‘I’m used to doing the impossible’: George Lucas unveils new LA museum - what’s its story?

Key Points:

• The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, is set to open on 22 September in Los Angeles after nearly two decades of planning and construction, featuring 100,000 sq ft of gallery space dedicated to visual storytelling across various media.
• The museum showcases a diverse collection including works by Judy Baca, Norman Rockwell, Banksy, and iconic pop culture artifacts like the Wizard of Oz’s Cowardly Lion costume, emphasizing the power of narrative art in human culture.
• Designed with a futuristic, spaceship-like architecture inspired by natural elements, the museum is divided into galleries organized by medium, theme, artist, and genre, including sections on comics, children’s stories, civic life, and science fiction.
• The museum aims to provide an unmediated visitor experience, encouraging personal interpretation of the artworks with minimal explanatory text, though additional information is accessible via smartphone scanning.
• By elevating visual storytelling forms often overlooked by traditional art institutions, such as comic art and illustration, the museum seeks to recognize these works as vital cultural narratives akin to classical masterpieces.