George Lucas Proposes New American Illustration Museum

The National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, R.I., reports on a proposal by George Lucas for a $1 billion West Coast American Illustration Museum:

THE RECENT LUCAS MUSEUM PROPOSAL HERALDS A NEW and GROWING GLOBAL RECOGNITION of AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION ART

George Lucas’ proposal for a Cultural Arts Museum is one of 3 finalists for a coveted site in San Francisco’s Presidio National Park. His proposal submitted to The Presidio Trust explains the intent to create a museum which highlights storytelling “populist art,” with the works of great American illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and J.C. Leyendecker all featured prominently. Other artists in other mediums and genres such as comic art, fashion design, cinematic art, and digital media will be included in the proposed museum.

Sunrise, 1931. Maxfield Parrish

Lucas developed much of his esteemed collection through NMAI co-founder and Museum Director Judy Cutler’s American Illustrators Gallery in NYC. Mrs. Cutler remarks, “George has been a long-time proponent of the merits and cultural value of American illustration. Many early advocates of American illustration art were movie actors and directors. They were all early to recognize the parallels between American illustration and film in reflecting our culture and the human condition while telling a story within a particular aesthetic framework.”

Mrs. Cutler goes on to say, “Lucas’ whole- hearted commitment to this project is most commendable. He is gifting the entirety of the funding necessary for the construction of the building ($250 million), and creating a huge endowment ($800 million) to operate the new Museum in perpetuity. It will ultimately comprise a huge, valuable gift to San Francisco –  a massive commitment to illustration art and new media arts.”

–posted by Pat Achilles