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George Lucas and Mellody Hobson want their massive spaceship of a museum to be an experience. Across 300,000 square feet and 11 acres of park space, there’s a lot to take in. Staring up at the 90-foot-diameter oculus four stories above the entrance plaza makes one feel like a speck in the galaxy.
Instead of trying to conquer everything on a first visit — there are more than 1,300 works — hit our highlights below. If you aim to walk around the striking building to view a mishmash of masterpieces, children’s illustrations, movie memorabilia that’s heavy on “Star Wars” and comic strips, you’ll have a good time. If you’re hoping to learn about what’s on display or how adjacent pieces relate, curb your enthusiasm. It’s almost as if the museum is making a statement: you don’t need some analysis to connect with the works. If you complain about the collection, the co-founders don’t care. “Is it fine art? It’s finer art because it’s actually telling a story,” Lucas said at a museum party last week.
Whoosh up in the glass-tube elevators to the massive fourth floor to begin. Best to explore the bulk of the galleries when your gas tank is full. Then head up a floor to see the murals. Take a break at the rooftop Skywalker Grill before ambling to the library and grounds. Skip the first floor’s “History of Narrative Art.” The exhibition is mostly screens, projections and reproductions, with a handful of great works from the 16th and 17th centuries and feels superficial at times. If you care about whether something is an original or a copy, check the gallery labels. Hungry for more detail? There’s a $30 exhibition catalog in the gift shop.
Prepare to get your steps in and feel a little turned around once it opens Sept. 22. Admission is $25 for adults, free for kids.
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Get your ‘Star Wars’ on
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Lucas Museum’s Chief Executive Tracey Bates said “Star Wars” comprises only 7% of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions, but there’s still plenty for fans — even casual ones — to sink their teeth into. In the Slavko Vorkapich Theater on the first floor you can watch parts of an unreleased animated comedy series called “Star Wars Detours,” which was created by Lucas as a parody of the franchise in the early aughts, but never aired. In the “Star Wars in Motion” exhibit on the fourth floor, you can stand before Luke’s Landspeeder from the 1977 original film. The unassuming lozenge-shaped vehicle stands ready to conjure reverence in anyone who holds childhood memories of that film dear. For sheer spectacle, behold the first physical build of General Grievous’ Wheel Bike, an invention previously only realized in CGI but built specifically for the museum at Lucas’ request. — Jessica Gelt
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Then don your Rockwell hat
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There’s a staggering amount of Norman Rockwells, some in interesting configurations. Next to study versions of his “Triple Self-Portrait,” for which the artist drew himself painting his portrait while looking at a mirror, are riffs on the iconic image: a robot and Mad Magazine’s mascot make the same pose. A local sculptor even transformed it into a large bronze over 18 months at Lucas’ request. “The Runaway,” which features a white boy sitting sweetly next to a cop in a diner, is paired with a Richard Williams painting of a Black boy spooked by an officer in riot gear. Nearby hangs Rockwell’s famous 1964 oil painting showing marshals escorting 6-year-old Ruby Bridges to an integrated school. Beyond these, there are plenty more treasures to satisfy Rockwell fans. — Brittany Levine Beckman
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Gaze at a remarkable self-portrait of Frida Kahlo
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After the Lucas Museum acquired a 1940 work by Frida Kahlo titled, “Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser,” then-museum director Sandra Jackson-Dumont called it the “Mona Lisa of Mexico.” It’s easy to see why Jackson-Dumont was excited. Kahlo painted dozens of self-portraits, many relating to the excruciating physical pain she continued to suffer as the result of a childhood accident. This one is different. Besides a necklace of thorns, which draws small drops of blood, Kahlo appears to be more focused on the relief of healing. The painting is dedicated to the Bay Area doctor that Kahlo was seeing to treat her ongoing pain, and a small banner at the base of the picture is painted with the words (in Spanish, but translated, here), “to Dr. Leo Eloesser, my doctor and my best friend. With all my love. Frida Kahlo.” The silver hand-shaped earrings Kahlo wears in the portrait were a gift from Pablo Picasso. —J.G.
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See rare and exciting comics
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George Lucas is an unabashed comic fan, and his love shows in his extensive holdings, which are highlighted in the large comics and graphic stories galleries. The crowning glory of the collection is arguably the first-ever Flash Gordon comic strip. There is also an original splash page from Black Panther, as well as original “Peanuts” strips from the 1950s and ‘60s. But fans of vintage comics of all kinds will be happily satiated with panels from “Alley-Oop,” “Garfield,” “Tarzan” and “Prince Valiant.” Here, as in all the other galleries, looking closely is key to finding hidden treasures. There’s a stacked manga gallery for fans of that genre too. —J.G.
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‘Star Wars,’ who? Give me ‘The Wizard of Oz’
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Gracious of George Lucas to cede turf to the one movie as beloved as “Star Wars.” “The Wizard of Oz’s” original Cowardly Lion costume stands alone in the center of a room allowing intimate inspection of its whiskers, ringlets and fur. Having gazed at it onscreen dozens of times, including in the hyper-crisp 16K resolution of the Sphere, this in-person viewing was the first time I realized how Bert Lahr wriggled it on. Designed by Adrian, the big cat has shoelace-style stitching running up his belly and detachable slippers tipped with sharp claws. In a word, it’s wonderful. — Amy Nicholson
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Parrish and Frazetta and Wyeth, oh my!
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While big galleries with big themes — sports, history, civic life — can feel full but thin, smaller galleries with multiple works by one artist are chewier. Though not as abundant as the Rockwell gallery, pick any of the five other single-artist galleries to explore. For fantasy: Frank Frazetta; childhood wonder: Jessie Willcox Smith (the only woman artist with her own space); luminous classical scenes: Maxfield Parrish; dynamic figures at work: Thomas Hart Benton; duels and the like, N.C. Wyeth. Choose your own adventure. — B.L.B.
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Head to the bridge, ahem the view-port
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After checking out a painting that looks like Keanu Reeves meets “Cast Away” in the Wyeth room, head to the sourthern view-port, the best of three such spaces on the fourth floor. Take a seat on a curvaceous wooden bench and imagine you’re captaining a spaceship. On the horizon, you’ll see a Jabba the Hutt/Princess Leia statue. — B.L.B.
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Banksy was here
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After getting married, Lucas gifted Hobson a Banksy, concrete wall and all, to sit across from a prehistoric turtle he got her while they were dating. They had to reinforce the floor of their Chicago apartment to support the pair’s weight. Lucas also invited Banksy to the museum to remake some well-known works, including “Girl With a Balloon,” Bates said. Banksy’s stencil works are with the murals on the fifth floor. Black paint spots stain the wood floor below one piece known as “Crayon House.” “George and Banksy had a real meeting of the minds,” Bates said. — B.L.B.
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Reserve now for November at Skywalker Grill
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This is a plan-in-advance activity, because getting a coveted table at the luxe restaurant — which is small relative to the size of the museum — requires a reservation. As of this writing, the next reservation for two is not available until Nov. 18. Still, it’s worth putting this treat on your calendar if you’re planning a trip to the Lucas. The room itself is lovely, with Midcentury Modern touches including curved cherry-wood walls, illuminated white onyx Corian surfaces and low lighting. It also has a full bar and an outdoor patio with sail shades and stunning views of the downtown L.A. skyline. There is no marquee chef attached, but it’s operated by the team that runs a variety of posh venues inside London’s Royal Albert Hall. The food is described as classic American cuisine made with California-sourced ingredients, and it’s open lunch, dinner and weekend brunch with hours that extend past the museum’s closing — showing that it hopes to become a dining destination in its own right. —J.G.
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Browse the stacks
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The museum’s library is open to visitors without a ticket and is all dressed up in dark wood, with cozy lighting and plenty of comfortable chairs and tables. A wall of windows looks out onto the lush main lawn, providing both a quiet place to read and a perfect perch for people watching. It’s not a lending library, but you can enjoy the more than 3,000 art books on site. As an added treat, the third and topmost floor of shelving contains a variety of art books donated by actor and avid art collector Steve Martin. (The public can only access the first floor.) On your way out, be sure to leave books on the bright orange carts featuring signs of Yoda imploring guests to follow the golden rule: “Reshelve, do not. Leave books here, you must!” —J.G.
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Stroll the grounds
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Bring a good book, or your selfie stick, on a stroll of the museum’s stunning garden campus designed by Mia Lehrer and her L.A. firm Studio-MLA. Featuring various zones of native vegetation alongside bougainvillea and jacarandas, the park is dotted with generous public seating and has an amphitheater for outdoor events or general lounging. A tranquil hanging garden and rolling green hills are mirrored with dreamlike precision on the museum’s curved roof. There is also a smattering of sculptures, including a joyful mother and child by Fernando Botero and a series of full-scale creations featuring some of “Star Wars” most beloved characters.
You’ll find Yoda standing with Baby Yoda just behind him toward the back of the park, while a giant bronze in the ample grass lawn below the museum shows Princess Leia choking Jabba the Hutt with her chains — an iconic scene from “Return of the Jedi.” For a quiet moment of reflection head to the north edge of the museum where you’ll find a large waterfall dubbed “The Rain,” which doubles as a cooling mechanism for the building and attracts plenty of seagulls. —J.G.
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