The second most important thing to realize when walking into the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is that it’s not a Star Wars museum. Obviously, one of the museum’s founders, George Lucas, created the iconic franchise, and it’s certainly well-represented in the space. But if you walk through the doors hoping for Star Wars and nothing but Star Wars, you’re bound to be disappointed.
That leads us to the most important thing to realize when walking into the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It’s right there in the name. It’s a museum of “narrative art.” Art that tells a story. And when you think of it that way, the scope of what’s on display, what it means, what it inspires, and more, is staggering. And, yes, that includes Star Wars.
Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art doesn’t open to the public until September 22, but io9 was able to attend a member preview with a personal friend. What we discovered is a place that dazzled our imaginations, even if it’s not as perfect as it may look.
What’s incredible?
You can’t talk about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art without talking about the building itself. Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec, the 300,000-square-foot structure looks like the USS Enterprise landed outside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Everywhere you look before you even enter the space, you’re looking at one of the coolest structures you’ve probably ever seen. It’s a building that tells a story by itself, and provides just the right amount of awe for when you finally go inside.
Inside, the building doesn’t quite look as futuristic as the outside (save for when you look out its picturesque windows), but it’s equally majestic. A grand outdoor atrium makes way for two lobbies: one leading to the library (with a full-size Naboo Starfighter from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) and the other, the main entrance. There’s a gift shop, cafe, two movie theaters, and one smaller exhibit leading to the bulk of the collection on the fourth floor.
And while most of the museum’s collection is on a single floor, that doesn’t make it feel small at all. There are dozens of galleries on the floor, representing different themes, genres, specific artists, and more. There’s a science fiction section with a costume from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind next to drawings by H.R. Giger. There’s a manga section featuring Pokémon paintings and a statue of Kaneda from Akira. And there’s a comics section, which collects iconic covers from Marvel, DC, and more alongside stunning original Peanuts and Far Side work by Charles Schulz and Gary Larson.
But pop culture is only a part of it. Fans will also get to look at incredible works by Norman Rockwell, stunning historical photographs, and galleries with names like “Childhood,” “School,” “Love,” and “Community” that present all manner of work from across the decades. Each and every one tells its own unique story and, all together, that story gets even richer.
Basically, at every turn, whether it’s a Batman costume, Frank Frazetta painting, or controversial sculpture, you are forced to think about the stories each is telling. And it’s wonderful.
Oh, and there is a singular exhibition on the fifth floor called “Murals” that was maybe our favorite in the whole museum, which includes a stunning collection of original Banksys (who also did a new and original piece on the 4th floor). And we wouldn’t miss the outdoor sculptures or Skywalker Grill Restaurant inside either.
What’s not?
The worst thing about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is traversing the museum itself. Once you get to the fourth floor, you’re all set, but the primary mode of transportation for guests is a small elevator bank in the center of the lobby. So to get to the heart of the museum, you are forced to wait for one of a handful of elevators. Want to come back down? Wait for an elevator again. There are clearly marked stairs here and there, but they are not welcoming or easily accessible. You basically feel forced to wait for an elevator. But what if one goes down? What if they all go down?
Oh, and if you want to get to the fifth floor? There’s an elevator specifically for that too, which you can only get on the fourth floor. You just wish there was a more comfortable, accessible way to get around the museum, to make everything feel less disjointed. Maybe that’ll change once member previews are over, but we aren’t so sure.
The exhibit on the first floor is also odd. It’s called “The History of Narrative Art: Heroes, Myths, The Sacred” and it’s a table-setter, intended to open your mind to the possibilities of what narrative art is, can be, and has been for tens of thousands of years. And yet, while there are some original pieces in the section, much of it appeared to be presented on high-resolution screens. Basically TVs with classic art on them. We understand that you can’t move Michelangelo’s “Sistine Chapel’ out of Rome and into Los Angeles, and that its beautiful storytelling is a key part of this story, but having what are basically projections of it just feels off, especially when the rest of the museum is all actually there.
There’s also a heavy reliance on your phone to explore the pieces in the museum. Though each piece is clearly credited and marked, very few have any additional context or explanation about what they represent or why they’re there. The implication is that the museum wants you to figure that out for yourself, which is fine. But if you’d like to learn more, you can scan the piece with your phone to get more info. It’s nice to have the option, but also, by the end of a four-hour trip through the museum, my battery was all but dead, and constantly having to hold my phone dialed the magic back just a tad.
What about Star Wars?
You may have noticed we have yet to mention Star Wars. And that’s because while the Star Wars representation in the museum is certainly “good,” we wouldn’t quite call it “incredible.” Among the exhibits on the fourth floor is one called “Cinema,” but the only “cinema” in there is Star Wars. Lucas gives fans all sorts of gorgeous concept art to look at, along with original costumes, props, vehicles, and even some full-size reproductions (like the pods of Anakin’s Podracer or General Grievous’s wheel bike) which never actually existed.
When we attended, this section was so popular that not only was there a separate line to enter, but once inside, fans had formed secondary lines to get closer to key pieces. Now, to be fair, that was all worth it. It was awesome to see not just the original trilogy but the prequel trilogy represented in such a magnificent way. But also, we couldn’t help but think: is that it? Shouldn’t Lucas have even more to display? We’ve all heard stories of the Lucasfilm Archives and the treasures it holds. Why display just these things?
Also, if it’s called “Cinema,” where is the other “cinema?” Give us all the Star Wars, but we’d love even more cinema too. Clearly, these exhibitions could be rotated and changed throughout the years, and Los Angeles is fortunate enough to have the excellent movie-only Academy Museum too, but you just hope for a bit more.
In conclusion…
While the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art isn’t perfect, it’s damn near close. It’s a mind-blowing monument to storytelling of all types that celebrates everything you love about art and opens your mind to things you may not yet know. It’s bold, it’s weird, and it’s somewhere I’ll be visiting many, many times until the end of my days. Even over a half-day visit, we didn’t get to check out the library or either of the theaters at all. There’s just so much to see. If you’re in Los Angeles, we can’t recommend it enough. Just pray the elevators are working.
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