The last starchitect: Ma Yansong’s ostentatious, otherworldly case for the architectural showstopper
Ma Yansong steps into a spotlight of his own design. The star Chinese architect is in the entry plaza at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the audacious and gargantuan blockbuster of a building he’s designed in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park to hold the art collection of filmmaker George Lucas. Ma, 51, is here for the museum’s press preview day in early September, and gamely walks into a circle…
Ma Yansong, the famed Chinese architect, is making waves with his latest creation - the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Designed for the George Lucas film collection, the $1 billion museum is a striking example of his signature style. At 51, Ma is the face and creative leader of MAD Architects, an architectural firm he's run for 22 years.
His designs are known for their curvy and adventurous forms, often becoming landmarks in the cities where they are built. The Lucas Museum is no exception, with its aerodynamic shape and fluid surfaces, clad in warped grid of white polymer panels, topped with a black solar array and planted artificial hill. Despite concerns about the environmental impact of such buildings and the financial feasibility, Ma remains confident in his approach, believing that museums should create emotional reactions and connect people to a place.
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