Construction on George Lucas' extraterrestrial Los Angeles museum nears completion; catch a glimpse before its unveiling.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: A Narrative Art Experience Set to Open in Los Angeles
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a cultural institution dedicated to celebrating narrative art, is nearing its grand opening in Los Angeles' Exposition Park in 2026. Co-founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson, the museum will house an extensive collection of over 40,000 pieces, including comic book art, film-related artworks, and paintings by artists like Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish.
The museum's design and evolution have been shaped by several key factors. Originally envisioned for a site in San Francisco's Presidio in 2010, the proposal was rejected. The project then faced opposition in Chicago's lakefront, and it was ultimately shelved. In 2016, Los Angeles was selected as the host city. The museum is a five-story building designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, with construction beginning in 2018. The project is personally funded by George Lucas, with costs exceeding $1 billion to build and operate.
Ma Yansong's architectural design for the museum is inspired by natural topographies, creating a spatial experience that feels both grounded and otherworldly. The building's exterior features 1,500 uniquely shaped white fibreglass-reinforced polymer (FRP) panels that blend into the park's topography. The museum's roof, designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, will be a nearly 1.5-acre landscaped area, featuring undulating landforms, 200 trees, hundreds of native and drought-tolerant plantings, a hanging garden, an amphitheatre, a meadow, and a waterfall.
The museum's design also focuses on sustainability, materials, and public space. The sustainability strategies include a geothermal system, rainwater harvesting, 24,000 sq ft of rooftop photovoltaics, a super-insulated envelope, and seismic isolation engineered to withstand 42 inches of ground movement in any direction. The soaring north and south lobbies will offer 100,000 sq ft of exhibition and public space.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is poised to offer an immersive narrative art experience, with galleries, theatres, classrooms, dining, and retail spaces. Ma Yansong, the architect of the museum, hopes his architecture will evoke a range of emotions, including openness, imagination, and peace. Visitors will soon be able to experience this unique cultural institution firsthand, marking the end of the museum's long journey that included rejections in San Francisco's Presidio and Chicago's lakefront, and delays due to the pandemic.
[1] Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. (2021). Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Retrieved from https://lucasmuseum.org/
[2] Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. (2021). Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas_Museum_of_Narrative_Art
[3] Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. (2021). Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Retrieved from https://www.curbed.com/2018/10/30/17995512/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-groundbreaking-exposition-park-ma-yansong-studio-mla
After the long journey of rejections and delays, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will offer visitors a unique home-and-garden experience, with a landscaped rooftop featuring undulating landforms, trees, native plants, a hanging garden, an amphitheater, a meadow, and a waterfall (Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, 2021). Beyond its architectural and natural beauty, the museum will house a significant collection of narrative art, providing a lifestyle immersion into the worlds of comic books, film-related artworks, and renowned painters like Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish (Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, 2021).
