The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is now open in Los Angeles. Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum celebrates visual storytelling through works connected to Star Wars, Norman Rockwell, Jack Kirby, Frida Kahlo, Banksy, and more.
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
The museum was more than 15 years in the making as Lucas and Hobson searched for a location. Los Angeles was selected as its home in 2017, and nine years later, the 300,000-square-foot building opened in Exposition Park. Its 35 galleries span 100,000 square feet, with approximately 1,200 works on display from a permanent collection of more than 40,000 items.
“I bought art that moved me—with little concern for other’s opinions,” Lucas said in the Piccolo edition of Taschen’s Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. “To me, art is a personal experience, unrelated to cost or celebrity.” (via Smithsonian Magazine)
The works span genres, media, and eras, but Lucas believes they share one important quality: They belong in a museum.
Lucas describes “narrative art” as the people’s art, or artwork that “creates a group of people with a common belief system.” Ryan Linkof, the museum’s senior curator and head of film programs, described the category as “the visual culture we consume every day.”
The arrangement of the galleries may initially appear unconventional. Smithsonian Magazine, for example, points to a Frida Kahlo self-portrait displayed within view of the Batman suit from The Dark Knight. According to Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates, however, the juxtaposition reflects Lucas’ vision to “break down more classic hierarchies.”
The museum aims to “surprise and delight people [all] around, so that they can find their own path, their own journey,” Bates said.
Visitors are not given a prescribed route or a guide identifying where particular works are displayed. Instead, they are encouraged to explore galleries loosely organized around themes such as community, history, children’s stories, comics, and fantasy.
The Lucas Archives features costumes, models, artwork, and other materials from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and additional Lucasfilm productions. The museum’s inaugural cinema exhibition, “Star Wars in Motion,” explores the process of bringing the franchise’s characters, vehicles, and worlds to life.
Beyond its galleries, the museum includes two state-of-the-art movie theaters, a public research library, educational and retail spaces, and a restaurant.
Architect Ma Yansong of MAD designed the museum’s flowing, futuristic building, which he said was inspired by clouds and tree canopies rather than a starship. The structure sits on a 13-acre campus featuring gardens designed by landscape architect Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA.
Admission tickets and memberships are available through the Lucas Museum website. General admission starts at $25 for adults, while guests ages 17 and younger and active-duty military personnel receive free admission.
Are you planning a visit to the Lucas Museum? Be sure to share your experience with us on social media!
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The post Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens to the Public, Featuring ‘Star Wars’, Pop Culture Props, Historic Art Pieces, and More appeared first on WDW News Today.
