On View

exhibitions
film series
event series

  • Multiple Encounters

    November 6–February 16, 2014

    Multiple Encounters puts the video work of Yang Fudong in direct dialogue with historical Chinese paintings from our collection, and suggests that some of the ambiguous qualities of Yang's work may be inherited from the Chinese classical tradition.

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  • Art for Human Rights

    November 13–November 25, 2013

    Powerful drawings and paintings from Fernando Botero's Abu Ghraib series commemorate Art for Human Rights.

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  • Paz Errázuriz / MATRIX 251

    January 17–March 30, 2014

    MATRIX 251 presents two series by Chilean photographer Paz Errázuriz, La manzana de Adán (Adam's Apple) and Boxeadores (Boxers), both of which were made during the brutal military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The photographs display Errázuriz's authentic and deeply human... View

  • Anna Maria Maiolino / MATRIX 252

    January 17–March 30, 2014

    This exhibition of work by São Paulo–based artist Anna Maria Maiolino features a group of four videos from the 1970s and early 1980s that use the body to express the experience of living under an oppressive regime.

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  • The Possible

    January 29–May 25, 2014

    Combining studio, school, library, gallery, and stage, The Possible is an open platform for exploring diverse creative techniques. This experimental exhibition transforms our galleries into workshops-a ceramics studio, dye lab, print shop, and recording studio-to foster... View

  • Kids Club

    January 29–December 21, 2014

    Explore and create in Kids Club, a special gallery dedicated to involving children in creative work. Designed in conjunction with the artists of The Possible. Admission to the BAMPFA Galleries always free for children 12 and under.

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  • Barbara Chase-Riboud: The Malcolm X Steles

    February 12–April 27, 2014

    Barbara Chase-Riboud: The Malcolm X Steles features monumental sculptures and lyrical drawings by the internationally acclaimed artist and author. The exhibition focuses on six major sculptures named in memory of the assassinated civil rights leader, which are marked by the... View

  • The Elephant's Eye: Artful Animals in South & Southeast Asia

    March 5–July 6, 2014

    Elephants take center stage in this delightful exhibition that focuses on the representation of animals in the art of India, Thailand, and Cambodia. Discover how animals evoke the power of kingdoms, embody the wisdom of saints, and inspire devotional desire.

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  • Will Rogan / MATRIX 253

    April 11–June 29, 2014

    For MATRIX 253, Will Rogan has created a new body of work that explores various time scales-past, present, and future-as evinced in a reversed order or a backward motion. Primarily taking the form of photography, collage, sculpture, or video, Rogan's work possesses a subtlety and... View

  • Envisioning Human Rights: The Next Generation

    April 23–September 21, 2014

    We have teamed up with the Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law to celebrate their twentieth anniversary with a juried exhibition of artworks by University of California students that address a broad spectrum of social justice issues.

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  • What #isamuseum?

    May 23–December 31, 2014

    Is a museum fun? Truthful? Political? Artist Sam Durant invites you share your thoughts on isamuseum.org and on Twitter using #isamuseum.

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  • Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible

    June 11–September 14, 2014

    Self-described “visionary” artist Forrest Bess (1911–1977) created a signature aesthetic, painting simple landscapes characterized by planar bands and coded symbols derived from dreams. Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible pairs Bess's paintings, dating from 1946 to 1970, with an... View

  • Color Shift

    June 18–August 24, 2014

    Inspired by Josef Albers, who taught that developing a "sensitive eye for color" was a key component of the modernist project, Color Shift explores color relationships within abstract compositions. The exhibition puts into dialogue a broad range of media and includes work by... View

  • Hofmann by Hofmann

    July 2–December 22, 2014

    In 1963 Hans Hofmann donated nearly fifty paintings in support of the burgeoning University Art Museum (now BAMPFA). As we prepare to move to our new building in downtown Berkeley, it seems fitting to revisit the enduring vitality and generosity of Hofmann's extraordinary gift... View

  • Looking Intently: The James Cahill Legacy

    July 23–December 21, 2014

    In fond memory of James Cahill (1926–2014), we present this selection from the collection in tribute to his tremendous generosity and commitment to Berkeley and to BAMPFA.

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  • Geta Brătescu / MATRIX 254

    July 25–September 28, 2014

    MATRIX 254 presents a focused selection of key works by Geta Brătescu (b. 1926), a central figure in postwar Romanian art. Brătescu's multidisciplinary practice-which includes collage, drawing, video, textiles, performance, installation, photography, graphic design, and... View

  • John Zurier / MATRIX 255

    September 12–December 21, 2014

    Berkeley-based artist John Zurier's luminous, abstract canvases capture qualities of light and the changing effects of the atmosphere. MATRIX 255 debuts a new body of paintings and watercolors that evoke the ice, fog, wind, water, and light of the Icelandic landscape, while also... View

  • American Wonder: Folk Art from the Collection

    October 1–December 22, 2014

    Discover the early years of our nation through portraits, landscapes, commemorative mourning pictures, weather vanes, and decorative sculptures that reflect the daily lives and aspirations of Americans between the years 1776 and 1865. American Wonder begins in Colonial New England... View

  • Joseph Holtzman / MATRIX 256

    October 17–December 21, 2014

    Joseph Holtzman's paintings on marble achieve remarkable chromatic and tonal effects by exploiting the transparency of oil paint and the unusual capacity of the stone surface to absorb and reflect light. The themes and motifs of these highly personal paintings are drawn from... View

  • Eric Baudelaire / MATRIX 257

    2/4/15 to 2/21/15

    MATRIX 257 features the work of French-American artist Eric Baudelaire, who explores intricate facets of representation through a keen unraveling of entangled narratives. The exhibition comprises film screenings at the PFA Theater and an installation, film screenings, and public... View

  • Eric Baudelaire / MATRIX 257

    February 4–February 21, 2015

    MATRIX 257 features the work of French-American artist Eric Baudelaire, who explores intricate facets of representation through a keen unraveling of entangled narratives. The exhibition comprises film screenings at the PFA Theater and an installation, film screenings, and public... View

  • Tarek Atoui / MATRIX 258

    March 2–November 7, 2015

    Electroacoustic musician Tarek Atoui uses custom-built electronic instruments and computers to create music as a powerful tool of expression and identity.

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  • MFA 2015

    The 45th Annual University of California, Berkeley Master of Fine...

    May 15–June 14, 2015

    We are honored to present the work of six promising artists-Leslie Dreyer, Tanja Geis, Lee Lavy, Michelle Ott, Sofie Ramos, and Matt Smith Chavez-in the forty-fifth edition of the annual MFA exhibition. This year's presentation will be held at the Berkeley Art Center, 1257 Walnut... View

  • Will Brown / MATRIX 259

    June 12–September 13, 2015

    Inspired by enigmatic stories about Dan Flavin’s 1978 site-specific installation at BAMPFA, Will Brown’s MATRIX exhibition includes installations outside BAMPFA’s Bancroft Way building, an artist book displayed in UC Berkeley’s Morrison Library, and a one-night theatrical... View

  • Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Hand holding a model for BAMPFA, 2012; digital photograph. Courtesy and © Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

    Architecture of Life

    January 31–May 29, 2016

    The inaugural exhibition BAMPFA's landmark new building, Architecture of Life explores the ways that architecture—as concept, metaphor, and practice—illuminates various aspects of life experience. 

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  • Otobong Nkanga / MATRIX 260

    May 11 & 14, 2016

    Two mixed-media performances by Otobong Nkanga that use storytelling to explore the material and natural history of Nigeria and beyond.

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  • Cecilia Edefalk / MATRIX 261

    June 29-October 16, 2016

    Stockholm-based artist Cecilia Edefalk’s engagement with nature comes to the fore in this MATRIX exhibition featuring watercolors, photographs, sculptures, and paintings.

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  • The 46th Annual University of California, Berkeley Master of Fine...

    June 29–August 7

    Discover the work of this year’s MFA graduates of the UC Berkeley Department of Art Practice.

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  • Summer Trees Casting Shade: Chinese Painting at Berkeley

    July 6–September 25, 2016

    The First Fifty Years

    Summer Trees Casting Shade celebrates the breadth and depth of BAMPFA’s acclaimed Chinese painting collection with over fifty diverse works.

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  • Fein_Crucial Eye_2011

    Berkeley Eye

    July 13–December 11, 2016

    Perspectives on the Collection

    Berkeley Eye celebrates BAMPFA’s collection with nearly 150 works organized into thematic groupings, such as Human Nature; Space, Time, Energy; Barriers & Walls; Connection & Change. 

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  • Sojourner Truth, Photography, and the Fight Against Slavery

    July 27–October 23, 2016

    Photographic carte de visite self-portraits by abolitionist, feminist, and orator Sojourner Truth.

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