000 pieces began in 1870 with paintings gifted by financier Henry Douglas Bacon. Its diversity is showcased by pieces from Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin and the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. Find ever-changing exhibits displayed in multiple galleries. Themes range from African American quilts to paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties and conceptual art.
Look for the exhibitions that fall under the MATRIX banner. Established at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in 1974, this program serves as a model for the promotion of contemporary art. Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Sylvia Fein have all contributed to the program.
Throughout the year about 450 movie screenings take place here, sourced from the museum’s catalogue of 16,000 films. Watch classics featuring legendary actors such as Judy Garland, Michael Caine and Richard Burton. Attend retrospectives of some of the movie industry’s most celebrated cinematographers. Filmmakers sometimes participate in question-and-answer discussions about their work.
Visitors of all ages can try different art techniques at the museum’s art lab. Enjoy time in a quiet space in the reading room and engage your senses at interactive workshops.
Walk to the museum from the Downtown Berkeley subway station. It is about a 10-minute journey from Downtown Oakland and 25 minutes from San Francisco. If you’re traveling by car, park on the street for a fee or use one of the nearby metered parking garages.
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is open from Wednesday to Sunday and has an admission fee. Enjoy free admission for all of the museum’s galleries on the first Thursday of each month.
