George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens in Los Angeles with Two-Volume Taschen Catalog
This week, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by George Lucas, officially opened in Los Angeles. A two-volume catalog, edited by Jessica Hundley and managed by Benedikt Taschen, has been published by Taschen. Spanning 832 pages, the catalog showcases Lucas's extensive collection of 40,000 pieces, which includes children's book illustrations and comic art alongside renowned works by Diego Rivera and Thomas Hart Benton, attracting some criticism. It presents a contrast between Fernand Léger's "La Femme au chat" and Renoir's "Les enfants au bord de la mer," while also featuring underrepresented artists like Hector Hyppolite and Archibald J. Motley, Jr. Lucas connects the origins of illustration to the Renaissance, referencing Artemisia Gentileschi's "The Triumph of Galatea." The museum encompasses five floors, 35 galleries, and two cinemas within a space of 28,000 square meters.
Key facts
- The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened this week in Los Angeles.
- A two-volume catalog in a slipcase, published by Taschen, accompanies the museum opening.
- The catalog is edited by Jessica Hundley and was overseen by publisher Benedikt Taschen as director and producer.
- George Lucas's collection comprises 40,000 pieces, and he has never sold a work.
- The 832-page publication mixes high and low art, including works by Frida Kahlo, Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, Fernand Léger, and Renoir alongside comic and illustration art.
- Artemisia Gentileschi's "The Triumph of Galatea" was acquired for around €2 million at Christie's in 2020.
- A Frank Frazetta cover painting for a Conan novel sold for about €11.5 million last year at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
- The museum has five floors, 35 galleries, and two cinemas across 28,000 square meters.
Entities
Artists
- George Lucas
- Claude Chabrol
- David O. Selznick
- Frida Kahlo
- Kater Karlo
- Thomas Hart Benton
- Diego Rivera
- Walt Disney
- Fernand Léger
- Renoir
- Melbourne Brindle
- Stevan Dohanos
- Pissarro
- Winslow Homer
- Douglas Sirk
- Jessica Hundley
- Hector Hyppolite
- Matisse
- Archibald J. Motley, Jr.
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Ralph McQuarrie
- Winsor McCay
- Maxfield Parrish
- Frank Frazetta
- V. T. Hamlin
- Norman Rockwell
- Steven Spielberg
- Saul Steinberg
- Al Hirschfeld
- Jessie Wilcox Smith
- Guillermo del Toro
- Ryan Linkof
- Jessie Willcox Smith
- Ma Yansong
- Jonathan Bell
Institutions
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- Taschen
- Christie's
- Heritage Auctions
- Saturday Evening Post
- New Yorker
- MAD Architects
- Stantec
- Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Wallpaper*
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Haiti
- Dallas
- Texas
- Exposition Park