Friday, June 27, 2014

Lucas Museum to open in Chicago

Ecstasy (c.1929) Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has announced that it will locate in Chicago in 2018. The Museum includes the substantial holdings of Golden Age American illustration amassed by George Lucas, including prime examples of Rockwell, Parrish, and Leyendecker.


In addition to illustration, the museum's holding include visual effects materials, concept art, comics, and animation. There's no other museum quite like it, and it defines narrative art as the full expression of the art of storytelling in popular culture, including "the evolution of the visual image from illustration to cinema to digital arts."

This is the very area overlooked by most mainstream art museums. With the exhibitions, publications, and scholarship that the LMNA is likely to bring to the table, they can do much to elevate the art of popular culture, and to change the way the history of art in the twentieth century is taught and understood.

Press release
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6 comments:

David Webb said...

This is great news James. I remember reading about this a while back. Illustration has always taken a back seat to 'real art'. Hopefully, this museum will redress the balance.

And, if George has any small change left, he might want to think about opening one here in the UK?

David

Erich said...

This is wonderful!! The last i heard this museum was going to be in San Francisco.
I live in Iowa so visiting it wont be nearly the same expense.

Unknown said...

Cool. Chicago is only 3hrs away from me. Will definitely check it out once it opens!

Rich said...

...waiting for Spielberg to somewhere open his own. At least with movie art posters from this Golden Age.

Nancy Ewart said...

Chicago is lucky to get this museum - the kind of art that is over looked by more mainstream museums. I wrote about this in my column for the Examiner.com and was shocked at the level of venom directed at Lucas. Such hatred - you would think he had done something evil instead of making some of the most popular and innovative movies of the last 50 years.

David Webb said...

Nancy, your comment doesn't surprise me. There's something about being populist that brings out the worst in some people. The kind of art that George Lucas is celebrating is what most 'ordinary' people would have on their walls.
On the other hand I've just read, in today's paper, that Tracy Emin's 'My Bed' is expected to fetch up to £1.2 million at auction. This creation, 'an unmade bed complete with soiled sheets, discarded condoms, cigarette butts and empty vodka bottles', was shortlisted for the Turner prize in 1999.
Miss Emin is bemoaning the fact that it may have to leave the country, as British galleries can't afford it.
Personally, not being intelligent enough to appreciate her genius, I'd rather they spent their money on art that is more likely to appeal to the general public.