The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its inaugural exhibitions, curated by founder George Lucas, ahead of its September opening. The initial hang will feature around 12,000 objects from the museum's collection of over 40,000, displayed across 30 galleries in the 300,000-square-foot building. Thematic galleries will highlight specific artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, Norman Rockwell, and N.C. Wyeth, as well as mediums like cinema, photography, muralism, and comics. Broader themes include "Everyday Life," "Narrative Forms," and "Western Stories."
This announcement matters because it reveals the museum's curatorial direction under Lucas's direct control, following significant leadership changes in the past year, including the departures of director Sandra Jackson-Dumont and chief curator Pilar Tompkins Rivas, as well as staff layoffs. The museum positions itself as a home for narrative art, elevating genres like illustration and comics that have historically been marginalized in fine art institutions, while its installation strategy draws comparisons to major museums like MoMA and LACMA.