Someone else described it as pompous, and that felt pretty accurate. The art itself was weird in a bad way, very dark, heavy vibes that just didn't feel enjoyable or inspiring. The whole place felt small and honestly not worth making a trip for. What really made it worse was the staff behavior. One worker or volunteer took a photo of us and then awkwardly hid behind a wall, which was unsettling. Another staff member kept staring at us the entire time, then eventually approached to say we couldn't have a water bottle inside and had to check it at the front desk. That would have been fine if the front desk had mentioned it in the first place. The inconsistency just added to the uncomfortable atmosphere. Overall, not worth the visit at all. If you are deciding between museums, Oakland Museum of California is much better and a far more enjoyable experience. read more

I went there today for an international film named "La ciénaga". I love the fact that they show international and other interesting films there! Hollywood movies are getting so boring to me with the same old formulas, so this was a great find! Inside was very spacious, modern, and clean. Bathroom was super clean, too! Location is very near downtown Berkeley ( 2min walk) and so convenient! I would definitely go back:) read more

Came here recently to check out theresa hak kyung cha: multiple offerings exhibit. A multi-hyphenate artist, I loved seeing her pottery and fiber art along side her writing and performance art. A smaller gallery space, but would love to come back to check out a screening read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I had visited..I could remember...where is your post on Yelp? It's a college campus museum..there are many galleries at college campuses.. it charges $18 for adult tickets...berkeley students can pay a discounted fee...$5...it's not free...it's a museum gallery.. the exhibit was quilts..nice building to visit and there may have been a class lecture hall for college students.. open to the public all the time..free first Thursday today.. the cafe was closed...for the community kids...all major college campuses feature museums and galleries.. I had come here once and don't remember the exhibit..years ago.. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

Visiting art museums is one of my favorite rainy day activities, and my friend and I decided to check out BAMPFA over the weekend. After grabbing lunch and coffee at Kopi Bar upstairs, we lingered within the galleries for the remainder of the afternoon. The museum itself is spacious with several gallery spaces, including immersive rooms for special exhibits and an amphitheater for viewing films. The avant-garde art exhibits covered multiple mediums, and it was cool how the museum showcases work from local artists and students. The overall atmosphere felt very open and welcoming, and the museum was conveniently located only a block away from the Downtown Berkeley Bart station - and right across the street from the UC Berkeley campus. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Eye catching art exhibit - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

We were drawn to the BAMPFA Art Gallery (Oct 2025) by their American and international artists working in so many media, such as thread art, textiles, wall-art, life-size figures, sketches, prints, familiar objects, and film. Our family shares some patchwork and quilting, so we were focussed for an hour or so on the Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California by 80-or-so artists, (shown through Nov 2025). read more

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I found out about the Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California exhibit from a fellow quilter. As a new quilter I wanted to see the exhibit, so we planned a day of things to-do in OAK and Berkeley. Parking was easy. We were able to get a metered spot across the street, but I know that there are also parking garages in the area. The street was busy with CAL students all around, just adding to a great vibe! I loved reading the museum labels to get information about the quilter (artist) and the quilt. I think my favorite section was the case with quilters notebooks. So interesting to see their notes and sketches. The Untitled Necktie Quilt was a big hit with all of the patrons. There were three other exhibits in the museum and we saw that another exhibit was in the prep-process. The employees made checking in a breeze. Clean bathrooms and a small, but stocked gift shop. The Fisher Family Art Lab wasn't open, but you could walk through. I was able to pick up a paper for designing your own quilt. I'm sure that I would have needed more time on the parking meter if the Lab was open! read more

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Cool museum, on the smaller size and i think the main exhibit is African quilts. There were alot of quilts! Has a gift shop and colosseum steps and a little place kids can color and do art on the bottom floor. It wasnt the most interesting museum tho, the girls at the front r nice! read more

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This museum is for a certain type of art enthusiast. Which admittedly was not my partner and I. Whomever writes their panel text is giving a masterclass in poorly organizing information. After the first room, we pivoted from reading the full text to only reading the final sentence of each panel and going to the top to see if any of the conclusions or perspectives were introduced, explained, or supported. We did not find a single panel that had a coherent flow of information for the reader. In finishing the whole museum, it was clear that the subject matter was meant to be edgy. But there was no explanation of the artist's message or why a visual or method was their selected means of messaging. One odd observation, on a few occasions the incorrect artist terminology was used to describe a piece - first-person perspective when in reality it was clearly second-person as an example. TL:DL - this was an edgy display with no academic organization or rigor to guide the viewer. You will like this museum if you like to feel edgy without needing to understand the space and message you are being asked to decypher. read more

Caught the African American Quilt exhibit. There was plenty of two hour meter parking and it was plenty of time to see the exhibit. Beautiful building and exhibition space. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Museum interior - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

In general, I had a good experience. The organization was impeccable. There are many exhibits that are still in progress. It was a beautiful day at the University of Berkeley. If you have time, stop by and enjoy the arts. read more

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Small little gem of an art museum. You can see. The whole thing in an hour. Street parking available read more

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Really great exhibits and deals such as free first Thursday and Berkeley students get in free! They also have films and special events that occur which showcase different local artists which really serve to amplify the voices in our surrounding area. The films are usually very niche and sometimes they have the filmmaker come and talk as well. I loved the exhibits that I went to below which my favorite was the fallen raven with the ribbon in its mouth. Not only do you get to know about the art piece and the artists, but there are also historical pieces to the puzzle and you really get to learn more about different cultures and similarities between yourself and the artists. Thus, it is a great way to spend an afternoon diversifying viewpoints while looking at food for the eyes. read more

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I enjoy spending time here and like to check out the annual UC Berkeley MFA exhibit. It's a small museum, you can probably see everything in an hour. They have lots of special events and movies, check the calendar. The entry is only $14 for adults. read more

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Good museum with a beautiful movie theater. On the small side, so you don't need to plan a long visit. Nice cafe and gift shop.

Enjoying deep conversations in the art opening of friends and surrounding by creativity and brilliance - appreciating those who value arts and intellect. Life and joyful inspirations keep expanding~! read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - BAMPFA exhibition - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

Caught their Free 1st Thursday of the month entry & I'm so happy for these kinds of events. Only 2 levels of art work & the 1st level is really the main attraction with 4 art collections to view. Candice Lin's Art work featured downstairs. Personal Impressionable Artists at BAMPFA: John Zurier's art, it wasn't so much as his art but his quote "The common quality linking all of his work, is a sense of silence & solitude or perhaps a longing for solitude,freedom,calm, & serenity..." Although we aren't in a state of war, sometimes there's a crisis within yourself that prevents you from obtaining that sense of inner peace & calm. It reminds me of taking the time to "smell the roses" in this fast paced world. It was also great to see that BAMPFA recognizes it's UC Berkeley Fine Art students by displaying 7 of its student's artworks. I really liked Ahn Lee's ceramic lanterns. The Jade green lanterns add a soothing sense of calm for me. Downstairs is Candice Lin's art work featuring her Indigo colored work inspired by the Nigerians & Japanese. She not only dyed the fabric with meticulous time & care, but she also added a print design. The reason for Candice's use of indigo was bc indigo is considered to be a "magical" & "cool" color, it has even been said to help cure feverish conditions. Also downstairs are reading areas with books & a theatre. So much to see on the 1st floor, it's a nice place to relax & slow down. read more

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Unfortunately I can't recommend coming to the museum for the art galleries. At the time of my visit the art was low quality and in my opinion, less interesting than any other museum or gallery I've been to in a very long time. Even small town art galleries with local artists have more to offer than this museum did. There was also tons of volunteers awkwardly standing in every single room but they couldn't even give directions around the museum or maybe didn't speak English. You're better off going to any other art museum in the Bay Area or to Crocker in Sacramento. read more

Maybe this kind of museum is just not directed toward people like me, but I found the exhibits at this museum to be really weird and peculiar. The special exhibit on Alison Knowles art don't make sense to me. My kids 7 and 10 didn't really like the exhibits either and kept asking me when we could leave.... Not sure we would be returning again unless there's significant changes to the exhibits... I had much more fun at other Bay Area museums like Oakland Museum and SF MOMA. read more

Clean but definitely not worth the $18 entrance fee. It has a small and pompous atmosphere. If you frequent art museums you could just go down the street to the Oakland one and leave feeling like you weren't just scammed. read more

Excellent tour of a fascinating exhibit of various artists interpretation of the southern immigration in the US.

Beautiful museum - love the film festivals. Entry price is affordable so hopefully most public will patronize it. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Art installation. Can you read what the message is? - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

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For the price you pay ($18) this is a small museum and depending on your interest in a current exhibition on quilts you may find yourself going through it rather quickly. BAMPFA's decision to feature African-American quilts as the main exhibit is interesting considering the niche status of this form, overall. The art wall that dominates the space as you enter, by Stephanie Syjuco, is a monument to the debatable, left-wing academic orthodoxies present in many university humanities and social studies curriculums. The museum itself describes this exhibit as featuring "radical pedagogy," so there you go. I did find the film installation by Georgian artist Andro Eradze engaging. The security within the museum was borderline intrusive, with the (apparent) college students employed as security darting back and forth between rooms as if they were on high alert. Maybe there have been problems in the past, but it got in the way of my viewing. One note: I did not, regrettably, have the time to take in any of the films (charged separately from admission as I understand it). read more

Unfortunately I haven't spent much time in the museum portion of BAMPFA, so my review will focus exclusively on the theater portion. I love films. I know a lot of people say that, but I sincerely mean it. And BAMPFA is one of only a few local theaters that plays the kind of films that resonate with me. You want to see a screening of Nosferatu with a live piano accompaniment? You want to see Werner Herzog in-person introducing his film Stroszek? You want to see a Yasujiro Ozu retrospective? Well damn, did you come to the right place. The tickets are incredibly affordable, and with each purchase you're helping to keep cinema and the history of cinema alive. I wish that more theaters had such careful curation as BAMPFA obviously does. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Werner Herzog post-screening of The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love the Osher Theater! I always feel so inspired when I come see the new art exhibits, vintage foreign films, or old school live concerts in the theater. Treat yo' self! read more

I used to go to the PFA when it was on Durant Avenue and I was a fresh-faced undergrad acing my introductory film class. I'd go over there, watch obscure foreign films, and get in touch with my inner geek. Imagine my forlorn state when I saw it shuttered, but then I realized it was moved to the western end of the campus on Center Street. Still combined with the city art museum (which I frankly ignored), it's referred to as BAMPFA and housed in a retrofitted building modernized by the in-demand architectural firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the same team that designed The Broad in L.A. (review: http://bit.ly/2Lw89Io). It's quite an expansive space and when I visited, the lobby with the descending steps was dominated by a bright mural by South African street artist Karabo Poppy Moletsane (photo: http://bit.ly/2wiZqnS). The museum's largest exhibition was Way Bay, a collection of multimedia pieces by Bay Area artists (photo: http://bit.ly/2wkAnB8), but the most dramatic gallery was Agony in Effigy, vivid representations of violence and death in art like Sylvia Ludins' "Death March" (photo: http://bit.ly/2wwcPZ6). Yes, modern art dominates the space in surprisingly frequent rotations, and it wasn't exactly my cup of orange pekoe tea. Non-student admission was $13 for the museum, and film showings are separate and also $13. RELATED - Interested in discovering a new museum? Here's a list of the ones I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2LyXFIa read more

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Great museum my favorite is the Buddhist statues they are fantastic nice and big spacious modern building so its great and not crowded at all read more

The SF Chronicle recently featured photos of the latest BAMPFA exhibit and for those suffering from coulrophopia*, it was a doozy. The newest exhibit features rooms full of clowns, not a single one transported from the current White House. These are the clowns (by artist Ugo Rondinone) that haunt you in nightmares and it didn't help that a worker at BAMPFA announced as we entered the exhibit, "there's one real one in the bunch". She was kidding but her joke made the clown experience all the more terrifying as it planted the seed that one of these lethargic clowns could suddenly spring to life. BAMPFA is a nice museum and the people that work there seem very nice. It's not their fault that the overall experience underwhelmed me. They do have some fine, oft-changing exhibits (in addition to the clowns I enjoyed the extensive display of Charles Howard works), just know that the museum is unlikely to hold your interest beyond about 70 minutes which is actually quite adequate for most people (it held my interest for 90, but that's me). What I think of BAMPFA is that it's a great excuse to go to the city of Berkeley. First Thursdays are free and the museum is always free for Cal students. For others, the admission charge runs $10-$12. Plan ahead though, and check the "Discover & Go" feature at your local library and you might find you can get a pass good for free admission for two, as I did; that's a great value. The museum has a very nice, well-curated gift shop. They also have a cafe (Babette, no museum admission required), an art lab which provides time and materials to make your own art, and of course, the Pacific Film Archive. For film buffs, the Pacific Film Archive is a most interesting thing so be certain to wander inside during your visit and ask what they do. You might find they offer something that you didn't know existed and that knowledge might be life changing. Most nearby street parking is metered and limited to 2 hours (most days) which is sort of perfect given the size and scale of BAMPFA. If you're a museum fan or just someone looking for an excuse to go to Berkeley, add BAMPFA to your list. It's a perfectly fine museum experience even if there are plenty of better museum experiences to be had out there in the world. * coulrophobia - persistent and irrational fear of clowns read more

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Fantastic museum with many art things! And it's free for Berkeley students! I really love the full-red stairs! read more

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I'm a film and museum buff, probably due to my day's checking out many theaters and museums in my hometown. I'd been meaning to visit BAMPFA since they opened up their new building on Oxford Street, with my mind having dimly-lit memories of the former home on Bancroft Way. Luckily, I've gotten to see both the museum and film aspects of the place over a week last year. Overall, I'm really impressed with the new BAMPFA! I checked out an excellent Peter Hujar exhibit that displayed a series of impactful black and white prints that brought a vivid representation of 1970s/1980s NYC. I also saw a film by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, "Time of Love", and really enjoyed both the movie and the intimate theater. I would definitely revisit given the impressive museum exhibits and film retrospectives! read more

For it being in Berkeley, I can say that this museum is just "okay". The city of Berkeley is so unique in itself and I was expecting a little more from this Berkeley art museum. I came here with a group to attend their "free museum day" promotion. The museum is free to the public every first Thursday of the month which was perfect for me because I probably wouldn't pay to come back here. To their defense, a large center portion of the museum is currently closed down due to renovations. From the outside art, this portion seemed to be the most interesting. The Museum has three stories and also has a small café located on the third floor. Some of the featured art includes pieces from local artists, popular replicas, and modern day ethnic art and pieces. My favorite features include the East African and Buddhism room. The East African room has a few distinctive modern pieces that rightfully depict East African culture and beauty. I loved the vibrant colors that were used on some of the pieces... it was actually a breath of fresh air compared to some of the art rooms that I felt were lacking creativity. I would say that they Buddha room was my most favorite! This room featured multiple Buddha pieces and picture art from different eras in time. Many of the smaller pieces were encased in glass, but my favorite piece was the large traditional Golden Buddha! I observed many people taking pictures of and with this Buddha and I presumed that this was most likely their most popular piece. If you are a Berkeley local, this museum is located right across the street from UC Berkeley and would be nice it is so close. I did notice that many students were seated on the steps working on their computers. The parking is hard and if you do find a parking lot, it will most likely be paid and expensive. Be ready to cough up a couple dollars per hour for paid lots! So, would I go back again? Probably only on another free Thursday or on a discounted day once the museum has finished undergoing it's renovations. read more

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What a thrilling and thriving experience I recently had at the museum! Not only did I come on their free day (first thursdays) but I came with genuine spirit of a good time and it was. I got to see interesting textural accounts of many inspiring artists (Hans Hofmann, Tenzing Rigdol and Fernando Botero to name a few) and I also got to immerse myself in different time periods the showcase lapsed as I gallivanted the many corridors. (Like a piece from 1339 Buddhist Tibet) All and all you should really check this place out! There's also a nook cafe located in the museum. I wanna say it's the 2nd floor, anyway there's an elevator with directions, you'll figure it out! read more

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I went to the FREE Community Day at the new location for BAMPFA Sun 1/31/16. This new location is great, only 1 block away from Downtown Berkeley Bart and it's pretty roomy inside and has lots of light! Once you enter you notice on the left a huge art mural in the Forum. It's really interesting to see, kinda like a scene from China with made up lakes and mountains. On this floor was the new exhibit "Architecture of Life" now thru 5/29. It's interesting and has 2 rooms full of art. Only 1 unisex bathroom on this floor. Small gift shop next to the gallery. On the right side of the floor is a gallery with a limit of 6 people - glass cases with spider webs - the spiders have been taken out. Kinda neat to see. 2nd Fl - that's where the Babette Cafe is. I had a bowl of split pea soup w/ ham hock $7, winter tabouleh salad $4, and a chocolate hazelnut cookie $3. All pretty tasty. Order at the register, pay by credit card if you want, get a little sign holder, someone brings the food out to your table. One unisex bathroom this floor. Down at the Lower Level is where the multi-stall separate M/F bathrooms are! There's 5 galleries of art, learning center, etc. Hrs: Wed-Sun 11-9 First Thurs of the Month FREE Galleries FREE BAMPFA members; UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff; 18 & under $10 Non-UC Berkeley students, disabled, 65+ $12 General admission Theater $7 BAMPFA members, UC Berkeley students $8 UC Berkeley faculty & staff, Non-UC Berkeley students, disabled, 65+, 18 & under $12 General admission Additional feature: $5 Website: http://bampfa.org/ read more

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It is hard to miss BAMPFA. As soon as you see it you will notice the thirty-foot-wide outdoor LED screen which plays films and videos. The architecture of BAMPFA is one you'll want to go inside. There are two film theaters, four study centers, a reading room, art-making lab, and a café. If you love contemporary or historical art this is the place for you because here you can enjoy over twenty art exhibits annually. As you walk in you'll be mesmerized when you see the art wall by Karabo Poppy Moletsane. She uses such beautiful colors and patterns when portraying the people of South Africa. On a busy day these steps serve as seats for listeners. There is a hands on corner and you'll find people cutting, glueing, drawing, and creating different things. The great thing is that around the table you will find different ages of people from young to older all creating unique things. read more

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive - Art Museums Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Incredible and intriguing art shows here. We stopped here for a couple of hours before a performance at Zellerbach and glad we did.

The worst museum out of 30+ museums I have visited across the US :) - 3 pictures - 5 carpets on walls - 2.5 statues - and a cafe on the top floor that is crowded with people read more

Modern art lovers will really appreciate the beauty that is the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. It's sleek and sexy and epitomizes everything modern in its newly built location on Center Street in the heart of downtown Berkeley. With its metallic exterior and natural light interior it is the perfect addition to the downtown Berkeley skyline and with only a block away from the downtown BART entrance makes for the most convenient access. It combines various artwork like paintings, photography and historical sculptures all created in the 20th century and beyond. I love that they bring the art of legendary art of Jackson Pollack and Robert Mapplethorpe to the suburban masses of the East Bay. I had previously been to the Berkeley Art Museum location when it was housed on Bancroft Street, where it was a concrete multi leveled mass of coldness. But now they've moved to a former printing plant and made it destination any architectural buff will love. I came with a friend on a Thursday afternoon, we made sure we came on the first Thursday of the month because it is free to all museum goers no matter if they live in Berkeley or not. The museum building is three levels with the main entrance and galleries on the ground level, a threat and cafe/ bar on the second level, and additional galleries and a study center and art lab on the underground lower level. Today's artwork featured in the main gallery was from the mind of Ugo Rondinone. The exhibit "the world just makes me laugh" had unique themes from popular culture as well as drawing inspiration from historical art movements such as Romanticism and Surrealism. And how surreal was it? There were actually lifelike mannequins dressed as clowns in every position possible in the main gallery. Each gallery had something visual for the eyes on that first level ranging from the photography of Sam Contis to children's drawings. I loved the lightness of the entire space which emanated from the rafters of this warehouse turned art museum. The lower level was a little different as they had four smaller galleries filled two completely different styles of art. In two galleries there was the abstract art of Charles Howard, while in the other two galleries it was the ancient art of the Buddhist Realms. Although both exhibits were visually stunning, it did make my friend and I wonder what did ancient art and sculptures of East Asia have to do with that of modern art? We both questioned how they curate their art for exhibitions. After we asked a friendly docent where much of the artwork came from, we learned much of it came from the private collection of donors, many of whom were responsible for this entire museum being even built in this location. That made sense. A small museum like the Berkeley Art Museum has to rely on donors and alumni to survive because many people don't know this place even exists. That's why I think you should try to come on the first Thursday for complimentary admission to see if this place is for you. A nice intimate collection of hip and modern artwork that's a feast for the eyes not unlike the movies that play on the exterior of the building. Stay for the art that changes seasonally, but enjoy this stunning new facility it's in. read more

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Aside from the films and exhibits on abstract surrealism... send in the clowns. Isn't it great? Isn't it grand? There ought to be clowns. They sent in the clowns. Boy did they send in the clowns. There here. They are all here... read more

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If you want to check out the new location, but aren't sure if you want to shell out the bucks? Then come here the first Thursday of every month since it's open/free to the public or if you're a Cal student just flash that ID of yours. As a fellow Cal bear and someone who passed by the old location quite often, I was really excited to check out this location. This location is great being in the Downtown area and actually has a small parking lot next to it, but I felt underwhelmed after my first visit. The place is basically broken down into 3 floors. The bottom and entrance floor are the main exhibit halls and the top floor hols the Theatre and Babette. While the exhibits such as the Clown and Buddhist ones were interesting, they weren't that memorable in my opinion. We also wanted to check out the theatre too but it was closed by the time we got there. Babette is in a small corner on the top floor too and it's awesome that it overlooks the place, but it felt cramped up there. Overall, while the entrance floor was inviting with the natural light and openness, I felt that the other floors were less inviting that what I was expecting of the new place. TBH, I'm glad I came on a free First Thursday because I don't think this place is worth the admission fee, at least with the exhibits they currently have. read more

Thank you Cal Day for allowing us to visit this chic, modern museum for free at least once a year. The exhibit, HIppie Modernism(which closed mid-May), enthralled and engaged both mama and child. I dug the protest art and historical aspects. Mini-me liked the colors but really dug the room featuring psychedelic lighting and a Jimi Hendrix soundtrack. As a Cal student, I never took advantage of my free membership to BAMPFA so I welcome the opportunity to spend some quiet time engaging with interesting pieces and the even more interesting questions my daughter asks. My suggestion would be to take BART to downtown Berkeley as this is located near several restaurants and literally across the street from campus. read more