Berkeley Art Museum - Pacific Film Archive, Art museum and film archive in downtown Berkeley, United States.
The Berkeley Art Museum - Pacific Film Archive is an art museum in downtown Berkeley that spans multiple levels and includes galleries, screening rooms, and educational spaces. Its collections feature artworks from many countries, including Chinese paintings, Indian miniatures, African-American quilts, and contemporary photography.
The museum's collection began in 1870 with François Louis Alfred Pioche's gift of a 16th-century Flight into Egypt. It was formally founded in 1963 after Hans Hofmann donated 45 paintings and $250,000. Mario Ciampi's Brutalist building opened in 1970; the Pacific Film Archive, founded in 1967 by Sheldon Renan, later joined it.
The museum's name is often shortened to BAMPFA. Its MATRIX Program for Contemporary Art, founded in 1978 by director James Elliott, has given early showings to artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle and Andy Warhol. The Pacific Film Archive, begun by Sheldon Renan in 1967, holds the largest collection of Japanese films outside Japan.
The museum opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closes at 5 p.m., so mornings before opening are not an option; Thursday evenings bring free admission. The building is in downtown Berkeley, across the street from the main campus entrance, a short walk from the BART station. The former Mario Ciampi building, closed as a museum, now houses the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub.
The Pacific Film Archive regularly screens films ranging from classics to contemporary works, including rare and restored pieces that are otherwise hard to find. This programming makes the venue a destination for film lovers seeking discovery.
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