From all appearances, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive has been methodically going through its storerooms to reassess the collection. Beyond its obvious strengths in film and video, modern and contemporary art, and certain aspects of Asian art, it’s a bit of a hodgepodge. There are highlights, however, that would be the envy of any university museum.
“Old Masters in a New Light: Rediscovering the European Collection” takes a new look at five centuries of European painting in the museum’s collection, comprising 50 works by significant, if generally lesser-known, artists. The highlight of the exhibition is sure to be a picture only recently upgraded by Yale art historian Christopher Platts, who plucked the work from unattributed obscurity to assign authorship to the 14th century master Paolo Veneziano. Only slightly larger than an LP album cover, Veneziano’s “The Capture of Christ” (1345) has been restored and will be on view through Dec. 16.
“Old Masters in a New Light: Rediscovering the European Collection”: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Through Dec. 16. $11-$13; age 18 and under, free. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St., Berkeley. 510-642-0808. https://bampfa.org