06/30/04

Merging art and education, BAM is one of the East Bay's most highly regarded institutions.

by Contributor

The Scene
Giddily egalitarian, the scope of BAM's exhibitions is mind-boggling: old master prints, surrealist blockbusters, Buddhist mandalas, pop-art icons, contemporary African works and more. Located directly across from the U.C. campus, the sleek modernist structure of poured concrete opened in 1970. Five floors of ramped galleries with terrace-like overhangs make the museum space viewer- and wheelchair-friendly.

The Collection
The admirable Matrix Gallery mounts cutting-edge exhibitions by young contemporary artists; these compelling exhibits frequently focus on photography and video installations. BAM is housed with the Pacific Film Archive, an unmatched local and national resource for film lovers.

• Pros: Great Collection

11/13/02

disappointing

by artlover

Very disappointing and poor permanent collection. Too much space and little art, not to mention good art. UC Berkeley should be ashamed.

09/24/02

Fantastic

by MarkeBieschke_Citysearch

A beautiful imposing structure that houses some of the better exhibitions in the Bay Area. Especially magnificent is their Eastern Art collection -- very in keeping with that whole West Coast Buddhist thing.