George Lucas has been trying to build a museum to house his extensive collection of art related to cinema history for almost a decade. Now, his vision will be realized.
After a long deliberation, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be built in Los Angeles rather than San Francisco, Lucas' primary place of residence and the headquarters of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. The original museum proposal placed it in the Presidio, a historic San Francisco location for which Lucas was unable to negotiate real estate rights. Lucas also tried unsuccessfully to build the museum in Chicago.
Credit: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Lucas' collection, worth $1 billion, will showcase his life's work, from Star Wars concept art to props. It also includes 40,000 paintings, illustrations, and film-related items from throughout cinema history, including storyboards and costumes from The Wizard of Oz and Casablanca.
Contrary to what one might expect, LA mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed in a statement that "this is not a Star Wars museum."
"This is a collection of narrative art in a city that has the best storytellers and story-makers in the world," continued Garcetti. The museum will house more than just film memorabilia, but also Lucas' personal art collection and works that have inspired or been featured in films. In addition to what the mayor says is "the best collection of Norman Rockwell paintings on Earth," the museum will be home to art from Howard Chandler Christy, N.C. Wyeth, and Maxfield Parrish.
The futuristic, 275,000-square-foot museum was designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, and is slated to open in 2021.
