After months of feverish speculation, billionaire filmmaker George Lucas’ gift to the art world and art lovers finally has a new home. The Museum of Narrative Art designed by MAD Architects (2017 Architizer A+Awards Juror) will take its auspicious place in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. The 275,000-square-foot plan staved off a competing Treasure Island proposal in San Francisco, a loss the Presidio Trust can soothe by looking forward to the James Corner Field Operations–designed Presidio Parklands project. The Lucas Art Museum adds major fuel to Los Angeles’ claim as a veritable global art city, joining the recently opened Broad Museum and adding a major tourist and job-growth boon.
The Museum of Narrative Art will house about 10,000 pieces of Lucas’ personal art collection, featuring work by Rockwell and Wyeth as well as memorabilia from the Star Wars franchise. George Lucas is set to personally fund the museum, providing financing to the tune of $1 billion related to construction costs, artwork and at least a $400 million endowment. MAD Architects submitted two proposals, one of which was remote and accessible by only ferry and bridge, but the 7-acre second option situated in public transit–friendly and museum-heavy Exposition Park was the clear winner.
The Museum siting is highly strategic, with its interior context hosting a cadre of museums including the California Science Center and African American Museum and is surrounded externally by 100-plus elementary and high schools and close to the University of Southern California. It ensures a strong long-term cultural and spatial imprint in the city, lending credence to the Board of Directors’ mission to “have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship.”
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News via Los Angeles Times