George Lucas's Next Great Epic Is an Art Museum
Inside the Star Wars creator's temple to storytelling
TL;DR
- The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles.
- It was inspired by George Lucas's study of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces."
- The museum's collection is vast and democratic, encompassing narrative art from various periods and cultures, including comics, film, and classical and contemporary paintings.
- It aims to showcase images that tell or contain stories, representing a broad spectrum of visual storytelling.
- The museum's ambitious scale and "all-gatheringness" are seen as quintessentially American, offering a sensation of art as counterprogramming and a vehicle for imagination.
- Despite some criticism labeling narrative art a "made-up category," the museum is described as a place for enjoyment and a powerful statement on the importance of imagination.