James Elliott; Promoted Berkeley Museum

James Elliott, 76, who helped win recognition for the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. As director of the museum from 1976 to 1987, Elliott established its Matrix program, which reserved space for modern or experimental art, and was credited for making the venue one of the premiere contemporary art museums in the country. A native of Medford, Ore., Elliott was director of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn., and was chief curator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He presided over several major traveling exhibitions, including shows featuring the work of Juan Gris, Richard Avedon and James Lee Byars. Announced Saturday in San Francisco.