Comment | What happened to George Lucas’s vision of a museum for ‘the people’?
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s new admission and membership fees are tone-deaf and self-defeating
Los Angeles today presents a stark contrast to the city envisioned by Octavia Butler in her dystopian fiction. The county is home to over 55 billionaires, while 1.35 million residents live below the poverty line, and 45,000 are homeless. The divide between the ultra-wealthy and the impoverished looms large. Unsurprisingly, the city's inequality has worsened in recent times, driven by the recent IPO of Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is expected to create 400 new "centi-millionaires."
Billionaire and Star Wars creator George Lucas, a prolific art collector, is embroiled in controversy over the anticipated opening of his $25 million Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on September 22. The high ticket prices, along with the museum's insistence on charging for annual memberships, have drawn criticism. Critics argue that a museum claiming to serve "the people" should eliminate entry fees and prioritize accessibility over personal gain.
Lucas's wife, Mellody Hobson, has also come under fire for her role in the museum's management. The institution's sleek, figure-eight-shaped building, designed by Ma Yansong, serves as a symbol of Lucas's grand vision. However, the high admission fees and the museum's focus on Lucas's personal art collection, including works by Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth, have raised questions about its true purpose.
In contrast, other wealthy museum founders have chosen to make their institutions more accessible. Alice Walton, for instance, ensured free admission to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, while Glenstone, founded by Mitch and Emily Rales, remains free of charge. Closer to home, the Getty Center and Villa offer free admission, and the Broad Museum in Los Angeles committed to free access for a decade.
The Lucas Museum's failure to follow suit highlights a troubling disconnect between its grand ambitions and its practical application.
Written by urgent.news from The Art Newspaper's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
