George Lucas Is Opening A Museum Of Narrative Art In Los Angeles

George Lucas is best known for blockbuster film franchises like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’, but now he’s setting his sights on something a little different: a billion dollar Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles.

The news was first announced early in 2017, and has now been confirmed and fully approved by the city council. The museum will take at least three years to build, and is expected to open some time in 2021. Construction, in Exposition Park, began in early 2018.

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The museum will showcase the entire Lucas collection, including artefacts and rare memorabilia from his incredibly rich, culturally-defining career. Among the collection there are some 10,000 paintings and illustrations, and memorabilia such as Luke Skywalker’s first lightsaber, Darth Vader’s original helmet, and mementos from classic films like The Wizard of Oz, The Ten Commandments and Casablanca.

Speaking at a Los Angeles council meeting, Lucas detailed his “vision” for the project, which will showcase the history and importance of filmmaking, visual arts and culture. Popular art “appeals to people emotionally,” he said, “but [it] also tells you something about who you are.

“It is the thing that tells us, ‘this is what we as a society believe in.’

“The goal of the museum is to inspire people to think outside the box, to imagine whatever you want to imagine, to help build on the myths that help bind our city and our people together, and that is what I am hoping to do here.”

Lucas revealed that he had previously looked at other locations including San Francisco and Chicago, before landing on Los Angeles. The museum is considered a “gift” to the city. Indeed, the lead-up to the actual museum is already reaping benefits for LA, with over a thousand construction positions, and at least 350 permanent jobs at the museum once it opens.

The museum will be situated in the same area as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Natural History Museum among other cultural institutions. At five storeys high and spanning 300,000 square feet, it will not only include the museum itself, but a restaurant, library, theatre, lecture and classroom spaces and additional room for temporary exhibitions.

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(All images: Lucas Museum)