It’s not a “Star Wars” museum. But there’s plenty that fans of George Lucas’ pop-culture defining work will appreciate at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Along the way, visitors at the massive space will get transported to the Sistine Chapel, see work from the renowned painter Norman Rockwell and incredible sights of Los Angeles.
The museum, which once set its sights on Chicago and San Francisco, is more than a decade in the making. Situated in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, visitors here can also spend time nearby at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Science Center — assuming they have any time left in their day.
The museum, which to some will be likened to a spacecraft, will open on Sept. 22.
“When I’m
asked, I tell people the Lucas Museum is a museum by the people for the people,” said Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of an asset management firm and Lucas’ wife. She founded the museum alongside the filmmaker.
“When George is asked, he tells people the Lucas Museum is dedicated to the people’s art,” she said.
Here are three things you’ll need to see at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art if you’ve only got an afternoon.
What is narrative art? A brief explainer
People illustrate stories already written, Lucas told guests during the museum’s preview for media on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Most of those stories are already myths, he said, but those illustrations make them real.
For centuries, the only way someone could tell a story was with pictures, the filmmaker said. A picture is powerful and a story is powerful, Lucas said.
“You combine them together, and those two elements create a society,” Lucas said.
It’s why he wanted to build the museum.
“Narrative art creates a group of people with a common belief system,” he said. “And that common belief system allows them to work together, not kill each other and do things that one person can’t do.”
There are over 40,000 works of art in the Lucas Museum’s collection. On display include works by “Garfield” cartoonist Jim Davis, cave paintings and a print of Pikachu wearing a gray hat.
Ryan Linkof, senior curator and head of film programs, described it as the “art and the visual culture that we consume every day,” such as comics books and posters.
“We are interested in the work of illustrators who have brought stories to life, those who have excelled at translating words into vivid images,” Linkof said.
‘Star Wars’ on display at Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
R2-D2 and C-3PO await visitors over in one section of the fourth-floor gallery space (which is where people can find work by Norman Rockwell, Robert Colescott and Andyy Warhol) as part of a wider “Star Wars” exhibit. On display is production art for “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace” and characters coming to life behind display cases, including Princess Leia and her costume from “The Empire Strikes Back” and Darth Vader’s “Revenge of the Sith” costume.
Banksy takes over the fifth floor at Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
The museum recently teased on Facebook that it has built an “unparalleled collection of Banksy artworks.” Sure enough, on the fifth-floor gallery space is work from Banksy, the famed anonymous street artist. That includes their work “After George Floyd,” which depicts what appears to be the flame of a candle lit for a memorial that is beginning to burn the corner of an American flag.
Just beyond the fifth floor’s mural area is an exit where impressive views of Los Angeles await. Along the upper floor’s exterior walkways include plenty of greenery, making it feel more like a garden terrace.
A walk-through history on the first floor
Enter the gallery space on the first floor, and among what you’ll find is a reproduction of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s “Joan of Arc” and a reproduction of a sun stone from the Aztecs. Then take a trip to the Sistine Chapel and see Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam,” and be transported to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Turkey. It’s a space that feels fluid in part thanks to its architecture and design.
Where is the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? How to visit for free
The 300,000-square-foot, multi-story museum includes theaters, a free research library open to all, a cafe area and more. It’s located at One Lucas Plaza, Los Angeles. Tickets for adults cost $25, according to the museum's website.
Take the cylindrical glass elevators to the fourth-floor gallery space, or to the fifth floor that boasts incredible views of Los Angeles in addition to its gallery and event space. Also on the fifth floor is the Skywalker Grill, open both to museum visitors and the public for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, the museum previously announced.
People who live in the museum’s 90037 ZIP code can experience the museum for free with the new LM37 pass, according to the museum.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Lucas' new LA museum shows 'Star Wars' art. What else to see
