The Last Judgment, The Creation of Adam, and Original Sin and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, works by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, the classical Roman statues of Apollo Belvedere and Augustus of Prima Porta, and Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens - these are the masterpieces from the Vatican Museums that are reproduced and displayed at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California. The frescoes by Michelangelo and Raphael are displayed in 2-D lightboxes, while the statues are presented as 3-D holographic displays.
Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate, and Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, were given a preview of the installation devoted to the works of art preserved in the Vatican. They were welcomed and accompanied by the founders George Lucas and Mellody Hobson.
The new museum aims to celebrate the power of visual storytelling by exploring how images move us and shape collective memory. Its works range from Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait to Norman Rockwell’s idyllic scenes of everyday life and Charles White’s dignified portraits.
Designed by the architect Ma Yansong of MAD design studios, the Lucas Museum is located in Exposition Park in the South Los Angeles intercity area. The architect conceived the museum as a sculptural form, recalling an extension of the tree canopy and evoking a spacecraft that appears to hover just above the ground.
The museum campus also includes a new green space designed by Mia Lehrer and her team. To create it, former parking lots were transformed into a living landscape. More than 200 new trees were planted, and the contours of the terrain were reshaped to harmonize with the geography of the surrounding area. Sustainability is at the heart of the entire design. The landscape is designed to capture rainwater for irrigation and to feed a cascading fountain that helps cool the surrounding environment. Solar panels have also been installed on the roof to provide clean energy.
The official inauguration ceremony of the Lucas Museum will take place on Saturday evening, September 19, while the museum will open to the public on Tuesday, September 22.
