We had a fun time on Labor Day at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, what George Lucas calls “the people’s art,” collapsing the distance between high and low brow. There are some reproductions of masterpieces, but much is pop culture ephemera. Lucas is an unabashed comic fan, shown in the large comics and graphic stories galleries. Since I, too, am a lifelong fan of comic books, cartoons, animation and the like, I loved this collection.
The building was designed by MAD Architects, and photos of several of their other projects are on display. (See the photos.)
Of course there is a 'Star Wars' gallery, but there are more than thirty additional galleries, some devoted to specific artists, most set to themes such as Community, Motherhood, Manga, Sports, Science Fiction, Murals, etc. Plus two movie theaters.
The first floor’s “History of Narrative Art” is about storytelling through the ages, mostly projections and very high resolution reproductions from ancient sculptures to Renaissance paintings. It starts with photos of prehistoric paintings from Altamira cave in Spain, and proceeds through interiors, paintings, statuary and other works from the Louvre, the Vatican, Versailles, Hagia Sophia, and more. The Vatican granted Lucas’s team special permission to photograph the Sistine Chapel ceiling with ultra-high-res cameras.
The 'Star Wars' gallery includes intricate models and seven full-size screen-used vehicles alongside wax figures in original costumes. Also, General Grievous’ Wheel Bike, an invention previously only realized in CGI but built specifically for the museum at Lucas’ request.
In one of the movie theaters, we watched several episodes of the unreleased animated comedy series “Star Wars Detours,” which was created by Lucas as a parody of the franchise in the early 2000s, but never aired. (Alas, no photos permitted in the theaters.)
Individual artist galleries include Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Frank Frazetta and Maxfield Parrish.
The Norman Rockwell gallery includes many famous pieces, some on loan from the Norman Rockwell Museum (which we visited in 2024). There's a study version of his “Triple Self-Portrait,” in which the artist drew himself painting his portrait while looking at a mirror. Next to it are several takeoffs: a bronze sculpture built at Lucas’ request, and versions featuring a robot and Mad magazine's Alfred E. Neuman. (See the photos.)
At Lucas' invitation, Banksy traveled to the museum to remake some of his best-known works. (See the photos.)
There was only one aggravating part of the visit: They stole my pen. The Visitor Guidelines say that pens may not be used for sketching, but I do no sketching. Anyone could use a fingernail or a coin or a key to scratch an artwork. Anyone could spit on an artwork or damage an artwork by striking it, or damage a sculpture by kicking it. They don't make people wear mittens so they can't scratch the art, but somehow, they consider a pen more dangerous than fingernails, coins, keys, saliva, hands, shoes, etc. GRRR!!
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