The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - Los Angeles (2025)

Qui de Chicago, San Francisco ou Oakland accueillera le futur Lucas Cultural Arts Museum ?


The billionaire filmmaker is offering to pour his own fortune into a Lucas Cultural Arts Museum to house his personal collection. While San Francisco is courting the California native with prime waterfront real estate, so is Chicago.

“It’s a healthy competition,” Tony Winnicker, senior adviser to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, said by telephone. “It’s hundreds of millions of dollars of private investment to build a public museum, cultural center and education center. Those don’t come along very often, and when they do, you’ve got to put up every effort to keep it in your city.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, the hometown of Lucas’s wife, Mellody Hobson, formed a task force last month to offer a potential location after federal officials rejected Lucas’s proposal to put the museum in a national park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. In response, Lee has told his staff to prepare a proposal for Lucas by the end of the month.

The Chicago panel this week recommended 17 acres along the Lake Michigan shoreline, more than 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) from San Francisco Bay. The Windy City site is currently a parking lot between Soldier Field, home of the National Football League’s Chicago Bears, and McCormick Place, the nation’s largest convention center.

“It’s a win-win for the City of Chicago, for our neighborhoods and for George and Mellody Lucas to see Chicago as their home for this great museum,” Emanuel said May 20 at a news conference. “And it will help us drive the type of tourism and convention industry that we want to see.”

The land is owned by the Chicago Park District and is near three major tourist attractions -- the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.

San Francisco last week took Lucas’s team to prospective sites in the Mid-Market district, home to Twitter Inc. (TWTR), and at the foot of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge near the Ferry Building. The second site, owned by the Port of San Francisco, is near AT&T Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.

“Any big city that has a chance to have a museum of that caliber would want to have it,” said Ford Bell, president of the Washington-based American Alliance of Museums.

The Lucas museum was one of three finalists for a site in the Presidio known as Crissy Field, an open area popular with joggers and families facing the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay. All three proposals were rejected in February.

Lucas has been offered an alternative spot near Lucasfilm’s offices and hasn’t yet responded, said Dana Polk, a spokeswoman for the Presidio Trust.

A third contender for the museum is Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco. Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan wrote to Lucas on March 5 inviting him to consider a site now occupied by the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

“I am excited to inform you that your dream could be a reality in Oakland,” Kaplan said in the letter.

San Francisco will make a formal proposal based on discussions with Lucas’s team by the end of the month, Winnicker said.

Chicago’s push for the museum is “to be expected,” Winnicker said. “Any city and any mayor are going to covet this level of private investment by one of the world’s best-known filmmakers.”

Bloomberg 21 mai 2014

Les jeux sont faits : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) verra le jour à Chicago en 2018 !



A new museum for Chicago

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) is honored to be partnering with the city of Chicago and the many cultural, civic and community groups that will work with the Museum. Public outreach and educational programming are central to the mission and public service goals of the Museum. The LMNA will support the stunning innovations of the digital age while emphasizing the same values that distinguish Chicago from other great cities: community involvement, diversity, and a commitment to excellence in art, architecture, and creativity.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to Call Chicago Home

CHICAGO (June 24) – The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) announced today that it intends to join Chicago’s vibrant cultural arts scene by locating on the city’s Museum Campus. LMNA will be a gathering place to experience narrative art and the evolution of the visual image – from illustration to cinema to digital arts.

“We are honored to be partnering with the city of Chicago and the many cultural, educational and community groups that have come forward with ideas about how the LMNA will add to their work,” said George Lucas, the Museum’s founder. “I am humbled to be joining such an extraordinary museum community and to be creating the Museum in a city that has a long tradition of embracing the arts and architecture.”

“George Lucas has revolutionized the art of storytelling over the last four decades and we are honored to be the recipient of this incredible legacy investment that will allow everyone to learn about and experience narrative arts,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Like Marshall Field, John G. Shedd and Max Adler before him, George’s philanthropy will inspire and educate for generations. No other museum like this exists in the world, making it a tremendous educational, cultural and job creation asset for all Chicagoans, as well as an unparalleled draw for international tourists.”

The LMNA, previously known as the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, chose Chicago because of the quality of the site proposed by the city’s task force. The 17-acre site offers unparalleled visitor access. “Choosing Chicago is the right decision for the Museum, but a difficult decision for me personally because of my strong personal and professional roots in the Bay Area,” said Mr. Lucas, a native of Modesto, Ca. “I thank all Californians who reached out to me in support of the Museum.

The Museum’s location, proposed by a task force appointed by Mayor Emanuel, was selected based on its accessibility to public transportation, ease of access from all parts of the city, potential to create significant new green space, and its ability to accommodate an iconic structure. The LMNA will transform the site by moving the existing parking spaces underground and replacing acres of asphalt with more parkland along the harbor. Architectural renderings for the proposed site will be presented to the City of Chicago in early fall.

“It is a great privilege for the Museum to be a custodian of this cherished land,” said Mr. Lucas, who hopes to open the LMNA in 2018.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - 24 juin 2014

Le maire de Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, a fait une courte déclaration pour confirmer la décision de George Lucas et le remercier, lui et son épouse, pour leur choix. Vidéo disponible sur NBC Channel 5 : http://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/as-seen-on/264489791.html


Le projet doit maintenant recevoir l'approbation de la Chicago Plan Commission. Le terrain, actuellement deux aires de parking situés près du stade de Soldier Field, sera loué au LMNA pour un dollar symbolique par an (un accord similaire à ceux accordés aux autres institutions intégrant le Museum Campus de Chicago : The Field Museum of Natural History, The Shedd Aquarium, The Adler Planetarium).

Trois studios d'architecture ont étés désignés par George Lucas pour développer le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art et son environnement direct : MAD Architects de Pékin, Studio Gang et VOA Associates, tous deux de Chicago. Les premiers rendus seront présentés en fin d'année.

Architectural Team Selected to Design the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Following a global search, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) announced today that Beijing-based MAD Architects has been selected as the principal designer for the LMNA site while Chicago-based Studio Gang will design the landscape and create a bridge to connect the LMNA to Northerly Island. VOA Associates, based in Chicago, will serve as the executive architect and lead the implementation of MAD’s design.

“We are bringing together some of the top architects in the world to ensure that our museum experience begins long before a visitor ever enters the building,” said George Lucas, founder of the LMNA. “I am thrilled with the architectural team’s vision for the building and the surrounding green space. I look forward to presenting our design to the Chicago community.”

The LMNA considered several different architects from around the globe. MAD Architects was chosen because of its innovative approach to design and the firm’s philosophy of connecting urban spaces to natural landscapes. Amsterdam-based UNStudio was the runner-up for the principal design role.

Ma Yansong, the founder of MAD Architects, will be responsible for the design and overall concept of the LMNA building. In seeking to connect the interior and exterior worlds, Mr. Ma has designed some of the most innovative buildings in the world including Absolute Towers in Ontario, Canada, the Ordos Museum in Ordos, China and Chaoyang Park Plaza in Beijing, China.

“It is a gift to be able to design the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in a city so rich with architectural history,” said Mr. Ma, a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture. “I am humbled and honored to be given this opportunity to create a timeless design that moves and inspires people just like Mr. Lucas’ collection.”

To connect the LMNA to neighboring Northerly Island, a bridge will be built by the LMNA, at no cost to the City of Chicago. Jeanne Gang, who has spent the past four years transforming Northerly Island from an airport runway to an oasis of greenery, will design the bridge and lead the landscape design for the LMNA.

“We are excited to build upon our current work and collaborate to create a seamless transition between the Museum Campus and Northerly Island,” said Ms. Gang, a MacArthur Fellow. “In keeping with the Northerly Island ethos, our design goal will be to create a combined ecological and urban habitat.”

VOA Associates, whose designs include Roosevelt University’s 32-story vertical campus in downtown Chicago and the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., will implement Mr. Ma’s design. “We will take the concept design and create a digital sculpture that will serve as the blueprint for construction,” said Michael Toolis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, VOA Associates. “Each aspect of the museum will be digitally created using technology that enables us to test daylight, create interactive models and examine how the design performs in different environments.”

The design for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be introduced in late 2014.

28 juillet 2014

The Chicago Museum Campus

1 - Field Museum

2 - Shedd Aquarium

3 - Alder Planetarium

4 - Northerly Island

5 - Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Très différent de l'édifice plutôt classique pressenti à San Francisco dans le cadre du projet du Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, l'architecture du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art qui sera construit à Chicago est quant à elle résolument futuriste :

Ouaw ! C'est superbe !

Le conseil d'administration du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art a nommé hier son directeur fondateur, il s'agit de Don Bacigalupi qui prendra ses fonctions le 15 janvier prochain :

Lucas Museum Names Founding President

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced today that its Board of Directors has named Don Bacigalupi as the Museum’s Founding President, effective Jan. 15. Bacigalupi joins the Lucas Museum with more than 20 years of experience in collection and exhibition development, museum management, and educational programming. Initially, Bacigalupi will focus on the planning, organization and construction of the Museum.

“Don shares my vision for building an education-focused, world-class museum that expands public understanding and appreciation of narrative art,” said George Lucas, Founder and Chairman of the Lucas Museum. “Don’s decades of experience include a proven track record for building a museum from inception, and he recognizes that community partnerships and multidimensional programming are critical to ensuring a museum’s long-term impact.”

Most recently, Bacigalupi served as the President of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. He joined the museum as Executive Director in 2009 and was instrumental in developing all aspects of the museum prior to its opening in 2011— from building its staff and collection to facilities and programming. Bacigalupi will remain a member on the Crystal Bridges Board of Directors.

“I am honored and excited to be joining the Lucas Museum as its Founding President, and I look forward to working with George and the Board to bring to life an inspiring museum that will expand our awareness and appreciation of the central role of narrative art in our culture,” said Bacigalupi. “My hope is that the Lucas Museum will educate and engage millions of visitors of all ages and backgrounds to explore new creative frontiers. I'm eager to collaborate with Chicago's many outstanding cultural institutions as we work to create an unprecedented experience for residents and visitors alike.”

Prior to joining Crystal Bridges, Bacigalupi served as President, Director and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art, where he oversaw the construction and development of its world-renowned Glass Pavilion. He previously served as the Executive Director of the San Diego Museum of Art.

Bacigalupi earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in art history from the University of Texas at Austin, and he received a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Houston, where he was valedictorian of his class. Bacigalupi has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Association of Art Museum Directors and the National Committee of the International Council of Museums. A seasoned lecturer both domestically and abroad, he has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards and was a 1996 fellow at the Getty Trust.

LMNA - 17 novembre 2014.

Des groupes environnementaux locaux s'opposent à l'arrivée du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sur le site du Chicago Museum Campus.

Plusieurs actions en justice sont en cours dans les tribunaux. George Lucas est confiant mais n'exclu pas d'installer son musée dans une autre ville en cas de décisions négatives rendues par la Cour fédérale.

L'histoire se répète et le réalisateur semble malgré tout en avoir assez après l'opposition qu'il a déjà rencontré à San Francisco.

George Lucas pourrait tout simplement décider d'installer son musée à... Los Angeles !


Last summer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made a vigorous push to get George Lucas to choose L.A., but the city lost out to Chicago.

"We still have to get through some lawsuits and things in Chicago," Lucas said.

"Once we make it through, we'll be on our way. But it's still a possibility that Chicago will be unable to do it," Lucas said.

"I have faith in Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is dedicated to making it happen," Lucas said. "But he's also coming up for election next month."

"The advantage Los Angeles has is that it's on the USC campus and I don't have to go through all the rigmarole of years and years of trying to get past everything," Lucas said. "That's an advantage because I do want to get it done in my lifetime."

Channel 5 (NBC Chicago) annonce que le projet de loi concernant la Bibliothèque présidentielle Obama et The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art est passé jeudi dernier.

Cette nouvelle loi signée dès vendredi par le Gouverneur de l'Illinois permet à la Ville de Chicago d'utiliser les terrains situés au bord du lac Michigan pour y bâtir le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art de George Lucas.


Lawmakers Approve Bill on Obama Library, Lucas Museum

The Illinois Legislature approved a bill Thursday to ensure that Chicago has legal authority to use public park land as potential sites for Barack Obama's presidential library and film producer George Lucas' proposed museum.

The legislation clarifies state law to expressly allow Chicago to construct museums on public park land or "formerly submerged lands."

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Friday to strengthen the city’s legal ability to build the project on public park land.

Despite a galaxy of concerns surrounding the building of “Star Wars” creator George Lucas’ museum, Gov. Rauner’s legislative move changes Illinois law to let Chicago build museums on park or “formerly submerged” land. The Lake Michigan-adjacent property where Lucas wants to build – which currently acts as a parking lot south of Soldier Field – is part of land belonging to Chicago’s Museum Campus community. The Lucas Museum site is in close proximity to the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Northerly Island.

George Lucas a présenté au Conseil Municipal de la Ville de Chicago les nouveaux plans de conception du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art après les modifications apportées par Jeanne Gang et Kate Orff du studio d'architecture VOA Associates de Chicago. La taille du bâtiment a été réduite de 400.000 ft² à 300.000 ft² afin de proposer plus d'espaces verts extérieurs (paysages redessinés par Scape et Studio Gang Architects de Chicago). Les plans présentés pourraient encore subir de petites modifications mais dans son ensemble voilà à quoi le musée ressemblera finalement, les travaux devant débuter en mars 2016 pour s'achever au plus tôt en 2018 (et au plus tard en 2020) :


Image : Lucas Museum of Narrative Art / MAD Architects.


Image : Lucas Museum of Narrative Art / MAD Architects.


Image : Lucas Museum of Narrative Art / MAD Architects.


Image : Lucas Museum of Narrative Art / MAD Architects.


Image : Lucas Museum of Narrative Art / MAD Architects.

Le conseil municipal de Chicago a approuvé mercredi la construction du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sur le site du Chicago Museum Campus sur les rives du Lac Michigan :

Des groupes environnementaux locaux continuent de s'opposer à l'arrivée du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sur les rives du lac Michigan et utilisent tous les moyens légaux pour bloquer le projet de George Lucas. La Cour fédérale rendra son avis la semaine prochaine au sujet de la dernière plainte en date introduite.

En attendant le réalisateur, qui prend en charge tous les coûts de construction du musée et d'aménagement du site, s'est vu proposer une location du terrain municipal pour une durée de 99 ans renouvelable deux fois (soit un total garanti de 297 années).

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art a recruté son directeur adjoint : Judy Kim.

Judy Kim rejoint le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art avec plus de 20 années d'expérience dans la gestion de collections, d'expositions et de musées (Guggenheim à New York, Brooklyn Museum à New York, American Federation of Arts à New York, The Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art à Hartford, Philadelphia Museum of Art à Philadelphie et American Association of Museums à Washington).

Le Juge fédéral laisse poursuivre l'action en justice visant à empêcher George Lucas de construire son musée sur les rives du lac Michigan, ce qui a pour conséquence de retarder le début de la construction de ce dernier.

Et en cas de succès de ce groupe environnemental, l'organisation à but non lucratif "Friends of the Parks", cela pourrait purement et simplement mettre fin au projet du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art à Chicago.

Le maire de Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, ne cache pas sa crainte de voir la ville perdre ce musée qui tient tant à cœur au célèbre réalisateur.

Des sites alternatifs seraient à l'étude au sein des services de la ville mais le maire s'est refusé à communiquer la moindre information à ce sujet.

Une nouvelle audience est prévue pour la mi-mars mais aucune décision de justice ne serait prise avant l'automne prochain.

Ce qui évidemment ne plait pas à George Lucas qui souhaitait débuter la construction au printemps prochain.  

L'histoire semble décidément se répéter, d'autres villes pourraient en effet profiter de la situation pour proposer leur candidature pour accueillir le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

La ville de Los Angeles se serait déjà manifestée auprès du réalisateur...

Les deux parties opposées devraient à nouveau se retrouver au tribunal en ce mois d'avril.

Le Maire de Chicago ne désespère pas voir la situation se débloquer avec une issue positive avant que le célèbre réalisateur ne perde à nouveau patience et ne quitte Chicago emportant son projet de musée avec lui !


“The Lucas Museum will offer incredible educational, cultural and economic opportunities in addition to adding more green space to the city,”

“Mayor Emanuel will continue to fight to ensure the museum and those benefits stay here in Chicago.”  

He described the museum’s chances of being built in Chicago as “seriously” endangered by the lawsuit.

“I would like the lawsuit to go away so we can turn a parking lot into a museum. It’s not that great a parking lot, trust me.” Mr. Emanuel said.

George Lucas a perdu patience et abandonne l'idée d'installer le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sur les rives du lac Michigan !

Le réalisateur envisage maintenant de rapatrier son projet en Californie, soit à San Francisco comme initialement prévu, soit à Los Angeles.

Citation :

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Withdraws from Chicago

Museum will be built in California

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced today that in light of extensive delays caused by Friends of the Parks, Chicago will no longer be considered a potential site for the museum. The board of directors and executive leadership of the museum confirmed that California will be its future home.

“No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot,” said George W. Lucas, founder and chairman of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. “The actions initiated by Friends of the Parks and their recent attempts to extract concessions from the city have effectively overridden approvals received from numerous democratically elected bodies of government.”

The location — a parking lot near Soldier Field — was originally selected by Chicago’s Site Selection Task Force in May 2014 and subsequently approved by the City Council, Park District, Plan Commission, Department of Zoning, Illinois General Assembly and the governor. When the city offered McCormick Place East as an alternative to the parking lot, Friends of the Parks announced plans to block consideration of that location as well as any lakefront site or park in Chicago.  

On behalf of his wife, Mellody Hobson, and other members of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Board of Directors, Mr. Lucas expressed gratitude to the many people throughout the community who worked tirelessly to bring the institution to life on Chicago’s Museum Campus. "We are deeply appreciative to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Bruce Rauner and countless others for all the time and effort they invested in trying to secure the museum for Chicago," said Mr. Lucas.

The education-focused public institution remains dedicated to expanding public understanding and appreciation of narrative art in all its forms, providing inspiration and learning, especially for young people.

Mr. Lucas stated, “While Chicago will not be home to the museum, my wife and I will continue to enthusiastically support a wide variety of educational and cultural activities throughout the city.”

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - 24 juin 2006.

D'autre part, l'ancien secrétaire à l'Éducation Arne Duncan a rejoint le premier juin dernier le Conseil d'administration du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art dont fait également partie John Lasseter.

Citation :

Lucas Museum Names Arne Duncan to Board of Directors

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced today that it has named former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to its board of directors, effective June 1.

“We are honored that Secretary Duncan will lend his many talents, deep experience and remarkable insights to the museum. His passion for innovative solutions and commitment to equity make him particularly well-suited for the museum's educational and cultural mission,” said George Lucas, founder and chairman of the Lucas Museum.

Duncan joins the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s board just months after stepping down as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama. Prior to his confirmation as secretary of education, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and from 1992 to 1998, he led the Ariel Education Initiative. Duncan was raised in Hyde Park and from an early age has been active in promoting educational opportunities for children on the South Side of Chicago.

“I cannot think of anyone more authentic, more committed and devoted to young people than Arne Duncan,” said Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments and member of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s board. “Arne shares our vision for creating a world-class institution that connects, inspires and educates diverse communities. We are very fortunate to have him join the board.”

Mr. Duncan said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the board of this truly exceptional nonprofit museum and to have the opportunity to work with pioneers like George and Mellody. This museum will inspire the next generation of artists and storytellers.”

Arne Duncan joins the museum's other board members: Don Bacigalupi, Henry Bienen, Robert Bradley, Tully Friedman, Mellody Hobson, John Lasseter, George Lucas, John McCarter Jr., John Osterweis and Andrea Wishom.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - 16 juin 2016.

Si la ville de Chicago n'a peut-être pas dit son dernier mot et que celle de Los Angeles a également affirmé être intéressée à accueillir le futur musée de George Lucas, des échanges préliminaires ont eu lieu entre le réalisateur et Ed Lee, le maire de San Francisco, au sujet d'un site situé sur Treasure Island, une île artificielle de la Baie de San Francisco qui devrait connaître un réaménagement dans les années à venir et pourrait être relié en 2021 par un service de ferry au Ferry Building dans le quartier d'Embarcadero à San Francisco et à Jack London Square à Oakland.

Citation :

Lucas Museum on Treasure Island? It just might work

The saga of George Lucas’ search for a site to build his museum already has had more plot twists than a summer blockbuster.

Now comes the strangest twist of all: If the billionaire filmmaker does turn his attention back to the Bay Area, as The Chronicle reported Sunday, and presents an imaginative vision for San Francisco’s Treasure Island that emphasizes transportation every bit as much as architecture, it actually might turn out to be a force for good.

Good, as in a boost for the region’s transportation system. Good, as in the addition of a museum of popular culture to balance our more recent high-minded fare, such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. And good, as in a chance for the Marin resident to show that his cinematic flair can translate to urban architecture that feels like it belongs.

Roundabout journey

That last task has stymied Lucas, who sought to build his museum in the Presidio across from Crissy Field, only to head to Chicago in 2014 when the Presidio Trust (wisely) declined his offer. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel then worked all the political levers to clear the way for Lucas to make his mark on the shore of Lake Michigan, but a federal lawsuit by park advocates has put it on hold for the indefinite future.

Because of that logjam, Lucas representatives have held preliminary talks with Mayor Ed Lee and two supervisors about making room for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Treasure Island as part of a huge redevelopment effort just starting to get under way.

If, like me, you saw Lucas’ watered-down version of the Palace of Fine Arts at Crissy Field as a bad building in a magical location, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. It didn’t help that the proposed museum was an ill-defined grab bag ranging from Norman Rockwell paintings to vintage film props to contemporary digital animation.

But when Lucas turned his attention to Chicago, he shifted architectural styles to embrace a futuristic approach led by the well-regarded Chinese architect Ma Yansong. The thrust of the museum has been sharpened to emphasize the art of storytelling, with a focus missing during the Crissy Field competition.

In other words, the filmmaker has shown a willingness to evolve and alter his plans. And the most likely site — land around the existing chapel near the entrance to the island and facing the city — offers the chance for distinctive, high-visibility architecture that wouldn’t intrude on such planned public resources as a huge waterfront park.

Ferries aren’t cheap

The big issue, of course, is how to get an estimated 500,000-plus museum visitors each year to and from an island that currently can only be reached by vehicle from the Bay Bridge. But it’s also the one that Lucas could use to captivate skeptics.

Ferry service already is planned between the Ferry Building and a new terminal that would be built near the chapel and the historic, concave Building 1, one of the few remnants from the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. The terminal could debut as early as 2021, not long after the first new buildings open in what eventually is conceived as a self-sufficient neighborhood of 8,000 apartments and condominiums.

Imagine if part of Lucas’ proposal were to buy and operate at least two ferries — one connecting Treasure Island to the Ferry Building, the other serving the East Bay from Oakland’s Jack London Square. Such service could be part of the museum’s ticketed experience, similar to the current link between Pier 35 and Alcatraz. There’d be no point in families or “Star Wars” geeks navigating the already molasses-like Bay Bridge, solving a huge potential problem.

Expensive? Yes. The 400-passenger vessels that will be purchased in coming years by the agency that oversees the ferry system, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, cost roughly $16 million each. But that’s a manageable part of the overall $300 million budget that Lucas was estimating for his Crissy Field museum — one that included visitor parking, which wouldn’t be needed here. His estimated budget now runs to $700 million.

This would make a unique form of transportation integral to a museum that already bills itself as “unlike any other.”

As for the architecture, what counts isn’t style so much as skill and execution.

Design over dazzle

If Lucas wants to look toward the past for architectural cues, as was the case at the Presidio, that can work. If he wants to go in a contemporary or futuristic direction, as he did in Chicago, that can work, too. The important thing is to hire good architects who understand the virtues of well-crafted structures, so that — like first-rate special effects in a movie — we’re seduced by the experience.

Any talks with San Francisco are at an early stage. Chicago’s mayor might pull off a last-minute coup that makes Lake Michigan work. It might be that Los Angeles turns Lucas’ head. Opposition might arise here once there’s an actual design to look at. That’s always the most important test.

Still, it’s telling that Lucas has conditional support from Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Jane Kim. The former is a past critic of Treasure Island’s redevelopment. The latter is the island’s supervisor.

“The museum could give Treasure Island a heart and a destination,” Peskin said Monday, adding that he’s hopeful there might be a conceptual agreement by the end of the month on whether a formal proposal might emerge.

I asked Peskin whether he’s lured in part by Lucas’ celebrity status.

“My only claim to ‘Star Wars’ fame is that I saw the original at the Coronet Theater when it came out” in 1977, Peskin said. “For the record, I thought ‘American Graffiti’ was his best film.”

John King pour The San Francisco Chronicle.

Un premier aperçu des collections du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art avec Don Bacigalupi, président du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art :

Citation :

The art of storytelling

An exclusive first look at the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Just inside the gate of the George Lucas estate in San Anselmo is a small guest house, a pristine reproduction of a Craftsman-style bungalow. In its illusionistic accuracy and warm oaken glow, it seems the perfect metaphor for a way of seeing the world to which many of us were introduced in Lucas’ breakout movie, “American Graffiti.”

Leaning against the walls and sprawled on tables is a selection of 55 original drawings and paintings, as well as eight thick notebooks containing more than 700 photographic reproductions of works in Lucas’ art collection. All are slated to become part of the first holdings — the Seed Collection — of the long-planned Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Guiding me through the images, which were brought here just for our meeting, is Don Bacigalupi, the museum’s founding president and a much-credentialed art historian and museum director. Bacigalupi says the museum will eventually have its pick of the rest of the collection — about 10,000 paintings and works on paper and 30,000 film-related objects — that the renowned filmmaker has assembled over a period of 40 years and that is still growing.

It seems nearly everyone has an opinion about the collection of the Lucas Museum, which made Bacigalupi its first professional staff member last year. “It’s a ‘Star Wars’ museum,” some have said. “It’s a Hollywood memorabilia museum.” On Twitter, Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight called it “George Lucas’ planned Treacle Museum.” But who has actually seen the collection? Only a few people, says Bacigalupi — and no journalist. Until now.

Having had the first opportunity to evaluate the collection, I am glad to say it is none of those things. In fact, it may just be the core of a great museum.

Lucas has been attempting to build his eponymous museum since at least 2010, with widely publicized false starts at San Francisco’s Crissy Field and, later, on a lakefront site in Chicago. In June, he canceled the Chicago plan; his team is once again in discussions for a San Francisco site, this time on Treasure Island. They are also talking with officials in Los Angeles.

The San Francisco bid is likely to go better this time. The site is one that was already designated for a cultural use in a recent Treasure Island master plan. It has broad backing: Both key members of the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee have voiced support, the mayor’s press office confirms. The museum’s architectural design promises to be much improved over the first proposal.

Classic Stories and Illustrators

The stories we were told, the first books we read and the images we grew to love as children are part of who we are today; many themes appear generation after generation.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

But there’s another crucial element that bodes success: a much greater attention to communicating the cultural, social and historic value of the collection as an artifact and an unparalleled resource. This time, it’s about the art.

Key decisions made over the past year began with a change of name, from the confusing Cultural Arts Museum to the more descriptive Museum of Narrative Art. The project has acquired some of the significant trappings of any serious museum, with an informative website and a qualified board that includes the founder and prominent educators, museum professionals and business executives. In hiring Bacigalupi, the museum landed a strategic thinker about art and audience, and an articulate spokesman for the institution’s mission and raison d’etre; he will soon be joined by a new director of curatorial strategies and a director of film strategies.

Bacigalupi, a colleague from the days I was a museum director, has a doctorate in art history and has had a distinguished career as director of some classic museums (San Diego Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art). He also worked with the strong-minded, fabulously wealthy Alice Walton to develop and build the widely praised Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., which opened in 2011.

He calls the work he did with Walton and is now pursuing with Lucas — and a new central player, Mellody Hobson, whom Lucas married in 2013 — “the act of translating the vision ... from a founder to a viable institution that can actually work.”

All the discussion of the proposed museum’s architecture and siting has been well placed, but it is beside the point if its core institutional idea falls flat. Bacigalupi grants that the first building designs started from the outside. “It was a little cart-before-the-horse,” he allows.

So, what is the Lucas’ vision? Will it further enhance the Bay Area’s already extraordinary cultural assets? And do we really need such an institution?

delved into the collection records over two long visits and spent additional hours over several days in discussion with the new president about what is in place and what is planned. I came away believing that no other city in the United States would be a better setting, intellectually and artistically, for the Lucas Museum.

American Life

Documentation and interpretation of American life and mores is a frequent collection focus. Even idealized and sentimental narratives reveal something about how we want our world to be, how we wish to be depicted.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

“Narrative art is, simply stated, visual art that tells a story,” Bacigalupi says. “It manifests itself in every kind of medium, in every culture, in every form that you can imagine.”

That’s clear enough in concept, but making a museum collection out of it would be a daunting challenge. It would start with cave drawings and go on from there, encompassing all but the abstract and the purely symbolic. But there is a more focused idea: a mission, really, to provide an alternative to the current institutional view of what is worthy of preservation and study as art. In terms of the Bay Area, I see the Lucas Museum as a critical enhancement of the work of our many existing museums and public galleries, and not at all duplicative.

“The museum world has often ignored ... some of the most compelling narrative art forms,” Bacigalupi argues. “So they tend to be relegated to the status of low art, or popular art or media art — all the binaries that we set up with ‘high’ and ‘low,’ and ‘popular’ and ‘fine.’”

In the 20th century, he says, “the most popular arena for storytelling in visual form has been things like film and illustration and comics and animation. ... Instead of us getting into that debate about what is art and what isn’t art, the museum really doesn’t pay attention to that capital “A” Art, and instead looks for this through line, this continuity in whatever form, whatever context, whatever medium ... for this very basic human impulse: to tell stories.”

The Great Themes

From a full set of 207 original drawings for “The Book of Genesis” as re-told by Zap Comix artist R. Crumb, to a set of 23 interpretations of “Aesop’s Fables” by the great Jacob Lawrence, to Keith Haring’s obsessive rumination on “The Last Rainforest,” the collection reflects concerns of deep cultural significance.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

There has long been academic scholarship on popular art forms, particularly film, but serious consideration in museums has been slower to develop. In this country, I can think of three very credible institutions that have taken on aspects of the task — the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa., near the longtime home of the Wyeth family; the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.; and the Wolfsonian, a museum of design and propaganda at Florida International University in Miami.

But none of those are as broad-based in mission as the intended Lucas Museum, or have the resources — Lucas plans to spend more than $1 billion — it can bring to the effort. Nor are they embedded in the broader art museum context San Francisco provides.

To describe even part of the Lucas Seed Collection is to make a very long list. There’s a nascent photography collection that, frankly, needs work. There is also a vast Arts of Filmmaking portion that would require its own catalog, including costume designs and costumes, storyboard drawings, set paintings and objects from such iconic films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “Casablanca,” “The Ten Commandments” and “Star Wars.” Though movies will be shown at the museum regularly, film itself will not enter the collection; these objects have been assembled because they are invaluable in studying the creation of narrative. Telling the story of story-making, so to speak.

As significant as the film-related objects may be, I looked most closely at materials like original watercolor, pen and ink, and painted illustrations from the children’s books that were our (and our parents’ and grandparents’) first exposure to literature. An 1864 Sir John Tenniel drawing from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”; classic works by Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) and Beatrix Potter (1866-1943); Arthur Rackham’s jewel-like, anthropomorphic depictions of animal life at the turn of the last century; Jean de Brunhoff’s original “Babar” drawings from the 1930s.

The Graphic Narrative

The most inventive comic strips of a hundred years ago likely provided inspiration to the Surrealists; in pencil and ink, graphic narrative artists provide a gateway to an otherwise inaccessible world of absurdly effective contraptions, space travel, dreams and nightmares.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

The value of these materials goes beyond their rarity as objects. Even — no, especially — with all their outmoded preconceptions and prejudices, they are the irreplaceable source of our view, literally, of the world. To study them for the beliefs that artists and publishers meant to inculcate in us is to understand ourselves more deeply.

And then there are the social documents that were coded in other ways, epitomized by the images of social harmony and responsibility for which Norman Rockwell became so famous and beloved. Lucas’ Rockwell holding of 147 works continues to grow, even since the auction-record-setting addition of the artist’s most important painting, “Saying Grace” (1951) — a work that, in terms of emotional impact, is among the most significant of all magazine cover illustrations.

The Lucas Museum collection is a study in contrasts. The society that embraced the Saturday Evening Post illustrator’s moralism emerged, confoundingly, from an age that loved Maxfield Parrish’s worldly, even libertine portrayal of the way things are, or might be. Parrish is represented by 41 original works.

There are, of course, many works by artists embraced by mainstream institutions. A series of 23 drawings by Jacob Lawrence related to “Aesop’s Fables” (1969) is a case in point. The museum is actively collecting, its perspective broadened by Hobson, who, even before she joined the board, was building a personal collection of contemporary art with an emphasis on African American artists. Recently added are prints by Kara Walker and an important painting by Keith Haring, two artists whose narrative acuity is indisputable. They join works by a broad range of artists from Ingres to Frida Kahlo to Rirkrit Tiravanija.

The boy in me has a nostalgic connection to the paintings (by at least six different illustrators) for Mad magazine covers, and the drawings for comic characters like Uncle Scrooge by Carl Barks (1901-2000), Little Lulu by Marge Buell (1904-1993) and, best of all, Al Capp’s (1909-1979) Li’l Abner. There are superheroes, from Captain America to Batman, not to mention newspaper strip mockups for Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Pogo, Peanuts, Doonesbury and many others. And drawings for animated film: “Dumbo,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Bambi,” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Stories in Draft

An important area of the collection consists of sketches and models. They represent the origins and thinking behind influential cultural landmarks in art, whether on canvas, the printed page or — an unsurprisingly rich vein in a collection founded by George Lucas - film.

Illustrations : The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

It is a seemingly inexhaustible stockpile of invention and fantasy. But, as surrealist compositions of the highest order, nothing approaches the visual and conceptual heights of Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo” reveries and George Herriman’s “Krazy Kat” antics. The wealth of detail in these early-20th century graphic short stories required oversize sheets, 2 feet high and almost as wide.

The majesty of the Bible itself is encompassed by an extraordinary recent acquisition, and it may be the best bridge to understanding the potential value of the Lucas Museum.

Robert Crumb of Zap Comix fame undertook a five-year effort to hand-letter and draw all 50 chapters of the Book of Genesis, “a text so great and so strange,” he says, that he tells the story straight. Exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2009, the year it was completed, the monumental series was most recently presented in a major exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum, alongside the work of five other “graphic masters”: Dürer, Rembrandt, Hogarth, Goya and Picasso.

Exhibition curator Chiyo Ishikawa, the Seattle museum’s deputy director for art, said she had seen the Crumb piece in Venice and never doubted its inclusion among works by some of the greatest artists through history.

“We had the printmaking audience and also the comics audience,” she said. Some came only to see R. Crumb, bypassing the earlier work, and others sped up at the end, but, for the most part, people accepted the history for the continuum it is.

And then there was the group of the hippest narrative artists — zine producers invited to a tailored event — who all said, “We just can’t believe we’re here.”

Charles Desmarais pour The San Francisco Chronicle.

Après maintes péripéties, San Francisco et Los Angeles sont en compétition pour accueillir le futur musée de George Lucas.

Dans la Cité des Anges, le musée pourrait s'installer à Exposition Park, près du Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Le choix du réalisateur est attendu au début de l'année prochaine.

L'architecte chinois Ma Yansong, déjà concepteur du projet envisagé pour Chicago, s'est remis à l'ouvrage et a présenté ses deux nouveaux projets pour les nouveaux sites considérés à San Fransisco et Los Angeles :

Los Angeles ou San Francisco ? On devrait connaître sous peu la décision finale de George Lucas :

https://skift.com/2017/01/03/location-war-for-george-lucas-new-art-museum-to-be-decided-this-month/

La décision est tombée, c'est la Cité des Anges qui accueillera le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, musée entièrement voué aux arts populaires !

Le musée cher au réalisateur américain sera érigé à Exposition Park, parc municipal qui abrite déjà le Musée d'histoire naturelle du comté de Los Angeles et le Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Près de quatre ans après avoir présenté son projet, envisagé à l'origine à San Francisco et par la suite à Chicago, le créateur de Star Wars devrait présenter sa collection riche de plus de dix milles pièces en 2020 ou 2021, date à présent pressentie pour son inauguration !

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-la-wins-lucas-museum-20170110-htmlstory.html

Citation :

Lucas Museum Plans to Build in Los Angeles

From the Board of Directors, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

“After extensive due diligence and deliberation, the Board of Directors of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is pleased to announce plans to build the museum in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. We have been humbled by the overwhelmingly positive support we received from both San Francisco and Los Angeles during our selection process. Settling on a location proved to be an extremely difficult decision precisely because of the desirability of both sites and cities.

The board wishes to extend a special thanks to Mayor Ed Lee and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for their tremendous efforts and engagement. While each location offers many unique and wonderful attributes, South Los Angeles’s Promise Zone best positions the museum to have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship. Exposition Park is a magnet for the region and accessible from all parts of the city. As a museum uniquely focused on narrative art, we look forward to becoming part of a dynamic museum community, surrounded by more than 100 elementary and high schools, one of the country's leading universities as well as three other world-class museums.

Now we turn our attention to finalizing the details and building what we believe will be one of the most imaginative and inclusive art museums in the world—a global destination that all Angelenos and Californians will be proud to call their own.”

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - 10 janvier 2017.

Hier soir, le conseil municipal de la Ville de Los Angeles a approuvé à l'unanimité la construction du Lucas Museum of Narrative Art à Exposition Park !

Citation :

George Lucas' Museum of Narrative Art gets L.A. City Council go-ahead

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave its unanimous approval to George Lucas' Museum of Narrative Art, which may break ground this year at Exposition Park.

The "Star Wars" creator addressed the council before its 14-0 vote to OK an environmental impact report and other details.

"For a very brief time I actually grew up here," said Lucas, who has a film degree from USC, which is just north of the park. "That's where I learned movies. That's where I learned my craft. Basically where I started my career was in school here."

Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, the business executive who is a driving force behind the project, had also considered building the museum in his hometown, San Francisco, or hers, Chicago. Finally it came down to the two California locations, with L.A. announced as the site in January. Ma Yansong of MAD Architects will design the museum, which is expected to open in 2021.

The cost of the project, estimated at $1 billion, will be footed by the Lucas family. There also will be a $400-million Lucas endowment.

“It is the largest private gift in our city, in our state or in our nation's history,” said Councilman Curren D. Price Jr., whose district includes Exposition Park.

Per the Los Angeles Times' art critic Christopher Knight (who's not a fan of the idea), the museum will include illustrations for magazines, posters and children’s books by artists including Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham, Beatrix Potter, Frank Adams and Norman Rockwell; a small group of paintings by Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Everett Shinn and others; and lots of movie set designs, costumes and storyboards.

Lucas' personal collection of art and cinematic memorabilia is the foundation of the new museum's offerings, and yes, "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" will be represented.

"With unanimous support from our City Council, the Lucas Museum is officially coming home to L.A.!" Mayor Eric Garcetti said on social media Tuesday, posting a picture of himself with the council members, Hobson and Lucas.

Los Angeles Times - 27 juin 2017.

Un invité surprise à la cérémonie d'inauguration des travaux pour le Lucas Museum of Narrative Art qui s'est déroulée ce mercredi 14 mars 2018 à Los Angeles : Steven Spielberg assistait en effet au premier rang à la cérémonie conduite par George Lucas, son épouse Mellody Hobson et le Maire de Los Angeles Eric Garcetti. Le réalisateur a récemment rejoint le conseil d'administration du Musée à la demande de son ami, mécène et fondateur du Musée dont l'ouverture est prévue en 2021.





De nouvelles images conceptuelles ont été présentées :









Le communiqué de presse :

Citation :

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Officially Breaks Ground

Today marked the official groundbreaking for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.  Co-Founders George Lucas and Mellody Hobson along with the Museum's Board of Directors joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price and a group of more than 100 civic and community leaders to break ground on this 21st century cultural destination to be located at Exposition Park in South Los Angeles.
 
"The focus of the Museum is to open up people's imaginations and inspire them to dream beyond what is considered possible," said co-founder George Lucas. "Narrative art and storytelling stirs our emotions, shapes our aspirations as a society, and is the glue that binds us together around our common beliefs."

The Lucas Museum will celebrate the art of visual storytelling and enable people of diverse backgrounds to experience the power of narrative art across all mediums, including painting, illustration, comic art, photography, film, animation and digital art.  It is intended to be a place where visitors feel comfortable and welcomed by engaging with art forms they may already recognize and love.

"Our goal is to create the world's most inclusive and accessible art museum—a place that brings together people from every walk of life," said co-founder Mellody Hobson. "We are excited to call Exposition Park home, surrounded by more than 100 elementary and high schools, one of the country's leading universities, as well as three other world-class museums."

With an iconic building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the 300,000 square-foot non-profit museum will feature collection galleries and exhibition spaces displaying original works of art from world renowned artists, cutting-edge digital technologies and daily film screenings in two state-of-the-art theaters. It will also offer extraordinary educational opportunities with hands-on and digital classrooms and a free public research library for educators, scholars and students.  Education will be a centerpiece of the Museum's programming to provide diverse students of all ages the skills to voice their own stories and spark creativity.  

The project will transform a series of asphalt parking lots into a museum surrounded by 11 acres of new park land and gardens designed by Los Angeles-based landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA.  Thousands of jobs will be created directly and indirectly as a result of the Museum.  

"The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be an architectural wonder, a cultural treasure, and a center of storytelling and creativity at the heart of a reimagined Exposition Park," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "I thank Mellody Hobson and George Lucas for their incredible generosity and vision, which will inspire countless Angelenos and visitors from around the world."

"Today is a momentous occasion, as we break ground on what will surely become one of Los Angeles County's most popular and beloved landmarks," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. "The Lucas Museum will not only display brilliant works of art, but also teach countless children the science and technological skills needed for careers in the film, animation and design industries. It will cement Exposition Park's reputation as a world-class destination for arts and entertainment."

"My heartfelt thanks to George and Mellody for this unprecedented investment in South Los Angeles," said Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price. "When completed, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be a special, very magical gathering space for individuals from all walks of life to experience art like never before. We share an absolute belief that all children and families, no matter their skin color or zip code, deserve equal access to the arts."

Construction is commencing immediately and is anticipated to be completed by late 2021.

Lucas Museum of Narratve Art - 14 mars 2018.