At 82, George Lucas is actually still very active, only not in the cinematic field. The creator of Star Wars has in fact finally inaugurated the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles: with its fascinating architecture, it aims to be not only a space that houses assorted memorabilia from Lucasfilm‘s ventures, but also noteworthy works tied to illustration, to the narrative image, which for George is the core of this undertaking. Variety reports some of his statements to the press.
[Photo of George Lucas courtesy of Gage Skidmore, from Wikimedia Commons]
George Lucas Proud of the Herculean Effort Behind the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles
Leaving behind a didactic legacy: this seems to be the new great mission of George Lucas, after he freed himself from cinema, selling it to Disney at the end of 2012, with Lucasfilm, its subsidiaries, Star Wars and Indiana Jones attached. The George Lucas Educational Foundation (with the digital arm Lucas Learning) has long been active, based, moreover, in that mythical Skywalker Ranch that George has never ceded. In the meantime, for 17 years, George has nurtured the sogno di questo colossale museo, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art di Los Angeles. What can you find there? In a space of nearly 28,000 square meters, one explores no fewer than 30 galleries, spanning materials related to the productions Lucasfilm (sketches, props) to works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell, by illustrators such as Frank Frazetta, not forgetting space dedicated to photography, sculpture and even comics. What ties all these disparate expressions together?
Lucas explains: “I really felt I had to honor those who sign illustrations, those who create art to illustrate stories already written. Most stories are mythology: they are not real, but the illustrations make them real. An image is very powerful, stories are very powerful: by combining them, these two elements create a society.” Wealth, ability and collaborators have never been lacking, but this time it was hard: “I’m fascinated by doing things that people say cannot be done. I’m used to doing the impossible, it depends that I’m a contrarian. But this undertaking almost managed to dishearten me”.
The key is in the “almost“: the museum will finally be open to the public on September 22.
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