Thursday, September 1, 2016

Lucas Museum Hoping For a Home in S.F.

The proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art may be coming to the San Francisco area after all.

If you haven't heard of it, the LMNA promises to be a public museum collection featuring illustration art, comics, animation, and movie related artwork, topics usually overlooked in most art museums. 

N.C. Wyeth, The Storybook
The collection is based on the original paintings by the likes of Rockwell, Parrish, Wyeth, Rackham, Crumb, and Moebius assembled by George Lucas over the last 40 years. According to the Museum's president, Don Bacigalupi:
“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.”
Despite the false starts in locating the museum in the Presidio in San Francisco, or in Chicago's lakeside, the latest proposal centers on Treasure Island, which is located in the San Francisco Bay. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, they're also in talks with officials in Los Angeles.
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Read more: "The Art of Storytelling: An exclusive first look at the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art" by Charles Desmarais. Thanks, Chuck Pyle!
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5 comments:

Garrett said...

As a Bay Area resident, this would make me very happy! Unlike the east coast we have few venues to see representational or illustrative work, so the Lucas museum would be a great addition.

Personally, I remember going to see an "Art of Star Wars" exhibit in San Francisco when I was young and being thoroughly inspired by the matte painting and concept art.. From that point on Ralph McQuarrie was my hero and the exhibit set me on the path to becoming an artist in my own right. If the Lucas museum will serve the same purpose I hope our municipalities will make it happen!

That said, Treasure Island is empty, but would not be a good place for a museum unless they put a ferry terminal...

David Webb said...

Personally, I'd be happy to see it find a home in Devon, UK. No, no, no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I live in Devon, UK.

Jim Douglas said...

If George Lucas has collected enough art to fill a large museum, but the museum is still unbuilt, where does he keep everything? If his house is getting too cluttered, I'd be happy to take a Wyeth or Rockwell off his hands and hang it in my living room. Purely out of the kindness of my heart, you understand.
#adoptawyeth
#goodhomeforrockwell

Erich said...

I'm happy that it's going to happen. I was thrilled when they were talking about having it in Chicago. More centrally located. Most illustrators and art nerds I know can't afford to hop from coast to coast. Having it in the middle would have spread the travel burden more evenly.

Tom Hart said...

I (selfishly) agree that it's too bad it will be on the West coast. But I feel blessed to have lived in Northampton, MA when years ago Kevin Eastman (of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame) established the Words & Pictures museum. It was relatively small, but always had a wonderful rotating exhibit of all manner of illustration, in addition to the permanent collection. Sadly, it closed long ago, but my memory lingers!