The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive occupies a striking 2016 building on Center Street, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. It combines an art museum with a repertory cinema and one of the most significant film archives in the world — the Pacific Film Archive holds around 18,000 films and videos, including the largest collection of Japanese cinema outside Japan.
The museum's permanent collection of about 25,000 artworks has strong holdings in Hans Hofmann's abstract expressionist paintings, African-American quilts, and contemporary conceptual art. Temporary exhibitions tend to be substantive — the institution's UC Berkeley affiliation means serious scholarly engagement with what it shows.
The film programme is the real draw for many visitors. The PFA presents themed series rather than just films, approaching cinema through theoretical and historical frameworks. Weeknight screenings regularly draw a crowd, and the 232-seat theatre is purpose-built for film presentation. Check the programme online before your visit — there is almost always something worth seeing.