London - Film director George Lucas has unveiled plans for his $300 million (R3.4-billion) art museum… and it wouldn’t look out of place on the set of Star Wars.
The space-age Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was designed by Beijing architect Ma Yansong, who was inspired by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe.
Expected to open in 2018 in Chicago, it features a floating disc above four levels of exhibition space in “infinite loops” and an observation deck with 360° views of the city and Lake Michigan. The museum will house pieces from the Star Wars creator’s $600m personal collection, including works by Norman Rockwell and Alberto Vargas and props from his ground-breaking movies.
The museum will be “a gathering place to experience narrative art and the evolution of moving images – from illustration to cinema to the digital mediums of the future,” a spokesman said.
As well as the permanent collection, the museum will host temporary exhibitions as well as educational events.
Chicago residents have had mixed reactions to the plans. In opinions compiled by the Chicago Tribune, readers compared the structure to Jabba the Hut’s desert spaceship, a nuclear power plant, a child’s volcano science project, and Space Mountain.
A more positive response came from the mayor Rahm Emanuel who said: “George Lucas has revolutionised the art of storytelling over the last four decades and we are honoured to be the recipient of this incredible legacy investment that will allow everyone to learn about and experience narrative arts.” – Daily Mail