Lucas Goes Green
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| Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Photo: Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography |
Urbanize Los Angeles has new aerial photos of the Ma Yansong-designed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art by Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography. The roof garden is now largely in place and green (despite the city's record dry spell).
The museum is expected to open in 2026.
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| Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Photo: Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography |
Comments
As for the LA Natural History Museum to its east, the fact it once housed LA's main public art collection - as recently as 60 years ago - is a big reason the city earned a major black eye (ie, "cultural desert"). When even cities like Minneapolis in the early 1900s did better than that, something was really amiss.
The Lucas will probably rival all these figures in its first year. But that will compete with the opening of LACMA's new building, which will also boost attendance.
The most-attended museum-like institution in L.A. is the California Science Center, with about 1.67 million visitors a year. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County draws about a million (I suspect that includes the La Brea site).
The LA Times art critic described the Lucas's focus as "treacle," but he also described LACMA as "a de facto museum of contemporary art, but frankly...not a very good one." A happy medium between the two formats hopefully will be reached. So if the Lucas steps up its sophistication and LACMA steps down its "hip, trendy!" that will be a win-win.
Do I detect that you are appalled that 1900s LA could possibly have been more backwards culturally than a place like Minneapolis? [MINNEAPOLIS!?]
If I understood your words correctly, then you cannot know how, at that time, northern-tier US cities east of the Mississippi were in constant search of civic fame and cultural advancement for their citizens.
Travel to these places. See their amazing art treasures. Or armchair-travel through their online collection highlights, in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Oberlin, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Albany...a full list is endless.
The interior of this country is rich, rich, rich.
If, rather, you are just lamenting LA's long-drawn indifference for civic fame and cultural advancement for its citizens, then I think that strain still runs deep, notwithstanding the discreet but powerful latter-day contributions of a Getty, Simon, Huntington or Broad.