George Lucas has unveiled the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, a project the filmmaker said almost broke my will
despite his history of tackling difficult challenges. The institution is scheduled to officially open on September 22, following eight years of construction after breaking ground in 2018 and previous attempts to establish the museum in two other cities.
The museum, which Lucas described as the people’s temple of art
, was founded alongside his wife and business partner, Mellody Hobson. Located on a former parking lot adjacent to the University of Southern California, Lucas’s alma mater, the facility features more than 9,300 square meters of exhibition space across more than 30 galleries.
Defining Narrative Art
The museum focuses on “narrative art,” which executive director Tracey Bates defines as stories that are illustrated, allowing a viewer to see a picture in a single frame that doesn’t need further explanation
. Senior curator Ryan Linkof noted that this form of visual storytelling surrounds people daily through advertisements, comic books, street art, movie posters, book covers, and newspaper photographs.
According to Hobson, narrative art depicts the myths and stories that anchor human experience. Lucas added that pictures make these myths feel real, creating a common belief system that allows people to work together.
Architecture and Design
The museum’s futuristic design has been compared to a spaceship or a flying saucer, though architect Ma Yansong stated he was inspired by clouds and tree canopies. Yansong explained that the goal was to make the architecture look futuristic to spark curiosity in visitors. The building features a green roof designed to blend into the landscape and utilizes round glass elevators to move visitors between floors.
The facility is divided into two primary sections:
- A section containing a pair of cinemas and the majority of the galleries.
- A section housing a research library and the museum’s mural collection.
Collections and Exhibits
While visitors are greeted at the entrance by the yellow Naboo N-1 starfighter from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the collections extend far beyond the film saga. The ground floor provides a historical overview of visual storytelling, starting with an immersive reproduction of cave paintings before transitioning to mosaics, sculptures, and paintings from the Bible and ancient civilizations.
The core collection focuses on the 20th and 21st centuries. Galleries are organized by genre—including adventure, fantasy, and science fiction—or by specific artists. Featured artists include:
- Illustrators and Comic Artists: N.C. Wyeth, Jessie Willcox Smith, Maxfield Parrish, Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, and Frank Frazetta.
- Fine Artists: Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Jacob Lawrence, Robert Colescott, Charles White, and Ernie Barnes.
- Other Works: Illustrations by Norman Rockwell and photography documenting a 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, as well as art by Ernesto Yerena Montejano and Shepard Fairey opposing immigration raids.
The museum also includes the Robert Flaherty theater. Bates noted that Los Angeles was the ideal location for the project because cinema is the most popular form of narrative art, making the home of storytelling the most appropriate setting.
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