Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:2626 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, California
Tel:
(510) 642-0808
One of the largest university art museums in the United States, both in size and attendance, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive are a festival of culture. From Soviet Silents and rare animation to works by Jackson Pollock and Paul Gauguin, this museum is a film and art lover's dream.
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, a single institution, are comprised of art and film departments with a distinctive Modernist building, located at the southern edge of the university campus. Founded in 1963 following a donation of funds and 45 paintings, the diverse collections of more than 13,000 objects include works by Jackson Pollock, Paul Gauguin, Helen Frankenthaler, Jay DeFeo, Joan Brown, and Shirin Neshat. Recent additions include the Jean and Francis Marshall Collection of Indian miniatures, and selected Chinese paintings.
The museum is also home to the largest collection of Japanese films outside of Japan, as well as impressive gatherings of Soviet Silents, West Coast avant-garde cinema, seminal video art, rare animation, and international classics totaling over 10,000 films and videos.
Public guided tours of current Berkeley Art Museum exhibitions are usually held on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Why not make the most of your evening in Berkeley by having dinner at one of the many great local spots before or after a film at the Pacific Film Archive, or better yet, enjoy a raw foods delight such as the famous Vegetable Lasagna with Portabello Mushrooms at the museum's Cafe Muse.
The museum is located at the Durant entrance to the museum, 2621 Durant Avenue between College and Telegraph. Take AC Transit lines 7, 51, or 64. For eastbound passengers, exit at the corner of Durant and Bowditch. For westbound passengers, exit at the corner of Bancroft and College for the museum, or Bancroft and Bowditch for the theater.
From Berkeley Art Museum - California:
The Berkeley Art Museum's diverse collections of more than 13,000 objects are characterized by themes of artistic innovation, intellectual exploration, and social commentary, and reflect the central role of education in BAM/PFA's mission.