Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive facts for kids
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| Established | 1963 |
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| Location | 2155 Center Street Berkeley, CA 94720 |
| Type | art museum, film archive |
| Key holdings | Hans Hofmann; Eli Leon Collection of African-American quilts; Steven Leiber Collection of Conceptual art; Abu Ghraib Series by Fernando Botero; Japanese films |
| Collection size | 22,000 |
| Architect | Mario Ciampi (1970); Diller Scofidio + Renfro (2016) |
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is a special place. It's an art museum, a movie theater, and a film library all in one! It's connected to the University of California, Berkeley. BAMPFA is a great spot to explore art and movies.
Contents
Art Collection
How the Art Museum Started
The University of California started its art collection a long time ago. In 1870, a banker named François Louis Alfred Pioche gave them a painting. It was called Flight into Egypt and was made in the 1500s.
The museum officially began in 1963. This happened after an artist and teacher named Hans Hofmann donated 45 of his paintings. He also gave $250,000 to the university. A building for the museum was designed by Mario Ciampi and opened in 1970.
What You Can See
The museum has over 22,000 pieces of art! This includes old Chinese paintings and tiny Indian paintings. You can also see Baroque paintings, old drawings, and early American art. There are many African-American quilts and photos from the 1800s and 1900s. The museum also has modern art from around the world.
BAMPFA has shown amazing art by many famous artists. Some of these include Joan Brown, Jay DeFeo, and Bruce Nauman. They also have a special program called MATRIX. It shows new and exciting art from artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.
Special Art Gifts
In 2009, the museum received 56 paintings and drawings from Fernando Botero. These works are often shown in the museum's "Art for Human Rights" exhibits.
In 2014, the museum got a huge collection of Conceptual art from Steven Leiber. This made BAMPFA a very important place to study this type of art.
In 2019, the museum received nearly 3,000 quilts from the Eli Leon Collection. These quilts were made by African-American artists, including over 500 by Rosie Lee Tompkins. This collection makes up about 15% of the museum's art. A big show of Rosie Lee Tompkins's quilts was held in 2020. Another exhibit about African American quilts in California was planned for 2025. However, some funding for preserving these quilts was removed.
In 2021, the museum received 15 important drawings and prints. These included works by artists like Juan Gris, Paul Klee, and Miró.
Film Archive
The Pacific Film Archive (PFA) started showing movies on the UC campus in 1966. The PFA shows films in a special way. They often explore how movies connect to history or ideas. Film experts and filmmakers also visit to talk about the movies.
The archive has 16,000 films and videos. It has the largest collection of Japanese films outside of Japan! The PFA also has a library and study center. You can find online lists of their films and books.
Museum Buildings
The first Berkeley Art Museum building opened in 1970. It was designed by Mario Ciampi. This building was made of concrete and had a unique fan shape. However, it was found to be unsafe in an earthquake in 1997. Iron supports were added in 2001 to make it safer. The Pacific Film Archive moved to a temporary building in 1999.
In 2008, there were plans for a new museum building. It was going to be designed by a Japanese architect named Toyo Ito. But in 2009, these plans were canceled. The museum decided to rebuild and make bigger an old printing plant instead. This old building was from 1939 and had a cool Art Deco style. It was also important because the United Nations Charter was published there.
In 2011, new plans for the building were shown. The New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed it. The new building kept parts of the old Art Deco structure. It also added new sections with metal and skylights. These new parts include more galleries, a movie theater, a store, and a learning center.
Construction started in 2013. The museum reopened to the public on January 31, 2016. The new building is very large, with 25,000 square feet just for art galleries.
The old Mario Ciampi building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. After being made safe, it reopened in late 2021. It is now a place for new biotechnology companies.
See also
In Spanish: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive para niños
- List of film archives
